Show

Monday at 03:00 pm - 03:45 pm

Japan Eats!

Demystifying Japanese Cuisine

What is Japanese food? Sushi, or ramen, or kaiseki? What about Izakaya? Akiko Katayama, a Japanese native, New York-based food writer and director of the New York Japanese Culinary Academy, tells you all about real Japanese food and food culture. With guests ranging from sake producers with generations of experience to American chefs pushing the envelope of Japanese gastronomy, Japanese cuisine is demystified here!

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Produced by Akiko Katayama

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Akiko Katayama

Akiko Katayama is a food writer based in New York City, and a director of the non-profit organization The New York Japanese Culinary Academy which promotes a deeper understanding of Japanese cuisine in the US.      She has worked as culinary advisor to the Japanese government and consulted for companies in the food & beverage industry.  She also has served as judge on Food Network’s Iron Chef America multiple times.   She holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business, an MSc from London School of Economics & Political Science and a Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Advanced Certificate with Distinction. See Akiko's recommendations for dining in Japan at https://heritageradionetwork.org/where-to-dine-in-japan/.

Latest Episodes

Discovering Shochu with iichiko

Episode 234, Aired: July 26, 2021
Our guest is Tetsuro Miyazaki, who is the General Manager at IICHIKO USA.  iichiko is one of the most well-known shochu brands in Japan and abroad.  The company was founded in 1958 and specializes in barley-based shochu products, which reflects the natural environment of Oita Prefecture...

Dassai And Beyond

Episode 233, Aired: July 19, 2021
Our guest is Kazuhiro Sakurai, the 4th generation and CEO of Asahi Shuzo, which is the maker of Dassai sake.     You may have heard of Dassai, because you can find it in many bars and restaurants worldwide.  Also, Dassai has appeared at important events.  For example, when Barak Obama v...

Fourth Generation Sushi Chef Goes Global

Episode 232, Aired: July 12, 2021
Our guest is Yoshi Tezuka, the 4th generation sushi chef at Matsunozushi in Tokyo, which was founded in 1910.  Yoshi is not just a great sushi chef, but also a global thinker.   Before he became a sushi chef, Yoshi spent years abroad as a professional ski guide as well as a backpacker a...

Japan Distilled!

Episode 231, Aired: June 28, 2021
Our guests are Stephen Lyman & Christopher Pellegrini who are the co-hosts of Japan Distilled, the fantastic new podcast about Japanese spirits. Japan Distilled started in December 2020.  The duo's conversations are fun and truly informative.  Stephen and Chris always tell the audie...

What Is Yakitori?

Episode 230, Aired: June 21, 2021
Our guest is Michael Gerard who is the founder and president of Wildwood Ovens & BBQ (Instagram) based in California.  Michael manufactures various wood-fired cooking equipment including yakitori grills.   Yakitori is grilled chicken on skewers and its simplicity demands tremendous ...

From Chef To Japanese Knife Ambassador

Episode 229, Aired: June 7, 2021
Our guest is Jon Broida who is the owner of Japanese Knife Imports based in California.  Before Jon founded Japanese Knife Imports in 2010, he had a successful career as a fine-dining chef and great knives were essential for his job.  He got so into Japanese knives that eventually he st...