Japan Eats!

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Japanese tea ceremony instructor Keiko Kitazawa Koch. Keiko was born and raised in Nara, Japan, a historically and culturally rich part of Japan. She has carried a deep sense of Japanese tradition since childhood. Her first education in Japanese tea ceremony started with the Musyanokoji-style (武者小路流). She was trained in her earlier years, in Nara. Keiko teaches Omotesenke-style (表千家流) tea ceremony in her own tea room in New Jersey, and also at a location in Brooklyn. Her students develop deep interest in “Chaji” which is the formal tea ceremony, held throughout the year, spanning all four seasons. Keiko also demonstrates and teaches in schools in New Jersey, Brooklyn, and New York City. Keiko's class schedule: http://murasakinj.exblog.jp/i8/ Keiko's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/moonlightnjSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Chef Shigetoshi Nakamura, who recently debuted his first restaurant in the United States. Hailed as one of only 4 "Ramen Gods" Chef Naka experienced colossal success in Japan after he opened Nakamura-Ya when he was 22. Always seeking to share his craft with America, he partnered up with Sun Noodle, the leading US-based ramen noodle manufacturer, and started building up a network state side. In the US, Chef Nakamura debuted at Sun Noodle's "Ramen Lab" where he again received critical acclaim. With a network of support created through Sun Noodle, and the success at Ramen Lab, Chef Naka was ready to open his own shop: Nakamura.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Tama Matsuoka Wong, a forager, weed eater, meadow doctor, lawyer and mother of three. She is the author of the backyard field guide and cookbook Foraged Flavor, which was nominated for a James Beard award in 2013. After graduating from Harvard Law School and serving more than 25 years as a financial services lawyer in Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong, she returned with her family to Hunterdon County, New Jersey and rediscovered her passion for the natural world. In 2007 she was named Steward of the Year by the New Jersey Forest Service.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Everett Kennedy Brown, a photographer working in Japan for the past 28 years whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Geo, Time, Newsweek, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, The New York Times, and more. He is also interested in exploring techniques of the glass plate collodion photographic process, in an effort to capture the ambient mood of a place on film. In addition to his photographic and writing activities, Brown has established a Japanese farm with his wife, the popular cookbook writer Deco Nakajima. Located one hour east of Tokyo, near the Pacific coast, Brown’s Field (www.brownsfield-jp.com) and the country inn Jiji no Ie (www.jijinoie.com) reflect his vision of an ideal rural Japanese experience. To see Everett's fascinating photos created by the 19th century technology that brings the past alive: http://www.modernclassic.jp/ To see Everett's inspiring TED Talk about how cultural memories make your life engaging and delightful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR8msi-ohZMSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Filmmaker Erik Shirai joins us in the studio to tell us all about the making of his latest documentary, The Birth of Saké, which grants an inside look at the art of sake creation in a Japanese brewery. Shirai and his producer managed to get access to the brewery at a time of transition, as a younger brewmaster was starting to take greater responsibility.See 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 ice sculptor Shintaro Okamoto. He is the owner of Okamoto Studio, a New York-based collective best known for their design, production, and consultation of everything made of crystal clear ice. Father-son Takeo and Shintaro Okamoto make up the founding core of the group, which was formed in 2003 with a mission of showcasing in the full beauty and potential of handcrafted ice. Okamoto Studio has fast become a favorite among the event, hospitality, culinary, fashion, and media industries for their articulate and fanciful use of both traditional hand-tool craftsmanship and current art-world sensibilities.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Kumiko Jitsukawa, the founder of Ki-Chu New York, a traditional Japanese tableware company dedicated to enhancing appreciation of the Japanese dining experience. Jitsukawa was born in Yokohama, Japan. She studied space design at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, moved to New York in 2001, and studied at New York School of Interior Design. She worked at the renowned lighting design firm, L’Observatoire International. She specialized in hospitality design and has overseen various high-profile projects such as Jean-George Vongerichten's restaurant Jean-Georges.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Zach Mangan, the founder of the kettl tea compay. Sourced from Nagano’s famed buckwheat, the hills of Hoshinomura, and elsewhere in Japan, kettl’s top-tier teas are served at New York restaurants such as Atera and Brushstroke and sold online for at-home consumption. Their catalog of clients have been awarded 16 Michelin stars and counting. Tune in to hear them discuss Zach's path from musician to tea importer, regional differences between Japanese green tea producers, and more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Andy Moran, manager at Japan Premium Beef, a specialty butcher shop in New York City that sells both imported Japanese Wagyu and domestic Wagyu raised on its own farm in Oregon. Tune is as they debunk some popular myths about Wagyu, and find out what makes this beef so special.See 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 by Kenji Ichishima, owner of the Ichishima Sake Brewery. Born and raised in Shibata City, Kenji Ichishima grew up around the brewery that had been run by his forefathers for generations. Encouraged by his grandfather, who had also spent time outside of Japan, Kenji came to the United States and spent time in Atlanta, Georgia and Albany, New York. His time in America rekindled Kenji's awareness of his identity and reminded him of the importance of his family business, and after returning to Japan he decided to enter the sake industry. Since becoming President of Ichishima Shuzo, he has achieved success in developing new products, improving quality, reducing inefficiencies, and discontinuing low-profit business components such as beer wholesaling. In addition to managing his brewery, Kenji is also deeply involved in the larger world of sake. As chairperson of the public relations committee of the Niigata Brewer's Association, he has run the Niigata Sake Festival for the past four years. He is also very involved with the younger generation of brewers both in Niigata and throughout Japan as a chairperson of both the Shinseikai and the Japan Brewery Junior Council.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.