Japan Eats!

Akiko is joined by Chris Pearce, organizer of The Joy of Sake, the largest sake tasting in the world outside Japan, with a superb array of premium labels and the best in traditional and contemporary Asian cuisine. Chris talks about how the largest sake tasting event outside Japan was born and became sake lovers must-go destination!!! Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host Akiko Katayama is joined by Yuji Haraguchi of Yuji Ramen, Okonomi, Osakana, and the newly opened Kyoto-style sushi restaurant Okozushi, all in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He also has a restaurant in Kyoto called Lorimer Kyoto. In this episode, Yuji shares his philosophy of introducing the unique Japanese "sea to table" fish culture to a global audience through his unique restaurants and a shop. Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's show, Akiko is joined by Chuck Malone, the second American to work in a shochu distillery. In the fall of 2017, he spent three months in Amami-o-shima, an island off the coast of Kagoshima, making kokuto (black sugar) shochu. He’s now returned to the U.S. and is plotting his next move. Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's show, we welcome Dave Broom, author of The Way of Whiskey: A Journey Around Japanese Whisky. Broom has visited Japan 30 times in the past 16 years, studying and learning about its whiskies. In this major new book he shares his personal journey around Japan's whisky distilleries and the unique whisky culture of the country. Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Machiko Chiba is a best-selling cookbook author and television personality in Japan. Her invention, the patented Cook-Zen microwave pot, was the top-selling item on QVC Japan for seven years. A proponent of "good food and good health," she teaches her microwave cooking techniques to aspiring chefs around the world. Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's guest is John McCarthy, a former attorney who gave up the practice of law to attend the French Culinary Institute. After graduating from FCI at the top of his class, he worked for Chef Wylie Dufresne at wd-50 for several years, ultimately becoming Chef Wylie’s research and development cook. In 2012, he opened The Crimson Sparrow restaurant in Hudson, New York, which served a tasting menu of cuisine that employs French and Japanese technique and incorporates flavors and ingredients primarily from Japan and local farms surrounding Hudson. We discuss John's idea of Japanese cuisine, the fascinating concept behind his new restaurant OKA in Murray Hill, Japanese sweets, and much more! Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Plunkett started cooking at Chapter One in Dublin before moving to New York where he worked at Momofuku, Luksus and Atera. Having spent the last year cooking in Kyoto, Japan he’s getting ready to make a move to San Francisco. Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Akiko is joined by Jamie Graves, the Japanese portfolio manager at Skurnik Wines, a leading wine and spirits importer and distributer based in New York City. Jamie has an extensive knowledge of sake, and discusses the Kimoto Method of making sake, how long sake keeps after opening a bottle, and much more! Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode of Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Andrea Fazzari, a Tokyo based international photographer, author, and dining consultant with a background in fashion and film. Her book Tokyo New Wave: 31 Chefs Defining Japan's Next Generation will be released on March 13, 2018 worldwide. She has written, photographed, and styled this unique 304 page book, her love letter to Japan and its distinct philosophy and approach to food. It includes 435 of her photographs, her insights, interviews, and chef recipes. Andrea is an insider in the city’s food scene, working regularly with Tokyo’s many influential and respected chefs. Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's guest is Ryunosuke "Jesse" Matsuoka, a certified sake sommelier, whose father was a top-ranked sumo wrestler in Japan before making his reputation as a chef in America. Japan Eats is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.