Hello! I’m a Japanese who loves Japanese home cooking. In this blog, I’ll be sharing tips and recipes to help foreigners enjoy learning about Japanese home cuisine. Japanese food is known for its simplicity and delicate flavors, and it is loved all over the world. I’m very excited to share Japan’s culinary culture with all of you. Let’s explore the depth and joy of Japanese food culture while cooking delicious dishes together!
First, I’d like to start by talking a little about why I decided to write this blog. The first reason is that I used to work for a travel agency that catered(took care? provide?) to foreign visitors to Japan. My job was to organize cultural experiences for tourists and to recommend and book good Japanese restaurants. What kind of Japanese food do foreign visitors like? Sushi? Ramen? Tempura, maybe? However, after a few days, they would always ask, “What do Japanese people eat every day?” As you know, we don’t eat sushi every day. Even tempura would get tiring if we ate it daily. I believe that the essence of Japanese food culture lies in what Japanese people eat on a daily basis. Japanese cuisine continues to evolve(grow up) with seasonal traditional events, home-cooked meals passed down through generations, and new dishes made with unique Japanese ingredients. Eating is fundamental to living. By introducing these aspects, I hope to give people an authentic view of everyday Japanese life.
The second reason stems(comes?) from my own experience with (that I’ve rheumatoid arthritis. In an attempt to improve my health, I tried to adopt a gluten-free diet, only to find that it is very difficult to do so in Japan. When I worked for the travel agency, I received many requests from foreign visitors for gluten-free, vegan, or religiously based meals, but it was challenging to fulfill those requests in Japan. Why is this the case? I’ll share more on that topic in a future post.
Thank you for reading to the end. I’m looking forward to sharing more about the everyday food culture of Japanese people.