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September 2004 in the village of Villiers-Morgon in the Beaujolais region, drinking red wine with the late ``king of natural wine'' Marcel Lapierre (right) at Fugensha, a book cafe in Meguro, Tokyo, run by a former seminar student with his family. A glass of (left)

Ikuhiro Fukuda, Professor Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences

Graduated from Waseda University's School of Letters, Arts and Sciences I of French Literature in 1980. In 1989, he withdrew from Waseda University's Graduate School Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences Doctoral Program in French Literature. During this period, from 1985 to 1988, he studied abroad as a doctoral student at Paris III University as a scholarship student in France. Specializes in the social history of food and drink (food and drink representation theory). From 2022, Director of the Waseda University Comprehensive Research Organization “Food and Agriculture Research Institute”
(Photo provided by: wa-syu official online shop Photography: Masanori Wada)

She wanted me to write about wine in Waseda Weekly's `` Professor's Time Off'' section. It's true that I love wine, and I've translated history books about wine and even written about wine myself. However, for me, eating and drinking, including wine, has been a subject of research for a long time.

It all started when I was studying abroad in France for three years while I was in graduate school. Up until then, I had been studying French modern and contemporary literature, but I was fascinated by French food and drink culture. More specifically, I fell in love with wine. The variety of wine flavors, the existence of cheap and delicious wines, the synergistic effect of pairing wine with food, and the joy of a lively conversation at the dining table... I've always loved eating and drinking, but when I saw how many French people enjoy eating and drinking as part of their way of life, I realized that my gluttonous nature found its place.

His book ``In Search of Natural Wine: Cultural Studies of Japanese Wine'' was published in April 2023 (Keihyoronsha). A book that examines Japanese wine from a cultural perspective, from the history of Japanese wine to the trend toward natural wine.

Later, when I began to analyze eating and drinking scenes in French literature, I was surprised at the abundance and richness of the depictions, which I had never paid much attention to when I was reading them. Furthermore, when I expanded my field to include Japanese literature, there were symbolic depictions of food and drink that were different from those found in French literature. While I was writing several papers that considered these topics, I finally decided that thinking about the history and culture of food and drink became my full-time job.

Considering that images and representations as tacit values have great significance in food and drink, I have arbitrarily named my specialty ``Food and Drink Representation Theory.''

My wife is also a graduate of Waseda University's School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and when she was single she worked at a wine bar and obtained her sommelier qualification at that time. My wife and I drink at least one bottle of wine every night, discussing which wine goes well with today's dish. By the way, I have about 220 bottles of wine in my refrigerator-style wine cellar at home.

Home wine cellar. Choosing the right wine for dinner that day is a relaxing time.

For the past few years, my wife and I have been drinking natural wine. This is a naturally made wine that uses organic grape cultivation, wild yeasts, and minimal or no use of antioxidants. This is a very honest and easy-drinking wine that is kind to the environment and the body.

Photo left: Pioneer, a natural wine specialty store in Ebisu that I go to every other week. 3amours (Troisamours))”. We recommend it because you can get great wine for around 2,000 yen.
Photo on the right: With the store manager. Flowers bloom in the wine discussion every time.

The number of restaurants, wine bars, and specialty shops selling natural wines is increasing, so if you're not into wine, you should definitely give them a try.

People often say that it's not a good idea to turn your hobby into a job, but I'm glad I turned my hobby into a profession.

Fukuda loves drinking too! 4 truly delicious natural wines in the low 2,000 yen range

Mr. Kubota, the manager of 3amours, a wine shop that Fukuda frequents, introduced four bottles that are easy for students to purchase.

*The displayed price is the store price (tax included) at Trois-a-Meurs. Prices are at the time of publication and may change.