The Importance of Tsukimi Burgers to Japan

It’s tsukimi burger time here in Japan. “Tsukimi” (月見) means “viewing the moon,” and these American hamburgers topped with sunny-side-up eggs are designed to evoke images of an autumn full moon. The sandwiches appear every year near the end of August at many fast-food chains across the country. Personally, I am not a fan of putting eggs on my junk food, but I might need to rethink that plan, since tsukimi burgers are vital to Japan’s future as a nation.

Any country’s culture consists of the norms, shared beliefs, and standard behaviors of the citizenry, as well as the institutions that convey and protect those cultural elements. Culture is such an ordinary part of our daily lives that it seems to come about through osmosis, inhaled from the air around us. But if that were true, then any conflicting values that wafted across a nation’s borders from an enemy country could become a contagion, quickly infecting the beliefs of the people.

Such things have happened throughout history, but it’s more often the case that national cultures are surprisingly resistant to sudden alteration. That’s because the core aspects of culture don’t come to people passively but instead are transmitted intentionally from one generation to the next, most commonly through religious institutions, schools, government agencies, and families.

Japan is perhaps the ultimate example of this multigenerational training. Some of its central ideals extend back to its foundations. In the surviving documentation from the Heian Period, a good twelve centuries ago, you can see aspects of modern Japanese social structures and thinking patterns. The country’s imperial line is the oldest of its kind on the planet, and by tradition reaches clear back to the year 660BC. Many of this nation’s core beliefs and structures have endured for more than a thousand years. From before the Norman Conquest that utterly transformed Britain. From before the time when Charlemagne cobbled together the remains of the fallen Roman Empire. From long before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.

Japan was able to endure intact for as long as it did because its institutions were highly effective at communicating the core beliefs, the tools, and the expectations of the nation to each successive generation. Sure, there were changes, such as the introduction of Buddhism, and the advent of kanji- and kana-based writing systems. The Warring States period that consumed the sixteenth century nearly wrecked the island nation. And yet, here we are hundreds of years later, enjoying one of the world’s oldest, continually intact cultures.

A nation’s ideology and habits help guide the daily cultural experiences of the populace, but institutions are the key, especially when they excel at inculcating beliefs. And when it comes to tsukimi burgers, these institutions include McDonalds and KFC, even though they are imports.

Like those spaced-repetition systems that language learners use to memorize Japanese vocabulary, the annual ritual of putting eggs on beef patties helps cement something important in the minds of Japanese residents. It’s not the burgers themselves that are important; a sudden egg allergy might force the nation to switch to kale burgers. Instead, it is the premeditated effort by these restauranteurs to teach and train the nation about tsukimi burgers each year, and in a way that makes hungry residents anticipate their arrival.

Such rites occur across all aspects of Japanese society. From the rhythmic dances of the annual obon festivals each summer to the everyday call of “itadakimasu” before meals, Japan is filled with opportunities to pass on traditions to the next generation. The public school system of course has codified ways to transmit the national worldview to the youth. This ability also extends to specialized schools, such as those which teach flower arrangement and tea ceremony. Shrines and temples also pass on traditions, and even those who claim no religious affiliation will clap their hands and ring the bell, just because it is a core part of the Japanese psyche.

Japan is not alone in this sharing of core values. My American homeland has its own systems for passing on similar ideas, both public and private. Its strong patriotic messaging includes not just key bullet points summarizing the Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence, but it also recounts a young George Washington refusing to tell a lie after chopping down the family cherry tree.

Traditionally a Christian nation, its Easter and Christmas celebrations have been annual opportunities to pass on beliefs. And yet even with its dominance in so many spheres, America has started to lose the narrative. Christmas in particular has lost many of its spiritual trappings and is now seen by many Americans as a crass, materialistic opportunity to bribe children with disposable entertainments. I remember when “Christmas in July” sales started up decades ago. In this, the United States failed to take the “don’t overdo it” lesson of tsukimi burgers to heart.

Japan is also at risk of having its cultural core go astray. The combination of advanced technology and globalism has lured the youngsters away from centuries of tradition. Some schools have completely dispensed with extra-curricular clubs, giving students ample time to watch TikTok videos or dream about becoming internationally famous influencers.

Until very recently, local chonaikai neighborhood associations were practically mandatory for all members of the community, and everyone was expected to pitch in for their mutual benefit. Today, some residents can go their entire lives without experiencing these once powerful groups. Although I was horrified at the rise of right-wing anti-immigrant political groups during this year’s congressional elections, it wasn’t surprising. These groups see that something is in danger of being lost in Japanese society. While they are misguided in thinking that the fault lies with foreigners, they are right to lament the loss of things so intrinsic to the culture.

I might be wrong about tsukimi burgers being essential to Japan’s future. But at a time when technology advancements, rampant tourism, and demographic changes are impacting the nation and its people, Japan has to understand not only those cultural values that need to be retained at its core, but it must also identify those institutions and transmission methods that will ensure the next generation, whether native-born or immigrant, is able to maintain one of the world’s oldest and greatest cultures.

[Image Credits: おくやまさき/Photo-AC]