Izusha's WASHOKU Kitchen

My name is Izumi, a host of this class. I live in western Tokyo, called the "Musashino" area, which is full of nature. It is said to be a place where Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese animated film director, got inspired for the famous film, "My Neighbor Totoro". I teach Japanese dishes at my house near the forest. I lived in Virginia, the USA for two years when my kids were small.

The elementary school where my son went had so many international students from over 70 countries, and I cooked Japanese food at the school festival. The memories I had there through exchanging cultures and cooking were amazing! Now I qualify for the Tofu Meister and teach foreign people traditional Japanese dishes such as sushi, Dashi stock, teriyaki chicken…etc. I’m a member of the Musashino Handmade Udon Association,

I teach how to make Musashino Udon noodles. It is a famous dish in my area. The Udon is very interestingly foot-kneaded. In my class, you can get to taste Japanese sweets (Wagashi) and experience a simple Matcha tea ceremony.

You can also learn about Japanese traditional culture. I truly hope that more people around the world will learn and enjoy Japanese food culture through my lessons.