News & Updates
Read the latest from Hiroko. You can also find her posting regularly on social media.
News & Updates
Free Digital Book from the Japanese Culinary Academy
Anyone who wants to explore Japanese cuisine in depth can access a complete textbook for free. The book is Introduction to Japanese Cuisine: Nature, History and Culture by the Japanese Culinary Academy. Chef Yoshihiro Murata of Kikunoi restaurant in Kyoto initiated and completed the project. Contents include: Introduction to Japanese Cuisine: Nature, History and Culture Flavor and Seasonings: Dashi, Umami, and Fermented Foods Mukoita I Cutting Techniques: Fish Mukoita II Cutting Techniques: Seafood, Poultry, and Vegetables Yakiba Grilling Techniques: Shio-yaki, Furishio-yaki, Yuan-yaki, Tare-yaki, and Yakitori Click here to download the eBook, available in Japanese and English.
It's now the autumn season. What are you cooking?
Are you cooking and eating seasonally and locally with healthfulness in mind? My books, The Japanese Kitchen, The Sushi Experience and Hiroko’s American Kitchen can guide you to cook delicious meals easily. The benefit of Japanese cooking is that we use far less oil than any other cuisine in the preparations. We also use less spices and herbs in cooking, so that we can enjoy the natural flavor of each ingredient. Learn more about my books > Browse seasonal recipes & cooking tips >
What is my 4th book about?
With 25 years of teaching, writing and consulting on Japanese cuisine, I entirely and finally demystified the preparation of Japanese dishes for you. This book is all about simplifying the understanding and preparation of Japanese dishes in an American home. Does this sound similar to my previous books? No. What distinguishes this book from other cookbooks is that the book explains what sets Japanese cuisine apart from other world cuisine, to easily mastered Japanese techniques and preparation and presentation guidelines. The book presents 150 new recipes, many of which you may have enjoyed seeing on Instagram (@japanesecuisineauthority). I have been cooking seasonal Japanese dishes using local ingredients in my adopted home for 26 years. I have systemized the preparations of dishes into an efficient, easy and approachable method. You will love it! I will update how this news develops. Once I know the publisher, I will post more information on this book. The Water & Fire: Spirit of Japanese Kitchen - Recipes and Techniques has another big feature. I will release what it is little by little. First, I have to find a home for my 4th creation!
Returning to the Japanese Concentration Program
I am delighted to return to teaching the Japanese Concentration Program at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Hyde Park, in January, February, and April 2025. The Japanese Concentration Program at CIA is a 9-week Japanese Cuisine study course. It consists of Basic, Advance and Inspiration blocks. The student can earn 3 credits in each block. The program will give the students the foundation for authentically preparing Japanese cuisine from basic level to advanced, formal Kaiseki meals. The philosophy of the cuisine, key ingredients, cooking guidelines, kitchenware, seasonings, tableware, and seasonality are all explained and practiced. I also look forward to working again with Chef Murashima of Tsuji Cooking School, Osaka, Japan, for one segment. Every chef should study Japanese culinary culture for some time. There is much to learn that can improve how a chef thinks about and prepares food mindfully in any kitchen.
Early life of Hiroko Shimbo
Hiroko Shimbo is a native of Japan. She moved to the United States in 1999 and received American citizenship in 2017. Hiroko was raised by her mother and father, first in Western Japan, and then in Tokyo from age seven. Her father, Hiromu, descended from a Samurai family, and was a physician who operated a small hospital-clinic on the ground floor of their home in Tokyo. He was a surgeon who performed procedures in the operating theater of his clinic, and with nursing staff. In later years he also provided psychological counseling for many of his patients. Hiroko Shimbo, 100 Days Old Celebration Hiroko’s mother, Tokuko, was born and raised, as was her father, in the small town of Takada City, Niigata Prefecture, on the Western Japan Sea side. Tokuko’s life was enriched by a long family history with many tales of the past including stories of cooking and exposure to Western culture and cuisine. Tokuko enjoyed a privileged upbringing as the youngest daughter of a gifted father who was a physician, a traditional poet, generous landlord, food lover, an adapter of the best of Western culture and practitioner of democracy in all aspects of his personal and professional life. These characteristics nurtured Tokuko in childhood and she grew up to be an open-minded and independent woman who cared for others, loved to cook, enjoyed every kind of good food and showed appreciation to all beings and things that touched her life. When Tokuko became the wife of a doctor in Tokyo, she played multiple roles in a busy life; wife, mother, manager of the clinic, and most importantly a cook who prepared daily meals for family, nurses and the in-patients staying at the clinic during recovery after surgery. Hiroko received all of her mother’s life lessons in her body and mind, especially those related to food and cooking. Hiroko Shimbo, Summer Festival Dressed in Kimono After graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo with a BA in education and working for a stint as a secretary at a Tokyo branch office of an American securities firm, Hiroko headed to her passion of educating and connecting people and nature through Japanese food.