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 ryori was originally developed as a part of Buddhist practices, but its healthfulness is gaining attention these days, especially among vegetarians and vegans. Masami is a perfect guest to tell us what shojin ryori is, along with the spiritual mindset behind it. In this episode, we will discuss how Masami got into shojin ryori, why you should try shojin ryori even if you are not a vegan or vegetarian, useful tips to make a healthy meal based on shojin ryori’s principles, and much, much more!!! *** Here is the link to Masami Asao's classes in New York: https://zenstudies.org/events/ And here is the link to the shojin Ryori restaurant Yakuo-in in Mt. Takao that Masami recommends: https://www.takaosan.or.jp/english/