Señora Favorite
Sonoko Sakai
Los Angeles / Japan
LA-based Japanese cooking teacher and author whose Japanese Home Cooking is the definitive modern guide to bringing authentic Japanese flavors into a Western kitchen.
Known for: Japanese Home Cooking and her LA teaching practice
Japanese Home Cooking
Hiroko Shimbo
Hiroshima / New York
Culinary instructor and author of The Japanese Kitchen — the most comprehensive English-language guide to Japanese ingredients, techniques, and philosophy.
Known for: The Japanese Kitchen and The Sushi Experience
The Japanese Kitchen
Maori Murota
Tokyo / Paris
Japanese food stylist and cookbook author based in Paris, Maori creates a beautiful bridge between Japanese minimalism and French sensibility in her cooking and photography.
Known for: Cuisine de Tokyo and her food styling work in France
Cuisine de Tokyo
Mutsuko Soma
Tokyo / Seattle
Soba master and chef-owner of Kamonegi in Seattle, Mutsuko hand-makes soba from scratch daily — an extraordinary dedication to one of Japan’s most meditative culinary arts.
Known for: Kamonegi restaurant and the art of fresh soba making in America
Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Osaka / San Francisco
Creator of Just One Cookbook — the most trusted English-language resource for authentic Japanese home cooking, built recipe by recipe over more than a decade.
Known for: Just One Cookbook blog and her detailed Japanese technique guides
Just One Cookbook: Essential Japanese Recipes
Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Saitama, Japan
American farmer who married into a Japanese farming family and has spent 30+ years documenting rural Japanese food culture from the inside — extraordinary and irreplaceable.
Known for: Japanese Farm Food and Preserving the Japanese Way
Japanese Farm Food
Rika Yukimasa
Tokyo, Japan
Host of NHK World’s Dining with the Chef and champion of weekday Japanese home cooking — quick, seasonal, healthy, and deeply practical.
Known for: NHK World’s Dining with the Chef and Japanese weeknight cooking culture
Tim Anderson
Wisconsin / London
MasterChef UK winner and chef-owner of Nanban in London, Tim makes Japanese food — from ramen to teishoku sets — feel thrillingly accessible and genuinely delicious.
Known for: Japan Easy and Nanban restaurant in London
Japan Easy