The nature of bureaucrats hardly ever changes, even over the course of hundreds of years. As if to prove the point, documents from the 18th century that recently came to light on how to host government delegates closely resembles the wining and dining that led to scandals in the 1990s.
The documents, showing how to handle delegations from the shogunate, were recently made public by the board of education in Chizu, Tottori Prefecture. They include a 1761 record showing detailed meal menus for shogunate officials.
The documents were prepared by the Tottori clan and give detailed instructions on hosting five delegations sent by the shogunate from 1717 to 1837.