Japan Eats!

• Konbini Culture: Unwrapping Japan’s Unique Convenience Stores

  Our guest is Gavin Whitelaw https://rijs.fas.harvard.edu/gavin-h-whitelaw who is the Executive Director of Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University. Gavin has spent over a decade living and teaching in Japan. Before joining the Reischauer Institute in 2016, he was the Senior Associate Professor of Anthropology and Japan Studies at International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo for eight years. He has researched a wide range of topics, including Japanese contemporary commerce, work life, foodways and material culture. Gavin is here today to discuss Konbini, the Japanese-style convenience store, a subject on which he has done extensive research. Convenience stores were born in the U.S in the 1920s and were transplanted to Japan in the 1960s. Then its concept developed into something very different, which has become a necessary part of Japanese society overall. As of January 2025, there were 56,749 Konbini nationwide. In this episode, we will discuss the unique characteristics of Japanese-style convenience stores, what you can buy and experience at Konbini , Gavin’s intriguing work experience at Konbini shops and what he discovered there, the possibilities of exporting Japanese Konbini abroad and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Discover America’s Largest Japanese Whisky Collection at Teruko

  Our guest is Brian Evans who is the Director of Bars at Sunday Hospitality Group https://www.sundayhg.com/, which operates 12 popular hospitality concepts in New York and London, including Japanese-inspired restaurants Rule of Thirds https://www.thirdsbk.com/ in Brooklyn and Teruko https://hotelchelsea.com/dining-and-bar/teruko in Manhattan. Brian’s talent in mixology earned him the 2021 Starchefs Rising Star Award. And his outstanding beverage program at the Lobby Bar at The Hotel Chelsea was highly recognized to receive the status of one of Esquire Magazine’s Best Bars In America 2023 as well as Best U.S. Hotel Bar at Tales of the Cocktail in 2025. Also, with his passion and knowledge, Brian created the biggest Japanese whisky list in the U.S. at Teruko (with over 360 labels) at The Hotel Chelsea. In this episode, we will discuss how Brian got into the world of cocktails and spirits, how he developed his knowledge and skills in New York City in the global context, how he naturally infuses Japanese ingredients into classic and original cocktails, what is distinctive about Japanese whisky, his thoughts on Shoshu’s global potential and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• Chef Tadashi Ono: Serving The Essence of Japanese Cuisine For Three Decades

  Our guest is Tadashi Ono who is the executive chef at Teruko https://hotelchelsea.com/dining-and-bar/teruko at The Hotel Chelsea in New York. Tadashi's career has been built through deliberate decisions along with his flexible, lighthearted approach to life. When he arrived in Los Angeles in 1982, he started his culinary training and eventually proved his talent as the executive chef at the legendary French restaurant La Caravelle in New York, where he earned a 3-star review from The New York Times twice. Over time, he realized that Japanese cuisine was what he wanted to cook and shifted his focus. He earned a great reputation at the popular Japanese restaurants, including Matsuri at the Maritime Hotel in Manhattan. In this episode, we will discuss Tadashi’s unique career development, why he enjoys cooking Japanese more than French (which he also loves), the Japanese dishes he wants you to know beyond sushi and ramen, the creative yet traditional menu he serves at Teruko and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• An American Winemaker's 35-Year Journey Helping To Shape Japanese Wine Culture

  Our guest is Bruce Gutlove, who is an American-born winemaker based in Hokkaido, Japan. The Japanese wine industry has been flourishing, particularly in the last two decades or so, thanks to the rapid increase in talented winemakers who are willing to conquer the challenges of the country’s unique terroir. Bruce has greatly contributed to shaping the modern Japanese wine-making culture. Since 1989, he has worked in vineyards and wineries in Japan to bring out the potential of the Japanese climate and soil. Most notably, he led the COCO Farm & Winery https://cocowine.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cocofaw-pr-eng.pdf in Tochigi Prefecture, which is owned and operated by people with intellectual disabilities, to become an award-winning wine producer. Now, as the owner of 10R Winery https://www.10rwinery.jp/ in Hokkaido, he keeps fostering successful winemakers and helps solidify Japan’s unique wine industry. In this episode, we will discuss how Bruce got involved in wine consulting in Japan when the industry just about to start developing, the uniqueness of the wine-making environment in Japan, the exciting grape varieties that make Japanese wine stand out in the global market, Bruce’s personal observation of Japan and why he has spent over 35 years in the country and much, much more!!! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• What Makes a Michelin Star Sushi Restaurant?

  Our guest is Cheng Lin who is the chef/owner of Shota Omakase https://shotaomakase.com/ in Brooklyn, New York. After nearly three decades of studying and serving sushi at notable restaurants in New York City, including Sushi Seki, Blue Ribbon, and ITO Tribeca, he opened his Omakase-only sushi restaurant Shota Omakase in August 2023 and earned his first Michelin star within a year. In this episode, we will discuss how Cheng got into sushi, an inspiring book that steered his career as a sushi chef, how he finds unique ingredients from Japan, such as seven-year-old vinegar and a rare sushi rice, the advantage of being non-Japanese as a sushi chef, how to eat confidently at an Omakase sushi bar and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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