In 2011, Japanese-born Namiko Hirasawa Chen created Just One Cookbook as a guide to Japanese cuisine and food culture. The food-and-travel blog provides recipes based on those Hirasawa Chen grew up eating, as well as travel guides for those interested in traveling or learning about Japan. Going by “Nami” on the blog, Hirasawa Chen communicates her Japanese roots to an American audience, as she now herself lives in America.
Nami’s husband is affectionately called “Mr. JOC” on the blog, and he has done much to support Nami’s efforts. He has worked as a marketer and a self-taught cameraman for her recipes, among other things.
Nami shares many dishes on her Instagram account as well, and has made professional-level cooking videos. Each recipe introduces the food, its significance in Japan, and Nami’s own personal experience and preferences regarding it. This way, each time we make a recipe of hers, we have a connection to it that we wouldn’t get from anyone else.
Thanks to this cookbook and blog, we learn about everything from Japanese comfort food to Japanese convenience store food to restaurant food from the perspective of a local. Yet, it is written in such a way that anyone from around the world can understand the significance of each dish. Check out Just One Cookbook next time you are craving Japanese food–you won’t regret it.
