This Thursday we had a lovely guest from the US and his father participate in our Basic Japanese Cooking lesson. They were such fun and enthusiastic guests that I, myself, very much enjoyed my time with them.

It was fantastic seeing families like them really trying to dig deep into Japanese culture during their short stay in Japan. Especially the father, who although it was his first time in Asia, he really made an effort to learn Japanese by listening to language CDs. Honestly I’m never usually that easily impressed by people being able to speak Japanese but this time it was special since every now and then he would blurt out a Japanese word or phrase he learned and it wasn’t just once or twice! Subarashii! Very good.

“Food was great and the staff exceptional. I had a lot of fun and was very comfortable. If I am ever in Japan again, I will sign up again.” we were told! Hopefully their Home Visit experience, which they booked at the same time, will be as good or maybe even better?

Recently we have been receiving a lot of requests where the same people participate in both the cooking and Home Visit programs during their stays so we’re working hard right now at Nagomi Kitchen to increase the number of host families so more people will be able to participate in both programs. Definitely great to hear.

As a Japanese-American, I’m always glad when people are interested in learning about Japanese culture since I feel like they are learning about a part of my identity. This is especially true of course when visitors are from the US so hopefully see you next time at Nagomi Kitchen! Matane!

Alisa Sanada, (@asanada) co-organizer for Nagomi Kitchen, is a former Texan currently residing in Kawasaki. She went from craving fresh jalapenos while working 7 years in the web industry in Tokyo and Osaka to craving fresh tofu while traveling across the globe for a year in 2011 as a full time nomad. Alisa joined Nagomi Kitchen wanting to bring together her passions, the web, travel, and food.

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