Japan Eats!

https://yamatozakura.com/　https://www.thespiritofjapan.com/ Our guests are Stephen Lyman and Joseph Overbey who have produced the documentary The Spirit of Japan.  It is the story of the Wakamatsu family, who have been making the traditional Japanese distilled spirit, shochu, at their Yamatozakura Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture since the 1850s. The duo follows the life of Yamatozakura’s 5th generation toji/master distiller Tekkan Wakamatsu and how the distillery’s tradition is being passed down from the 4th generation toji and Tekkan’s father Kazunari Wakamatsu.  The film is beautifully shot and captures many aspects of Tekkan’s career, life with his family and the shochu industry.  In this episode, we will discuss how Joseph and Stephen got involved in Yamatozakura Distillery, what they want to communicate to the audience through the film, gifts and challenges of succeeding a traditional family business, what is happening with the Japanese shochu ind

Our guest is Kyle Connaughton, who is the chef/owner of SingleThread https://singlethreadfarms.com/ in California. SingleThread is a very unique farm, restaurant, and inn, which has earned numerous accolades since its opening in 2016, including three Michelin stars, three Michelin keys and a Michelin Green Star, which recognizes the outstanding sustainability at the farm managed by Kyle’s wife and co-owner Katina Connaughton.   Kyle began his culinary career in L.A. with an apprenticeship at one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the city, followed by training at top restaurants, such as Spago Beverly Hills, The Dining Room at Ritz-Carlton and A.O.C.  Then he moved to Japan and cooked for the famed French chef Michel Bras, as well as at traditional Japanese restaurants.  On top of these diverse experiences, he also worked at the highly innovative restaurant The Fat Duck in the U.K. as the Head Chef of Research & Development.  In this

Our guest is Takahiro Sakaeda who is the chef/partner of Nami Nori https://www.naminori.us/.  Nami Nori is a unique concept of temaki sushi bar that serves open-style hand rolls on a U-shaped stand. Since its opening in 2019 in New York, Taka has created many fans of his beautifully made, casual and high-quality sushi.  Now he operates four locations of Nami Nori in New York, New Jersey and Miami. But his success didn’t come easily.  Taka spent 10 years at Masa, one of the best sushi restaurants in the U.S. with three Michelin stars and acquired an authentic mindset and sushi-making techniques under the master chef Masayoshi Takayama. In this episode, we will discuss how Taka grew up in the U.S. under Japanese parents and got into cooking against their will, what he learned from the master chef Masa Takayama, the unique concept of Nami Nori, his original culinary vision that merges two cultures of Japan and the U.S., his new 10 counter-seat restaurant in Miami and Japanese bakery in New York and much, much mo

Our guest is Takumi Kuwabara who is the toji or brewmaster at SakéOne in Forest Grove, Oregon. SakéOne (https://www.sakeone.com/) is a unique sake brewery.  It was founded in 1992 by Momokawa Brewing in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, which was founded in 1889. SakéOne started sake-brewing in 1997 and since then, its sake has won multiple awards at prestigious competitions like the U.S. National Sake Appraisal and the San Francisco International Wine Competition.  And of course, a big part of its success has come from Takumi’s craftsmanship. In this episode, we will discuss how Takumi studied sake in Japan and also in the U.S. after he arrived in the country in 2004, the unique terroir Oregon offers to make high-quality sake, challenges in making sake outside of Japan, how he sees the past and future of the American sake market and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guest is Yoshinori Ishi who is the executive chef and producer of Auberge TOKITO https://www.aubergetokito.com/en/ in Tachikawa, Tokyo.  Chef Ishii’s background is unique and spectacular.  He worked at one of the top Kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto called Arashiyama Kiccho as a sous chef and moved abroad to cook at the United Nations Ambassador's Residence in Geneva and New York.  Then he moved to London to open Umu, which earned two Michelin stars—the first two stars by a Japanese restaurant in Europe.  After 10 years of success at Umu, he decided to open Auberge Tokito in the suburb of Tokyo. In this episode, we will discuss how Chef Ishii’s philosophy of Japanese cuisine transitioned and expanded over the last 35 years of his career in Japan and abroad, why he decided to go back to Japan to start a new project, the innovative concept of Auberge TOKITO, which focuses on the Japanese cuisine that never existed before and much, much more!!! The documentary film TOKITO:  https://www.tokitofilm.com/enSee Priva

Our guest is Isao Yamada who is the chef-owner of Yamada https://www.yamadanewyork.com/ in New York.  He was classically trained in Kyoto as a Kaiseki chef and opened his own restaurant at the age of 25 in his hometown Fukuoka.  He could have successfully built his career in Japan but he decided to move to the U.S. in 2006 to pursue new challenges.Chef Yamada’s career in the U.S. evolved as he worked closely with the legendary chef David Bouley in New York.  He earned a Michelin star as the executive chef at Chef Bouley’s Kaiseki restaurant Brushstroke.  In April 2025, Chef Yamada opened his own beautiful restaurant Yamada in Manhattan.In this episode, we will discuss Chef Yamada’s unique career, how he collaborated with the legendary Chef Bouley, his Kaiseki dishes at Yamada that seamlessly merge authenticity and creativity, his joy and challenges in cooking in America, how Japanese cuisine in America has changed in the last two decades and much, much more!!!Follow Chef Yamada on Instagram @chef_yamada.isao,

Our guests are Rahul Saito and Mitsu Nagae.  Rahul is the owner and Mitsu is the co-owner and executive chef at l’abeille https://www.labeille.nyc and l’abeille à côté https://www.labeilleacote.nyc/ in Tribeca, New York. The duo opened l’abeille in March 2022 and shortly after, they won a Michelin star, thanks to Mitsu’s unique and outstanding culinary background as a Japanese chef classically trained in Paris, Tokyo and New York as well as Rahul’s sound management despite being new to the industry. Mitsu’s menus are characterized by a seamless merge of French and Japanese cuisines, which seems to have become a relevant genre in places like Paris and Japan as well. In this episode, we will discuss how Mitsu got into French cuisine from a young age in Japan and eventually trained under top chefs like the late Joel Robuchon, why the seemingly opposite French and Japanese cuisines can go so well together as you can see in Mitsu’s menus, the keys to run successful restaurants in New York and much, much more!!!See

Our guest is Takatoshi Kadowaki who is the chef-owner of Sushi Kadowaki https://sushi-kadowaki.jp/eng/ in Tokyo.  He started his sushi-chef training at 17 and after his master retired, he moved to the U.S. and developed a global mindset.  Now he serves authentic Edomae-style sushi in the Ginza area of Tokyo, where every sushi chef dreams about opening a sushi bar. Chef Kadowaki is known for his meticulous sourcing of his fish and his skills in maximizing umami through careful aging, which is a part of the Edomae-sushi traditions. In this episode, we will discuss what Edomae-sushi is compared to other styles of sushi, the key to maximizing umami in fish through aging, his unique beverage pairing philosophy, including red wine and sushi and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guest is Daniel Bennett who is the sake sommelier at Sushi-san www.sushisanrestaurant.com and The Omakase Room at Sushi-san www.theomakaseroom.com in Chicago.  Both are a part of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, which is an independent, family-owned restaurant group that owns, manages and licenses more than 110 restaurants nationwide with over 60 concepts ranging from fast casual to fine dining. Daniel is a certified sake sommelier and has approximately 15 years of deep experience working in Japanese food and sake. In this episode, we will discuss how he built his career in sake, what types of sake people are drinking in America now, his collaboration with a 200-year-old sake brewery to make a private label for his guests, how he trains his staff to get certified as sake sommeliers and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guests are Régis Camus and Carl Hirschmann, co-founders of Heavensake https://www.heavensake.com/, which was founded in 2016. Heavensake is truly unique.  It is the first sake producer that introduced the blending (assemblage) technique to the traditional sake-making process.  The mastermind behind Heavensake is Régis Camus who led the renowned Champagne House Piper-Heidsieck as the Chef de Cave for 28 years.  Another key point of Heavensake is that Régis and Carl and their team work closely with traditional sake brewers. In this episode, we will discuss how the blending techniques that are used in Champagne production work in sake brewing, how its collaborations with top traditional sake breweries inspire the sake industry overall,  and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guest is Hilo Mahelona who is the chef and founder of Hilo Beverly Hills https://www.hilobh.com/ in Los Angeles, California. Growing up in Hawaii under Japanese and Hawaiian parents, Hilo has a unique yet authentic sushi-making philosophy.  And the moment you step into his restaurant, you will feel his bright, warm hospitality.  The combination of the two makes the restaurant very popular among sushi lovers and Hollywood celebrities alike. In this episode, we will discuss how Chef Hilo got into sushi at a very young age, his earnest efforts to pursue deliciousness such as controlling the pH of his water for sushi rice, his principle of pairing sushi and wine and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guest is Thomas Frebel who is the creative director at Noma https://noma.dk/.  Noma is the famed restaurant in Copenhagen with numerous accolades, including three Michelin stars and The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ No.1 spot.Since its opening in 2003, Noma’s chef/owner René Redzepi has been inspiring the world through his strong philosophy of cooking with Nordic traditions and his never-ending pursuit of creativity.  Noma’s landscape has reached far beyond Nordic countries and Redzepi and his team have been actively exploring various food cultures in the world, including Japan.Since Thomas joined Noma in 2009, he has been working closely with Chef Redzepi and served as the executive chef at Noma’s restaurant project in Tokyo called INUA.  He joined us in Episode #338 and discussed his experience at INUA, Noma’s pop-up dinners in Kyoto in spring 2023 and many other topics.In this episode, Thomas is back to talk about Noma’s latest pop-up dinner in Kyoto that ran for 10 weeks from September to December 2024

Our guest today is Tim Anderson who is a chef and food writer based in London.  Tim’s early interest in Japanese food led him to global adventures in L.A., Japan and the U.K.  A bowl of ramen he encountered in L.A. fueled his passion for studying it and he moved to Fukuoka, Japan.  Then he opened his ramen restaurants in the U.K. after winning the popular MasterChef competition on BBC One.  Now he writes and communicates his insight into various aspects of Japanese food culture. It is remarkable and inspiring to see how Tim’s life unfolded into consecutive, unexpected lucky events through his interest in Japanese food. In this episode, we will discuss how Tim got into Japanese food, his life in Japan studying ramen and Japanese food culture, how he won the MasterChef competition with his Japanese food knowledge and skills, his excellent books that cover a variety of topics,  including Nanban dishes and Hokkaido food culture and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P

Our guest is Kumiko Hashimoto who grew up in the family of the 200-year-old sake brewery in Osaka.  She now plays a key role at Dojima Sake Brewery https://fordhamabbey.co.uk/ near Cambridge in the U.K., which the family founded in 2018. Dojima Sake Brewery is the first sake brewery in the U.K.  It is known not just for the quality of sake it produces but the scale of the project.  The property is set in a historic, approximately 75-acre garden and pastureland.  And its sake is priced far above the regular premium sake for a good reason. In this episode, we will discuss why the traditional sake brewery family decided to undertake such a huge, ambitious project, the joy and challenges of producing sake in Britain, the important mission of Dojima Sake Brewery for the entire sake industry and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guest is Alexander Nicolau who is the founder of Mandaracha https://www.mandaracha.com/ in Kyoto, which opened in 2019.  Originally from France, Alex fell in love with Japanese tea while he was working in the fields of food technology and open innovation.Mandaracha is a very special place where you can find a variety of Japanese tea, which Alex selected by visiting and meeting with each producer.  You can also enjoy a tea ceremony and have other cultural experiences, such as a Shamisen guitar performance and a Rakugo comedy show.In this episode, we will discuss how Alex got into Japanese tea, why he loves Japanese tea so much, the classic and new types of Japanese tea Alex recommends, the rapidly changing tea market, the future of the Japanese tea industry and much, much more!!!Social Handles: IG  kyoto_mandarachahttps://www.facebook.com/MANDARACHAhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/mandaracha/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-se

And my guest today is Toshio Shinko who is the fifth-generation owner of Marushin Honke in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.  The company was founded in 1881 and since then, it has produced high-quality traditional Japanese food products, such as miso and soy sauce.  In 2002, in addition to managing Marushin Honke, Toshio founded the new company Yuasa Shoyu, or Yuasa Soy Sauce https://www.yuasasyouyu.co.jp/yuasa_gb_front.html in English to pursue the highest quality of soy sauce that reflects the family tradition.Preserving tradition is hard and even harder is to keep it fresh in response to the fast-changing environments.  Toshio has been very successful in doing so and a great example is his innovative idea of making soy sauce in Bordeaux, France https://www.yuasasyouyu.co.jp/yuasa_gb.html in collaboration with the well-established Grand Cru winery Chateau Coutet in Saint Emilion.In this episode, we will discuss how Toshio’s company produces premium soy sauce with wood barrels, which is rare these days, how he ca

Our guest is Emily Yuen who is the executive chef at Lingo https://www.lingobk.com/, a unique Japanese American restaurant in Brooklyn, New York.Emily has an impressive culinary background.  She worked at top French restaurants in the world, including Le Gavroche in London, DB Bistro in Singapore and Boulud Sud in New York. She also studied Japanese cuisine at the legendary Shojin restaurant Kajitsu and served as the executive chef at Bessou in New York.At Lingo, with her global knowledge and experience, Emily offers original dishes, such as Hokkaido-style braised beef curry pie and Donabe hotpot with wild mushroom and koji butter.In this episode, we will discuss how Emily’s culinary focus shifted from French to Japanese, the essence of Japanese cuisine that she wants to share with her guests, how she naturally merges French techniques and Japanese flavors, the importance of Japanese home cooking in her menu development and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva

Our guest today is Yoshihiko Shida who is the chief Instructor of Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku London www.sushicollege.uk, which opened in September 2024.  The opening is exciting since the school is the first major Japanese culinary school in Europe.  Chef Shida has worked as an educator and instructor in Japanese culinary institutes for over 32 years. Before that, he gained over 10 years of practical experience in a variety of restaurant and hotel kitchens in Japan and abroad. In this episode, we will discuss the growing demand for sushi and Japanese cuisine chefs, what programs Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku London offers, who is studying at the school, the joy and challenges Chef Shida faces in teaching his students and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guest is Rafal Maslankiewicz who is the chef at Ikigai www.ikigai.nyc in New York, which opened in July 2024.  Ikigai is a very unique concept.  First of all, it is a not-for-profit organization, which is highly unusual for a restaurant.  Secondly, beyond covering the fundamental costs of running a business, all proceeds are donated to a food bank.  In fact, 80 days after the opening, Ikigai donated over $12,000, which funds 63 tons of food. And what makes Ikigai popular and enables such donations possible is Rafal and his team’s excellent food menu and service.  With his impressive culinary training at top restaurants under his belt, such as Masa and Eleven Madison Park in New York, he offers creative dishes inspired by Japanese traditions. In this episode, we will discuss the unique concept of Ikigai, how Rafal got into Japanese cuisine after working at serious French kitchens, the meaning of the term Ikigai and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Not

Our guest is Kakuho Aoe https://www.instagram.com/kakuhoaoe_nakamichi0316/ who is the chief Buddhist priest of the Ryokusenji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo.Kakuho Aoe joins me to discuss why food is important in the Buddhist practice and beyond, why the Buddhist diet called Shojin Ryori is great diet for vegan, vegetarian and sustainable-minded people regardless of their religion, the eye-opening dinner events “Kuayami Gohan” (Dining in the Dark) and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.