In Japan, the term “Yamitsuki” is widely used in food advertising and menus to stimulate consumer desire and eating behavior; however, it remains poorly defined in academic research. To clarify its features, we conducted a consumer survey with open-ended questions, asking participants to describe foods they perceived as Yamitsuki and the associated sensations. Text mining and statistical analyses revealed four key features of Yamitsuki: (1) positive affective responses; (2) persistent desire; (3) difficulty stopping once eating begins; and (4) specific attributes that elicit Yamitsuki, such as unique taste and texture. Gender-related differences were observed in both the foods reported as Yamitsuki and the sensations described. These findings suggest that Yamitsuki is a culturally specific, positive sensation distinct from food craving or addiction, thus highlighting the need to consider cultural frameworks when studying food preferences and eating behaviors.
SUZUKI et al. (Thu,) studied this question.