Learn Delicious Japanese

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #48 Learn Japanese Drama | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 4) The lanterns are coming down and Nami is exhausted in the best way — the okonomiyaki sold out. Then the greengrocer comes over with news: the shopping street wants her back next year. And something she never knew — なみちゃんの おとうさん...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #47 Learn Japanese: Running a Yatai | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 3) きょうは おまつり とうじつ！Nami closes the izakaya and does something she's never done before — sets up her own やたい. The street is packed, the ふんいき is electric, and then the first おきゃくさん walks up. "いらっしゃいま...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #46 Learn Japanese: Ingredients & Batter | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 2) The festival is next week, so Nami decides to practice: まつりの まえに、れんしゅうして おかなくちゃ！ The basics turn out to be simple — こむぎこ, キャベツ, たまご, みず, だしのもと — and then whatever you feel like addin...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #45 Learn Japanese: Festival & Yatai Culture | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 1) A flyer lands on the counter and Nami lights up: らいしゅう、しょうてんがいで なつまつり. たいこの おと, やたいの におい, ゆかたすがたの ひとたち — August has arrived. And among the stalls, one name catches her eye: お...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #44 Learn Japanese Drama | Izakaya Recipe: Nagashi Somen (Week 4) Under a sky full of stars, Nami looks up at the あまのがわ and finally speaks the wish she's held in her heart: "おとうさんに、もういちどあいたい." Then the strange things begin. The ながしそうめん tastes better than usual. かぜもないの...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #43 Learn Japanese: Hands-On Experience | Izakaya Recipe: Nagashi Somen (Week 3) Nami's homemade ペットボトルだい is finally ready, and this week she puts it to the test. Water rushes down with a satisfying ジャ〜, somen goes into たっぷりの おゆ, gets shocked cold in つめたいみず, and slides down the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #42 Learn Japanese: DIY Equipment | Izakaya Recipe: Nagashi Somen (Week 2) たなばた fever hits the izakaya, and Nami is ready to try ながしそうめん at home — but how do you even build a stand for it? Traditionally you'd use たけ (bamboo), yet not everyone has a bamboo grove out back. Enter Namihei, wh...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #41 Learn Japanese: Summer Festival Flavors | Izakaya Recipe: Nagashi Somen (Week 1) July brings たなばた — the Star Festival — and this week Nami decides to make ながしそうめん for lunch, just the way her father always did. As she decorates the ささのは with wishes behind the izakaya, she shares her...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #40 Learn Japanese Drama | Izakaya Recipe: Umeshu (Week 4) The umeshu is made — and this week, we step into a heartwarming short drama. While tidying the izakaya storeroom, Nami stumbles on a row of old bottles. The label, written in her father's own hand, reads "June, Heisei 28, made by Namihei." It...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #39 Learn Japanese: Making Umeshu | Izakaya Recipe: Umeshu (Week 3) The plums are chosen — now it's time to make the umeshu. Nami is ready to dive straight in, but Namihei stops her: first comes the ひとてま, the little extra care that makes all the difference. Remove each stem one by one, sterilize t...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #38 Learn Japanese: Choosing Plums | Izakaya Recipe: Umeshu (Week 2) The umeshu journey continues — but before you can steep a single plum, you have to choose the right ones. Nami heads to the retro shopping street, where the wisdom of her father and the local greengrocer (やおや) comes together: for...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #37 Learn Japanese: Rainy Season Flavors | Izakaya Recipe: Umeshu (Week 1) Level 4 begins — and so does the rainy season. The Osaka air is damp and gloomy, but Namihei knows a secret only this time of year can offer: the green plums are ripening, and it's time to make うめしゅ (plum wine). The catch?...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #36 Learn Japanese Drama | Izakaya Recipe: Nikujaga (Week 4) Level 3 May Week 4 — the finale, and the close of all of Level 3. Rain is falling hard over Osaka. Over three weeks Nami gathered her ingredients, learned her cuts, and practiced the slow art of simmering. This week it all comes together in...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #35 Learn Japanese: Tasting in Kansai Dialect | Izakaya Recipe: Nikujaga (Week 3) Last week Nami cooked her first にくじゃが. This week, the lid comes off and she tastes it — a little too sweet, but Namihei calls that あいきょう (charm in imperfection), the warmest concept in Kansai culture. Then come...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #34 Learn Japanese: Cooking Practice in Kansai Dialect | Izakaya Recipe: Nikujaga (Week 2) Level 3 May Week 2. Last week, Nami and Namihei warmed up to the idea of にくじゃが on a rainy Osaka afternoon — the king of Japanese home cooking, the dish that has come to mean おかんのあじ (mom's taste) for a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #33 Learn Japanese: Home Cooking in Kansai Dialect | Izakaya Recipe: Nikujaga (Week 1) Level 3 May Week 1 — the start of nikujaga month. Outside, rain. Inside, an empty pot. Nami says what almost every Japanese person says on a day like this: 「うわー、えらいあめやなあ...こんなひはあたたかいりょうりが...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #32 Learn Japanese Drama | Izakaya Recipe: Dashimaki Tamago (Week 4) Level 3 April Week 4 — the finale. Over three weeks, Nami cracked eggs, poured dashi, and rolled. And rolled. And rolled again. This week, everything comes together in one continuous drama — and somewhere inside a slightly crumbly, s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #31 Learn Japanese: Tasting in Kansai Dialect | Izakaya Recipe: Dashimaki Tamago (Week 3) Level 3 April Week 3 — last week, Nami rolled, and tore, and rolled again, until she held a golden だしまきたまご and cried 「できたー！！」. This week, she eats it. 「ど、どう？」— "S-so, how is it?" And Namihei...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #30 Learn Japanese: Cooking Challenge in Kansai Dialect | Izakaya Recipe: Dashimaki Tamago (Week 2) Level 3 April Week 2 — last week, Nami read her father's words. This week, she picks up the chopsticks. 「どきどきするわ...かんさいべんでりょうりするの、むずかしそうやけど。」— "My heart is pounding......

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #29 Learn Japanese: Izakaya Classics in Kansai Dialect | Izakaya Recipe: Dashimaki Tamago (Week 1) Level 3 April Week 1 — a new recipe, and a new emotional chapter. This week, Nami opens her father's recipe notebook and finds the entry for だしまきたまご (dashimaki tamago — dashi-rolled omelette), wri...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #28 Learn Japanese Drama | Izakaya Recipe: Nanohana no Karashi-ae (Week 4) Level 3 Week 4 — the finale! This week, everything comes together in a complete Kansai dialect drama set in Nami's izakaya. No isolated lessons, no step-by-step breakdowns — just Nami and Namihei living the whole なのはなのから...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #27 Learn Japanese: Tasting in Kansai Dialect | Izakaya Recipe: Nanohana no Karashi-ae (Week 3) Level 3 Week 3 — the moment we've been waiting for: the first bite! This week, Nami finally tastes the なのはなのからしあえ (mustard-dressed canola flowers) she made last week — and Namihei guides her throu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #26 Learn Japanese: Cooking Practice in Kansai Dialect | Izakaya Recipe: Nanohana no Karashi-ae (Week 2) Level 3 Week 2 — the kitchen comes alive! This week, Nami and Namihei roll up their sleeves and cook なのはなのからしあえ (mustard-dressed canola flowers) from start to finish — entirely in Kansai...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #25 Learn Japanese: Kansai Spring Flavors | Izakaya Recipe: Nanohana no Karashi-ae (Week 1) Step into Level 3 — and into the warm, energetic world of かんさいべん (Kansai dialect)! This week, Nami and Namihei welcome spring at the izakaya in Osaka's Ura-Tennoji with a beautifully simple dish: なのはな...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com #24 Learn Japanese Drama | Izakaya Recipe: Buri Daikon (Week 4) Experience the most emotional episode of Level 2 — a heartwarming drama about あいじょう (love), きおく (memory), and the invisible bond between a daughter and her late father through the taste of ぶりだいこん! In this special finale, Nam...