Book: Food Sake Tokyo

So imagine you've just landed in Tokyo. Like any good foodie, you'll have some pressing questions on your mind: Where can I buy thirty kinds of miso? Which depachika (the 'epicurean food floor' of a department store) should I hit first? If I want to buy a soba knife, where should I go?

Thankfully, Japanese-American chef and sommelier Yukari Sakamoto has answered all these questions and more in her recently-published Food Sake Toyko.

The first section covers the culinary culture of Tokyo, explaining Japanese ingredients, dining etiquette and phrases, the different eating experiences on offer, and how to find the good ones (e.g. look out for the phrase 手打ち (teuchi, handmade) when searching for an udon joint). The second section, arranged by area, lists enough eateries, shops, and things of general foodie interest to keep you busy enough to miss the plane home. Shop names and addresses are given in both romanji and kanji, with telephone numbers, opening times, and websites (where possible) too.

Given this wealth of information, it seemed only right to go to the source with a few questions of my own....

So tell me, how did Food Sake Tokyo first come about? Did it take long to write/research?

Yukari: While in Tokyo I was working at Takashimaya’s depachika and spoke with many foreign tourists amazed with the food but not being able to connect with it. That was the inspiration for the book. I have been blessed to have many teachers and chefs educate me on the cuisine of Japan and I felt it was the time for me to start sharing what I have learned. I have been researching the book for over five years. Most of the research was done in Japanese.

Do you have a favourite "find" amongst the places in your book?

More than any one particular restaurant, I would have to say that it is the people that I have met. The passion and commitment that the chefs and purveyors have is inspiring. The two places any foodie to Tokyo should not miss is the outer market of Tsukiji, the world’s largest seafood market, and depachika. In particular, Isetan in Shinjuku or Takashimaya in Nihonbashi.

Photograph by Takuya Suzuki

You trained at the French Culinary Institute [in NYC] - does your European culinary background affects the way you approach Japanese cuisine?

The two cuisines are very different. But what my education at the FCI did give me was an advanced vocabulary and technique. I sometimes interpret for Japanese chefs working with an American chefs and my training has made me a better liaison between the two cultures. There are many aspects of the Japanese kitchen that I have yet to challenge myself with including working with the knives.

What's a normal week for a "chef, sommelier, journalist, and culinary consultant"?

Currently I am working as a part-time private chef in NYC. The rest of my time is consumed with writing articles, interpreting for Japanese chefs, and teaching classes. My most recent class was a Shochu 101 class at The Japanese Culinary Center. A part of my daily routine is making Japanese bento for my husband.

You split your time between NYC and Tokyo - how do you find the Japanese food scene in NYC?

New Yorkers are spoiled with an amazing selection of Japanese food available, much of it authentic. Japanese breads at Panya, ramen at Ippudo, Soba at Restaurant Nippon or Sobaya, izakaya and shochu at En Japanese Brasserie, wagashi at Minamoto Kitchoan, or kaiseki cuisine at Bouley Upstairs with chef Isao Yamada. My husband is a Japanese fishmonger so we get our fill of sashimi at home, but there are of course many sushi restaurants throughout the city.

What's your advice for a non-Japanese-speaking person (like myself!) on how to go about learning more about Japanese cooking?

Invest in cookbooks. While there is a lot of information on the internet, unless you know your source, it may be incorrect. Sadly, a lot of what is out there is ill informed.

My shortlist of titles include:

Shizuo Tsuji’s Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
Elizabeth Andoh’s Washoku
Yoshio Tsuchiya’s A Feast for the Eyes: The Fine Art of Japanese Food Arrangement
Soei Yoneda’s Heart of Zen Cuisine: A 600 Year Tradition of Vegetarian Cookery
Richard Hosking’s A Dictionary of Japanese Food: Ingredients & Culture

    

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There you have it, readers. I particularly like the book recommendations, for obvious reasons. If you want to read more from Yukari, check out her blogs:  Food Sake Tokyo for Tokyo travel tips, and Tokyo Station for Japanese home cooking. And of course, the book itself: Food Sake Tokyo.

Comments

[nagai]

very impressived.. Thank you.

[serge the concierge]

Just mentioned your site which I discovered recently and this interview on 'Serge the Concierge' for my weekly 'Tokyo Thursdays'

http://www.sergetheconcierge.com/2010/07/food-sake-tokyo-a-guide-to-japanese-terroir-for-visiting-foodies.html

Serge
'The French Guy from New Jersey;

[Yuki]

Yukari is great, I often refer to this book. Great to hear someone else writing about her!

Yuki