Interview with 'Food Sake Tokyo' author Yukari Sakamoto

Tokyo-born and American-raised Yukari Sakamoto is a professional chef, sommelier, and writer who has spent much of her life in both the U.S. and Japan. Released earlier this year, her debut book Food Sake Tokyo is the ideal guide for indulging in the best of Tokyo dining and drinking, whether you’re a first-time visitor or a Japanophile foodie keen on discovering new favorites.

How were you approached to write this book as part of the Terroir Guides series?
I contribute to Food & Wine magazine and my travel editor there at the time, Salma Abdelnour, told me about the publisher The Little Bookroom. She praised their travel guides and thought my book would find a good home there. My agent, Lisa Ekus, sent my proposal to The Little Bookroom, and the publisher, Angela Hederman, embraced it immediately. The Little Bookroom has a series of foodie travel guides called the Terroir Guides, and my book was a perfect fit—like Cinderella’s glass slipper. I have heard how difficult it is to find a publisher who will accept a book proposal, and I am blessed to have found the perfect home.

In the introduction to your book, you write that the popularity of the Slow Food movement has created a renewed appreciation for kyodo ryori, or local foods. How long has this movement been going on, and what started it?
The Slow Food movement has been popular for a long time. What has been extremely popular in the last few years are “antenna shops.” These regional shops represent prefectures from around Japan that feature local produce, beverages, and foods. For example, the Okinawa Washita shop in Ginza has a basement filled with awamori (the local shochu), including rare brands hard to find outside of Okinawa. The first floor has tropical fruits and vegetables and local specialties like shimadofu, a dense tofu, and shikuwasa, a citrus juice. I cannot say for sure what started it, but there are several contributing factors. Food safety scares and mislabeling of imported product have encouraged more consumption of local products. Popular food and travel programs promote regional specialties. And, there are an increasing number of ambassadors, like the governor of Miyazaki [Prefecture], Hideo Higashikokubaru, who enthusiastically promote Miyazaki products like wagyu, mangoes, etc. I am always impressed at the number of customers at antenna shops. I often go out my way to shop at antenna shops to pick up rare shochu, hard to find miso, or pickles.

There are more than 100,000 restaurants in Tokyo. How did you pare it down to the ones listed in the book?
First of all, I focused on restaurants that represented a particular cuisine. And then I narrowed down the list based on geography, leaning toward easy to find restaurants, or those included in one of the areas covered by the book. I have lived in Tokyo for eight years and ate out a lot while there. Tokyo is a great dining city, especially for solo diners.

What new cultural/etiquette tips did you discover while researching this book that you personally found most interesting?
It is amazing the accepted practices for eating certain foods, handling your chopsticks, etc. I am most impressed with the details of a kaiseki [traditional multi-course] meal—so interesting that I cannot name any one thing. What I can say is that when dining at any establishment, to not be afraid to look around and see how others are eating. And, feel free to ask questions. More often than not, the restaurant is happy to help you figure out how to eat certain foods. But, they do not want to embarrass the customer.

Which Japanese restaurants in New York would you recommend to Japanese food connoisseurs?
First of all, I am a chef and we enjoy cooking at home, so we do not get out too much. Also, my husband is a Japanese fishmonger so we are fortunate to get good seafood at home. Therefore, we do not go out for sushi. For non-sushi restaurants, some that I can recommend include Bouley Upstairs for a counter seat with chef Isao Yamada, Rosanjin in Tribeca, En Japanese Brasserie, Restaurant Nippon, and Sobaya. There are also so many places I have not been to that I have heard good things about including Kajitsu, the vegetarian shojin ryori restaurant.

Which foods/restaurants from the ones featured in your book would you recommend to first-time visitors to Japan?
For sure, do not miss Tsukiji Market, the world’s largest seafood market. The tuna auction is now hard to access. Instead, focus on the outer market, open to the general public and filled with many stalls and restaurants. Also, a visit to Tokyo for any foodie requires a visit to a depachika [basement level food market in a department store]. Isetan in Shinjuku is my favorite, or Takashimaya in Nihonbashi, just a few minutes from Tokyo station. As for restaurants, Maisen for tonkatsu, Kondo for tempura, Yabu Soba for soba, Kyubey for sushi, Ukaitei for teppanyaki. Do not miss Nihonbashi Yukari for kaiseki cuisine; the third generation chef Kimio Nonaga was the Iron Chef champion in 2002. He trained at the renowned Kikunoi in Kyoto with Chef Yoshihiro Murata.

What's your take on the growing trend of Japanese fusion restaurants here in New York? Is there a similar appreciation in Tokyo now?
I have a lot of respect for chefs like Nobu [Matsuhisa] who introduced Japanese cuisine to customers who were not used to eating raw fish. In Tokyo, there are a few places that are starting to serve items like California roll sushi. My Japanese friends who have lived abroad tend to accept fusion cuisine more than my Japanese friends who have not traveled outside of the country.

In your opinion, what Western-style foods do you think look and taste better when served in Japanese restaurants?
Journalist Alan Richman wrote an excellent article for GQ magazine on this topic. He examined French, Italian, and Chinese restaurants in Tokyo. I agree; these three cuisines are outstanding in Japan. What’s interesting is that Chinese cuisine in Japan is often upscale. Not the bargain, often greasy, restaurants we think of in NYC.

What will you write about next?
Good question. There are so many topics to cover, from doing a cookbook to writing about other aspects of the cuisine.

Food Sake Tokyo is available now. Visit Yukari’s homepage at http://tokyostation-yukari.blogspot.com. Read more about the book at http://foodsaketokyo.wordpress.com.

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