Japanese Food: The Podcast is back! Late last year, we sat down with Jakub Horák, a Czech chef who specializes in Japanese washoku cuisine, and the winner of the 2022 Washoku World Challenge, a global Japanese cooking competition for non-Japanese chefs. We chatted with Jakub about his time studying and competing in Japan, the state of washoku in Europe, and more.

Happy New Year! Japanese Food is back, with a very special guest! Mike Satinover, AKA Ramen_Lord on Reddit and Instagram, is a modern legend in the English-speaking ramen world. We sat down last year with Mike to chat about all things ramen, as well as learn more about his recently opened restaurant in Chicago, Akahoshi Ramen.

Welcome back to Japanese Food: The Podcast. In this episode, we interviewed our newest hire at Bento&co, Chris Mahmood. Chris joined the Bento&co team recently, relocating to Kyoto from Akkeshi, Hokkaido where he was living for 6 years. During his time there as an English teacher on the JET program, Chris came to love Hokkaido for its breathtaking scenery, fascinating wildlife, and, of course, mouth-watering cuisine. We sat down to chat about life and food in Hokkaido, as well as...

We're back! In this episode, we had the privilege of sitting down for a fascinating conversation with our Kyoto neighbor, Randy Channell Soei. Randy Channell Soei, a Canadian tea master of the Urasenke tradition is an author and long term resident of Kyoto. He has a deep passion for his art, chanoyu (the way of tea), and is one of the few foreigners licensed to teach this traditional Japanese culture. Soei sensei operates ran Hotei, a cafe in Kyoto's Sanjo shopping arcade, set in a...

We’re excited to share episode 8 of our podcast with you, featuring Yuji Haraguchi, a chef passionate about fish. Yuji is the founder and owner of OKONOMI Yuji ramen, Osakana Brooklyn, and Osakana East Village in New York City. We chatted about Yuji’s favorite fish (Medai—Japanese Sea Bream), why he wanted to introduce Mazemen to America, the Japanese philosophy of "Mottainai" that guides his work, and much more! Learn more about Yuji on his website. Visiting Kyoto? Be sure to check out...

In this episode, we have something unique in store for you. Rather than having a guest, you'll be hearing from your hosts, Thomas and Jeweliann! While they aren't experts on Japanese cuisine, their love for it is undeniable. Tune in to hear them discuss their favorite Japanese dishes, food trends of 2022 (did someone say scallop oatmeal?), and some possibly contentions opinions on Japanese food. Brought to you by Bento&co, your go-to shop for eating  healthier, reducing your...

We’re back with another podcast episode, this time with sommelier, shochu advisor and food tour guide, Yukari Sakamoto. Born in Tokyo and raised in Minnesota, Yukari Sakamoto is the author of Food Sake Tokyo, a fantastic English-language guide devoted specifically to eating and drinking in Tokyo. We talk about Sho-chu, Shokado bento, Yukari’s experience working as a sommelier at Takashimaya department store +  Park Hyatt Tokyo, and much more! Brought to you by Bento&co, your go-to shop...

We were so happy to speak with the UK-based, American chef and cookbook author Tim Anderson. After relocating to London from Japan, Tim won BBC’s MasterChef in 2011 and went on to open the Japanese ‘ramen izakaya’ restaurant Nanban. Tim is the author of 6 cookbooks on Japanese food, most recently “JapanEasy Bowls & Bento: Simple and Satisfying Japanese Recipes for All Day, Every Day” We talk about Tim’s favorite conbini, the TV show Iron Chef, Eki-ben, Ainu cuisine and much...

We're back! On Episode 4, we had the honor of speaking with Elizabeth Andoh, who is widely regarded as the leading English-language expert on Washoku. Trained formally at the prestigious Yanagihara School of Classical Japanese Cuisine (Tokyo), Elizabeth now directs A Taste of Culture, a Tokyo based culinary arts program. In our conversation she shares about the features of washoku and washoku as a "mindset", how washoku guidelines are the roadmap to making amazing bento, and the bento that...

We’re excited to share episode 3 of our podcast with you, featuring Momoko Nakamura, an author and online food educator passionate about cultural conservation and the intersection of food and environmental responsibility. We talked about how the wisdom of Japanese traditions can help us in our modern age, allowing us to discover the goodness of plant-based eating and low-waste lifestyles! While we talked, we also got to sample some delicious foods from a wonderful zero-waste shop and deli...

We loved getting to chat with Marc Matsumoto—culinary consultant, chef and host of the NHK show, Bento Expo. Even in our brief conversation, Marc shared so many fascinating tidbits of food science and food history, reflecting his insatiable desire to understand food from every angle.  Hear why his food blog is named "No Recipes", his passion for educating people about cooking techniques, the story of potatoes and how bento is good for our physical and mental health! No Recipes Blog No...

We’re kicking off the podcast with a conversation with Makiko Itoh, who's been writing online about Japanese food for over 15 years and writes the Japanese Kitchen column for the Japan Times. If you enjoy making bento or eating Japanese food, you're probably familiar with her wonderful blogs and best selling  “Just Bento” cookbooks. If not, you're missing out!  Hear how Makiko decided to share her love of Japanese food online after experiencing burnout as a web developer and how her blog...