Read the interview article, “Yokosuka, the town of Curry” and learn how Yokosuka used its ties with the history of serving curry in the Japanese navy in local economy revitalization efforts. Students research food festivals in their regions and recognize its history and natural features. Then they think of what kind of food festival would promote the region, and create a poster or an article in Japanese to promote the festival, reflecting the knowledge gained from their research. Students may also enjoy cooking Kaigun Curry with the recipe close to the original.

What to prepare

• Handout

Procedure

1. Questions to help students' comprehension
a) Explain the origin of Yokosuka Kaigun curry. What was it based on? What was the reason for developing this dish?

b) Why is Friday "Curry Day"?

c) What are the rules that must be kept in order to use the name "Yokosuka Kaigun Curry"?

d) What are the aims of the "Yokosuka Curry Festival"?

e) When is the "Yokosuka Curry Festival" held?

f) Give details of the two activities that you can enjoy at the "Yokosuka Curry Festival."

g) Do you think the "Yokosuka Curry Festival" is popular? Why do you think so?

h) What other activities does Yokosuka carry out in order to promote "Yokosuka Kaigun Curry"?

i) What surprised Zeng Bo-Huai when he conducted this interview? What benefit did he get from the interview, apart from learning about the origin of Yokosuka Kaigun Curry?

2. Research and discussion points
j) One of the regulations for serving "Yokosuka Kaigun Curry" is to serve it with milk and salad. What do you think the reasons are?

k) Research one food festival in your local community. How does the festival connect with the natural features of the area and its history? How do the history and natural features of the region relate to the festival?

l) Discuss and choose a catchphrase, or catch line for your region, reflecting its characteristics. For example「チーズの町ベーガ」,「シーフードの町フリーマントル」, etc.

3. Creative task　
m) Imagine you went to the Yokosuka Curry Festival with your family. Write an email about your experience to your friend Naoto, who lives in Osaka. (approximately 200 ji)

n) What kind of food festival would help revitalize your region? Create a poster or write an article in Japanese to introduce a food festival for your region to Japanese tourists. Incorporate the information that you collected to answer question k). (Students may create a poster of the festival that they researched for question k).

o) A recipe close to the original Kaigun Curry can be found at the Maritime Self-Defense Force website.
https://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/kanmeshi/menu/cr/026/index.html
Try making Kaigun Curry with this recipe with the help of the video.