Japan Eats!

Our guest is Reverend Dr. Masaki Matsubara, who is an eighteenth-generation Zen priest in the Japanese Rinzai tradition. His career is unique and impressive. Following his Zen monastic training in Heirinji Monastery in Japan, he moved to the US in 1999 to study at Cornell University, where he eventually earned a PhD in Asian religions. Since then, he has taught Buddhist studies at prominent institutions, including U.C. Berkeley, Stanford University, Cornell University, Brown University and the University of Tokyo. Also, Rev. Matsubara is the head abbot of Butsumoji Zen Temple in Chiba, Japan

Reverend Matsubara joined us in Episode #377 in September 2025 and discussed important ideas underlying Japanese society, such as the true meaning of Zen and the difference between Zen and mindfulness.

Now, he is back to talk about food in Zen practice. Generally speaking, in business organizations, the lower level of the hierarchy tends to be in charge of food matters. CEO’s would not choose and order lunch items for their employees, for instance.

However, in Zen practice, preparing and serving meals is a very important part of training and the cook is called Tenzo. The idea of prioritizing meal preparation, as much as meditation and studying Buddhism, came from the classic book Tenzo Kyokun, written by the Japanese Zen Buddhist master Dogen in 1237. The book is old and sounds aloof from our daily lives, but there are many valuable lessons for living mindfully in our modern lifestyle.

In this episode, we will discuss why food is essential in Zen practice, the precious lessons in the book Tenzo Kyokun, how you can practice a mindful approach to food in your daily life, how Japanese vegetarian cuisine Shojin Ryori exemplifies the essence of mindful eating and much, much more!!!

The latest information on Reverend Matsubara's meditation sessions is found here on Instagram:
@masakimatsubara.zen
@the.gallery.nyc
@o.d.o_ny
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Our guest is Hideatsu Shibanuma who is the 18th-generation president of Shibanuma Soy Sauce, which was founded in 1688. Shibanuma Soy Sauce has specialized in producing barrel-aged soy sauce in Ibaraki Prefecture for about 370 years. Its products were so superior that they were served to Shoguns during the Edo period.
Like many other craftsmen-based traditional businesses in Japan, soy sauce manufacturers have faced challenges due to reasons like a declining population and changes in people’s diet. But Shibanuma Soy Sauce is doing well, thanks to its success in the export markets, with over 60 destinations worldwide. But it did not happen overnight. It is the result of Hideatsu’s hard work.
In this episode, we will discuss the key to successfully running the 377-year old soy sauce company, the unique taste of Hideatsu’s barrel-aged soy sauce, why his products have been attracting the attention of top chefs all over the world and much, much more!!!
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Our guest is George Padilla who plays a key role in multiple exciting Japanese restaurant and hospitality businesses in New York, including Rule of Thirds (https://www.thirdsbk.com/), Bin Bin Sake (https://linktr.ee/bin.bin.sake) and Teruko (https://hotelchelsea.com/dining-and-bar/teruko) at The Hotel Chelsea.

George’s passion for and profound understanding of Japanese culture is impressive. Since he joined the tiny yet influential Japanese restaurant Okonomi in Brooklyn in 2014, he has been one of the most inspiring people in the Japanese food industry. He joined us with his chef partner JT at Rule of Thirds, in Episode #236 in August 2021, and shared his idea of Japanese food and food culture.

He recently took another trip to Japan, which was packed with unique experiences and discoveries. In this episode, we are going to discuss all about them, such as his visit to the oldest izakaya in downtown Tokyo, the standing sushi bars he enjoyed and his stay at a traditional foodway retreat in Yamanaka Onsen. We will also talk about traditional manufacturers and breweries he visited, Japan’s fermentation culture and much, much more!!!

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Places mentioned:


Shinsuke izakaya
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1066442-d1688850-Reviews-Shinsuke-Bunkyo_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

Kagiya izakaya
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1066461-d9930321-Reviews-Kagiya-Taito_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

Tachiguizushi Akira (standing sushi bar)
https://tachiguizushi-akira.com/en

Hakko Department (fermentation retail shop)
https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/11155/

Hannah Kirshner’s Yamanaka retreat
https://www.instagram.com/hanamurasaki_official/

Harappa Aizu (cotton textile)
https://www.harappaaizu.com/en/indtop.html

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Our guest is Gavin Whitelaw https://rijs.fas.harvard.edu/gavin-h-whitelaw who is the Executive Director of Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University.

Gavin has spent over a decade living and teaching in Japan. Before joining the Reischauer Institute in 2016, he was the Senior Associate Professor of Anthropology and Japan Studies at International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo for eight years. He has researched a wide range of topics, including Japanese contemporary commerce, work life, foodways and material culture.

Gavin is here today to discuss Konbini, the Japanese-style convenience store, a subject on which he has done extensive research. Convenience stores were born in the U.S in the 1920s and were transplanted to Japan in the 1960s. Then its concept developed into something very different, which has become a necessary part of Japanese society overall. As of January 2025, there were 56,749 Konbini nationwide.

In this episode, we will discuss the unique characteristics of Japanese-style convenience stores, what you can buy and experience at Konbini , Gavin’s intriguing work experience at Konbini shops and what he discovered there, the possibilities of exporting Japanese Konbini abroad and much, much more!!!
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Our guest is Brian Evans who is the Director of Bars at Sunday Hospitality Group https://www.sundayhg.com/, which operates 12 popular hospitality concepts in New York and London, including Japanese-inspired restaurants Rule of Thirds https://www.thirdsbk.com/ in Brooklyn and Teruko https://hotelchelsea.com/dining-and-bar/teruko in Manhattan.

Brian’s talent in mixology earned him the 2021 Starchefs Rising Star Award. And his outstanding beverage program at the Lobby Bar at The Hotel Chelsea was highly recognized to receive the status of one of Esquire Magazine’s Best Bars In America 2023 as well as Best U.S. Hotel Bar at Tales of the Cocktail in 2025. Also, with his passion and knowledge, Brian created the biggest Japanese whisky list in the U.S. at Teruko (with over 360 labels) at The Hotel Chelsea.

In this episode, we will discuss how Brian got into the world of cocktails and spirits, how he developed his knowledge and skills in New York City in the global context, how he naturally infuses Japanese ingredients into classic and original cocktails, what is distinctive about Japanese whisky, his thoughts on Shoshu’s global potential and much, much more!!!
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