Photo/Illutration A Twitter posting by manga artist Masayuki Kusumi shows the protagonist of his work "Kodoku no Gurume" eating from a bowl of rice. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The practice of "kyoshoku," or communal dining, goes back many centuries in Japan.

In "Kyoshoku no Shakaishi" (Social history of communal dining), historian Nobuo Harada notes that an expression akin to "onaji kama no meshi wo kuu" (literally, "eat out of the same pot") first appeared in print as early as in the "Nihon Shoki" (The Chronicles of Japan), the book of classical Japanese history compiled in 720.

The book contains a passage where Iwai, a member of a powerful clan of the early sixth century that rebelled against the Yamato regime, reminisces about an old friend who has become his adversary.  

It goes to this effect: "He was once my friend with whom I shared the table and dined from the same dishes, our shoulders and elbows touching."

Such intimate and convivial meals have become few and far between over the past year.

Expressions I now hear frequently include "koshoku" (solitary dining) and "mokushoku" (silent dining), the latter implying a safeguard against droplets being spread by refraining from mealtime conversations due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Asahi Shimbun's Kyoto prefectural edition recently reported that the city of Kyoto created a poster with "mokushoku" written on it, and is distributing it to food service establishments upon request.

This practice of promoting silent dining apparently originated at a restaurant in Fukuoka, and caught on.

It's a bit saddening, but I am sure this is one effective means of preventing COVID-19.

When I think of eating in silence in a restaurant, my role model is the protagonist of "Kodoku no Gurume" (Solitary Gourmet), a popular manga series.

A travelling salesman dealing in general merchandise, he walks into local eateries, where he describes their offerings and recounts his experiences to himself as if conducting a silent monologue.

The manga has been adapted into a TV drama series.

Re-reading the original manga version, what speaks to me most is the congenial atmosphere created by the crowd around the protagonist. There are families and drinking buddies.

If all of them remained silent, the protagonist's cool elegance as a solitary diner would not stand out at all.

A dream I have begun experiencing frequently of late has me eating and drinking in happy abandon with my usual crowd--obviously a simple manifestation of my desire.

I wonder how long the wait will be.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 30

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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