1. Overview
Beijing, the capital of China, holds a deep history and is a melting pot of various cuisines and food cultures. In Beijing, you can experience not only many types of Chinese foods and cuisines, but also those from all around the world. You can even enjoy Washoku while taking in the sights at The Palace Museum. In this article,we will further discuss some details about Beijing.
In recent years, Beijing has been experiencing inflation, and living costs might be just as expensive as Tokyo in the years to come. The information below was gathered as of March, 2018.
Area: 16,410㎢（Tokyo is 2,188㎢）
★With many sky scrapers towering above you, you can enjoy life in a big city.
Population: 21.7 million 2170.7 (with about 15,000 Japanese people)
Language: Chinese, English, other
Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Catholicism
Currency: CNY: 1 CNY = 17JPY (3/2018 exchange rate)
Flight Time:Direct flight from Tokyo = 3.5
★ It's very close to Japan, making travel easy
Commodities and daily goods are cheaper than in Japan
≪Food≫
・Bento Lunch: 30~60CNY
・If dining at a Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese restaurant: 100~400CNY per meal
≪Housing≫ Even in China, the rent in Beijing is very high, about the same level as living within the heart of Tokyo.
・The nicer the area, the more expensive your rent will be, based on how close you are to the town center. 1LDK(14~30㎡)2000~5000CNY/month If you are looking for somewhere larger, in a convenient area, or furnished: （30~70㎡）3,000～10,000CNY/month
≪Utilities≫ ・Electricity: 100~150CNY/month in the summer In winter: 60~100CNY ・Water: 30CNY/month ・Gas: 100CNY/month Gas and Water are very cheap in China.
≪Transportation≫ ・First 3km by taxi: 14CNY (depends on the area) ・The bus and railways are a bit cheaper than in Japan ☆If returning from the outskirts of the city, it can cost about 20CNY
3. 【Washoku in Beijing】
Since Beijing is the capital city, you can consider the introduction of Washoku to Beijing as the introduction of Washoku to the country of China.
A few years prior, when Beijing's economy was in a slump, the people enjoyed eating inexpensive, local foods. For Japanese food, however, it was seen as expensive and not filling, so not many people wished to eat it. Yet, with the economic boom in China starting in 2008, Beijing also began rapidly developing, and the people went from wanting to eat food that made them feel full, to eating food with a good nutritional balance. Since Japanese food uses fresh ingredients and adheres to traditional flavors, it began to become quite popular, particularly among the younger generations.
※Reference「Beijing's Washoku Culture」
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_43e6e0b001009uzu/
Foreign Foods in China and a "Model Change" Towards High Quality
From 1980 to 2016, with an increase of the service industry's GDP, the foreign food restaurants and businesses became a huge part of that growth, with an increase of 22.3% to 51.6%, and held a total of 10.77% of sales in terms of social and daily expenses. With a push towards preserving high quality foods as well, the culinary world in China took a shift towards putting quality of quantity, creating a slew of new culinary methods and techniques
Reference：
http://www.afpbb.com/articles/-/3134020
These articles are quite interesting, and we look forward to hearing more about the future of Washoku in Beijing.
Long ago, Washoku in Beijing was typically tweaked to match the likes of the local people. But theses days, many people are able to travel to Japan and taste the authentic cuisine for themselves, meaning that Beijing's people now have higher expectations when it comes to Washoku. This lead to there being about 1500 Japanese restaurants in Beijing in 2016, with 150 new ones opening up each year at a fast pace.
Based on our company survey, Japanese food in Beijing is the most expensive, reflecting the high quality of Washoku in Beijing. The general people of Beijin make about 200,000JPY per month, and have the spending power of 350,000JPY. Meaning that these people seek high quality foods, and have a love for the authentic flavors of Japan.
Keii Sugano Goroshi