Japan Eats!

Our guest is Yoshiki Yukimachi, the 6th generation brewmaster of Takeno Brewery in Kyoto. Founded in 1947, Takeno Brewery is known for its high-quality sake as well as its innovative mindset.  Yoshiki’s father, Yoshihei Yukimachi, initiated the transformation of the brewery’s strategy and introduced unique products under the Kurabu brand, which features ancient sake rice. Also, Yoshiki has produce...

Our guests are Brandon Doughan and Brian Polen , co-owners of Brooklyn Kura , the very first sake brewery in New York, which opened in 2017 at Industry City in Brooklyn, New York. Brandon and Brian joined us on episode #105 in December 2017 and episode #178 in November 2018, where they discussed the unique concept of Brooklyn Kura and how they naturally incorporated the spirit of traditional sake-...

Our guest is Kentaro Tsurushima , the President of Canvas Creative Group based in New York. He consults for Japanese food businesses with 20 years of experience in the field under his belt. Today’s topic is B Kyu Gourmet, or B-Class Gourmet. B Kyu Gourmet means B-rank dining experience, but it does not mean second-class food at all. Japanese people fondly use the term to celebrate less fancy but d...

Our guest today is Yuu Shimano who is the chef/owner of Restaurant Yuu in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which opened in May 2023. Yuu joined us in Episode #197 way back in 2020 when he was the executive chef at Mifune, a creative Japanese restaurant in Midtown, Manhattan, to discuss his unique culinary career. For instance, Yuu worked as the saucier at Guy Savoy in Paris, which had 3 Michelin stars. Durin...

Our guest is Shuichi Kotani , a New York-based master soba chef with over 25 years of experience. After working at prestigious restaurants in Tokyo, including Gonpachi and the Michelin-starred Edo Soba Hosokawa , he came to New York in 2008 and successfully served as the executive chef at Soba Totto in Manhattan. In 2012, he founded Worldwide Soba to introduce the profound culture of soba to the w...

Our guest is Michael Magers , a documentary photographer and journalist who splits his time between New York City and Austin, Texas. He joined us in episode #307 and discussed his affection for Japanese culture and how he captures it through his lens, including works of Japanese “shokunin” artisans.  Mike is a frequent collaborator with the highly acclaimed publisher Roads & Kingdoms , and ser...

Our guest is Masami Asao who is a temple chef and registered dietitian based in Japan. She is also the Director of Akasaka Teran , a vegetarian cooking school located within Jokokuji, a 350-year-old temple in Tokyo.  The Japanese diet is known for being healthy with lots of vegetables incorporated in daily meals. Also, there is a fully plant-based traditional cuisine called shojin ryori.  Shojin r...

Our guest is Shinobu Kato who is the owner and brewer of New York’s own craft sake brewery Kato Sake Works in Brooklyn, which opened in 2020, right before the pandemic. He joined us in Episode 189 to discuss his new brewery and the fascinating story of how his well-established corporate career transformed into entrepreneurial sake brewing in New York. COVID-19 hit his burgeoning business extremely...

Our guest today is Erina Yoshida , the owner of Angel’s Share in New York. She joined us in Episode 165 and shared her unique life story as a daughter of Tony Yoshida, the powerful figure behind New York’s thriving Japanese food culture.  Now, four years later, she herself is a successful business owner and the leader of the amazing team at Angel’s Share in Manhattan.  If you are a cocktail fan in...

Our guest today is Frédéric Panaïotis who is the Chef de Cave or Cellar Master of Ruinart. Ruinart is the oldest Champagne producer that was founded in 1729.  You may wonder why Japan Eats! has a Champagne master as a guest, but Champagne goes well with many different types of cuisines, including Japanese food.  But it is not the only reason why Frédéric is here. He has a deep understanding of Jap...

Our guest is Daisuke Nakazawa who is the owner and executive chef of the Michelin-starred Sushi Nakazawa . He opened Sushi Nakazawa in New York in 2013 and its success led to the opening of the second location in Washington, D.C., in 2017. He is also planning to open the third location in Los Angeles later this year. He is also the owner of Saito , an izakaya and sake bar in Manhattan’s Nolita, wh...

Our guest is Michael Magers , who is a documentary photographer and journalist who splits his time between New York City and Austin, Texas. He is a frequent collaborator with the highly acclaimed publisher Roads & Kingdoms (legendary author and television host Anthony Bourdain was a partner and investor in Roads & Kingdoms), and served as the lead photographer on their award-winning books...

Our guest today is Mitsunori Isoda , the executive chef at Omakase Room by Mitsu in New York. The Omakase Room serves authentic Japanese Edomae-style sushi at his beautiful 8-seat hinoki wood bar counter in Manhattan’s West Village. These days you can find great sushi restaurants in New York and other global cities around the world, but we don’t often get to understand the philosophy of each sushi...

Our guest this week is Todd Bellomy , the owner and brewer of Farthest Star Sake in Massachusetts. Todd joined us in Episode #36 to discuss his previous brewery Dovetail Sake in 2016. His success at Dovetail Sake led him to the opening of his new brewery Farthest Star Sake in 2022. Todd has not only been producing high-quality, authentic style of sake, but has also witnessed the development of the...

Our guest today is Hajime Sato who is the chef/owner of Sozai near Detroit, Michigan. Hajime has been known for keenly pursuing sustainability, which is very challenging for a sushi chef, for the last 14 years. His efforts have been widely recognized, and this year, Hajime became one of the five nominees for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef Award. The James Beard Foundation Awards are...

Our guest is Matt Alt who is a Tokyo-based writer and "localizer" of Japanese entertainment products including video games, toys, and manga. His work has appeared widely in publications including The New York Times, BBC Culture, The Economist 1843, Aeon Magazine, and The New Yorker. (We will find out what “localizer” means in our conversation.) Also, Matt is the author of “Pure Invention: How Japa...

Our guest today is Phoebe Ogawa , who is a wagashi chef based in New York. Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets, and they are quite different from Western-style sweets in many ways, such as the ingredients, how they're made, and the occasions they are served. For whatever reason, we don’t see wagashi outside of Japan very often, even in big cities like New York, despite the popularity of Japane...

Our guest today is Jean-Baptiste Meusnier , the chef and owner of Kodawari Ramen in Paris. Jean-Baptiste was an air force pilot in his home country of France when he had a revelation to become a ramen chef.  In April 2016, he opened Kodawari Ramen in central Paris and his focus on creating the best ramen has been as sharp as flying a military airplane. He makes everything from scratch at a level e...

Our guest today is Elizabeth Andoh , who has joined us 12 times previously to share her truly deep insight into traditional Japanese food culture.  Elizabeth is a food writer and Japanese cooking instructor based in Tokyo, where she has lived for over 50 years. She runs the culinary arts program called A Taste of Culture , which offers a great opportunity for non-Japanese people to explore Japanes...

Our guest is David Yoshimura , who is the chef/owner of Nisei in San Francisco, California. Nisei means the first-generation, a son or daughter of Japanese immigrants who were born in the United States. Niseis inevitably live in dual cultures and many of them choose to celebrate Japanese culture in different ways.  David is one of them. After working at top restaurants in the world, he opened his...

Our guest is Sawako Okochi who is the co-chef and co-owner of Shalom Japan , which she opened in 2013 with her husband and co-chef, Aaron Israel .  Shalom Japan is unique because Sawa and Aaron combine Japanese and Jewish food cultures on one menu. The unique concept has proven successful as they celebrate the 10th year of Shalom Japan.  They also have just published a beautiful book titled “ Love...

Our guest Takashi Sato is the ８th generation family member of Sanjirushi Jozo in Mie Prefecture and the president of San-J International in the U.S.  Sanjirushi Jozo has been making soy sauce and miso since 1804, and in 1978 the company decided to expand its business to the U.S. Now, 45 years later, San-J is one of the most familiar soy sauce brands in the U.S. and you may have seen its labels at...

Our guest is Marco Moreira who is the chef/owner of 15 EAST @ Tocqueville in New York.  He joined us in Episode #28 and discussed his fascinating background, including how the young Brazilian man came to New York and became a sushi chef, and shared his deep knowledge of Japanese food culture.  Marco has run multiple highly successful restaurants in New York with a wide variety of influences from J...

Our guest is Nori Nakamura who is the owner and winemaker at Noria , a unique winery in California.  When we eat Japanese food, we almost automatically think to pair it with Japanese sake or Japanese beer.  On the other hand, Japanese sake has become so popular globally that you can find it at Michelin-starred, non-Japanese restaurants outside of Japan these days.  Nori decided to break the precon...

Our guest today is Naoko Takei Moore, who is the chef and owner of Toiro . She is an expert in Donabe, or Japanese traditional earthen cookware, and through Toiro, Naoko introduces global food lovers to the world of Donabe.  She is also the co-author of “ Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking ”, published by Ten Speed Press.  Donabe has a long history and has been an important part...