Japan Eats!

Our guest is Genki Ito, who founded the unique online sake shop Tippsy Sake in 2018. He joined us in Episode #254 in February 2022 and discussed its innovative concept. Tippsy Sake’s business has grown successfully, alongside a community of sake lovers, and in May 2026, Genki renamed it Palate Project https://palateproject.co/ to reflect the company’s new mission to make sake more accessible to American consumers.

In this episode, we will discuss what exactly Genki’s new mission at Palate Project is, how it could change the distribution of Japanese sake in the U.S., why it can help traditional family-owned small sake breweries as well as American consumers and much, much more!!!

Tipssy Sake, Palate Project, Japanese sake, Japanese food, Japanese culture, Genki Ito, vertically integrated Japanese sake distribution

Social Handles:

IG palateproject.sake
FB https://www.facebook.com/palateproject.sake/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@palateprojectsake
X https://x.com/palateproject
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Our guest is Nick Rowan, author of Japanese Wine, a fantastic, comprehensive book on Japanese wine. The Japanese wine industry and culture have been developing very rapidly since the 1990s, and Nick’s book, which came out in 2025, is so timely.

The book covers 725 producers and 130 grape varieties—over 80 of which are unique to Japan—to showcase the uniqueness and diversity of Japanese wine. It also includes 380 bars, restaurants, and wine stores specializing in Japanese wine, and 125 Japanese wine fairs and festivals.

In this episode, we will discuss how Nick got into Japanese wine, the unique terroir of Japan, how Japanese winemakers embrace and overcome its climatic and commercial challenges, the outstanding flavor characteristics of Japanese wine, and much, much more!!!
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Our guest is Silvia Mella who is the owner of Sorate in New York. Sorate is a unique Japanese green tea company, which sells premium Japanese tea through online and operates beautiful tea houses in Manhattan.
Japanese tea has been gaining attention in the global markets, fueled by rising health consciousness and growing interest in Japanese food. According to the Japanese government, Japanese tea exports in 2025 reached record highs, and the key driving factor was Matcha. The U.S. accounts for approximately 40% of total export volume, 80% of which was Matcha. And it is mostly used for iced or hot lattes and smoothies.
But in Japan, people don’t drink Matcha on a daily basis. There are many other types of delicately produced, highly flavorful Japanese tea. Silvia knows the profoundness of Japanese tea culture very well, and is passionate about introducing its charm to a global audience.
In this episode, we will discuss how Silvia got into Japanese tea, how she convinced a traditional tea farm to work with her, the types of tea she recommends you try, the tea ceremony sessions that she offers with a Japanese tea master, and much, much more!!!
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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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