Japanese Food

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 share some of our recent favorite spots in Kyoto.

Brought to you by Bento&co, your go-to shop for eating healthier, reducing your environmental impact and saving money with authentic Japanese bento boxes and accessories. Shop online at ⁠en.bentoandco.com⁠ and take 10% off your first purchase with code PODCAST.

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 beautifully renovated machiya. Here he has regular tea lessons as well as hosts tea ceremony experiences for people visiting Kyoto.

Brought to you by Bento&co, your go-to shop for eating healthier, reducing your environmental impact and saving money with authentic Japanese bento boxes and accessories. Shop online at en.bentoandco.com and take 10% off your first purchase with code PODCAST.

We’re excited to share episode 8 of our podcast with you, featuring Yuji Haraguchi, a chef passionate about fish.

Learn more about Yuji on his website. Visiting Kyoto? Be sure to check out another of Yuji's restaurants, Lorimer Kyoto

Fish Bone Revolution - Broth made from upcycled fish bones

Brought to you by Bento&co, your go-to shop for eating  healthier, reducing your environmental impact and saving money with  authentic Japanese bento boxes and accessories. Shop online at en.bentoandco.com and take 10% off your first purchase with code PODCAST.

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 environmental impact and saving money with  authentic Japanese bento boxes and accessories. Shop online at en.bentoandco.com and take 10% off your first purchase with code PODCAST.

We’re back with another podcast episode, this time with sommelier, shochu advisor and food tour guide, Yukari Sakamoto.

We talk about Sho-chu, Shokado bento, Yukari’s experience working as a sommelier at Takashimaya department store +  Park Hyatt Tokyo, and much more!

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 more!

Brought to you by Bento&co, your go-to shop for eating healthier, reducing your environmental impact and saving money with authentic Japanese bento boxes and accessories. Shop online at en.bentoandco.com and take 10% off your first purchase with code PODCAST.

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 she would make for her granddaughter! 

Discover Elizabeth Andoh's Work

Brought to you by Bento&co, your go-to shop for eating healthier,   reducing your environmental impact and saving money with authentic   Japanese bento boxes and accessories. Shop online at en.bentoandco.com and take 10% off your first purchase with code PODCAST.

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 here in Kyoto called Totoya.

Every wonder why chopsticks are placed horizontally on the table in Japanese cuisine? Momoko unpacks the fascinating spiritual reason behind this and more. Listen and learn! 

Discover Momoko's Work

Brought to you by Bento&co, your go-to shop for eating healthier,  reducing your environmental impact and saving money with authentic  Japanese bento boxes and accessories. Shop online at en.bentoandco.com and take 10% off your first purchase with code PODCAST.