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ABOUT US
Message from Risa:

I started Savory Japan because I felt there was a need for a place where like-minded people could gather and learn about Japanese food. I'm not a professional chef, but I enjoy making the food of my native country for family and friends. Since I've lived in the US for most of my life, I’ve learned to adapt recipes to take advantage of locally available produce, with adaptations in taste as well. Frequent visits to Japan – particularly to Kyoto – have inspired further investigation and inspiration. This dual-country background gives me the unique perspective of being outside of the culture, yet part of it, and forms the place from which I write. In this way, I hope to serve as your guide and translator for the Japanese culinary world.

The recipes on this site are my own, unless otherwise mentioned. Most are easy, reflecting the Japanese belief that the best food is simple. Hard-to-find ingredients list substitutes, and tips and shortcuts are from my own experience. I am not a purist, but a modern-day home cook. Like you, I understand that time is precious. So for instance, when a recipe calls for dashi, I state when the real thing is necessary, or if the instant variety will do.

Globalization and the resulting worldwide gourmet boom have recently increased the availability of Japanese ingredients in the West. With time-saving ingredients like ground sesame seeds and salted, air-dried fish, preparing authentic multi-course Japanese meals has never been easier. This website will show how simple weekday meals can be prepared in as little as 30 to 60 minutes. And bentos can be created with leftovers as quickly as making a sandwich.

I hope you enjoy the site, and will return often to try new recipes, read a restaurant review, or share your comments on the blog. With practice, you’ll find it easy to cook Japanese food, and the techniques and way of thinking reflected on this site will become second nature. This way, you won't have to rely on recipes. In fact, the hardest part of creating this site was recreating my recipes using precise measurements. Forgoing my love of improvisation, I was forced to measure ingredients carefully when committing them to paper. Please be patient; I promise that the selection of recipes will grow over time.