Welcome to “YUCa’s Japanese Cooking®”,
a cooking class in Tokyo.
Join YUCa®'s award-winning Japanese cooking class in Tokyo for an intimate, hands-on culinary experience. Classes are taught in English.
Welcome to “YUCa’s Japanese Cooking®”,
In-person Class
We offer 7 classes at YUCa's private kitchen studio. Each class takes 2.5 hours and hands-on class. Please push button to know more detail.
Recipe
We introduce Japanese home cooking recipes (both video and text) for free. Please watch and try them out!
Vlog
A casual look into everyday life in Japan. From home cooking and family meals to seasonal moments, our vlogs share the real, simple joy of Japanese daily living.
The 5 Core Principles of The Japanese Kitchen Way
Ingredients. Seasons. Balance. Ingenuity. Appreciation.
Japanese cooking is often admired for its simplicity, seasonality, balance, and attention to detail.
But these qualities do not come from recipes alone.
Behind everyday Japanese cooking is a way of thinking — a way of choosing ingredients, responding to the seasons, creating balance, using what we have, and appreciating the food in front of us.
These ideas form the foundation of The Japanese Kitchen Way.
I have organized them into five core principles:
Ingredients. Seasons. Balance. Ingenuity. Appreciation.
Together, they offer a simple framework for understanding not only how Japanese food is prepared, but how we can approach our kitchens with greater awareness and care.
1. Ingredients | Let the Ingredients Lead
Japanese cooking often begins with the ingredient itself.
A ripe tomato in summer.
Fresh bamboo shoots in spring.
Sweet potatoes in autumn.
Daikon in winter.
Rather than asking immediately,
“What flavor should I add?”
we can first ask:
“What does this ingredient already have?”
Its sweetness.
Its aroma.
Its texture.
Its bitterness.
Its umami.
Japanese cooking often uses preparation and seasoning to reveal these qualities rather than hide them.
This does not mean Japanese food is always lightly seasoned.
Soy sauce, miso, mirin, vinegar, sesame, and other seasonings can create bold flavors.
The important point is their purpose:
Seasoning should work with the ingredient.
Sometimes the best thing a cook can do is add less.
Sometimes it is to cut differently.
Cook for less time.
Cook for longer.
Grill instead of boil.
Or simply wait until an ingredient is at its best.
In your kitchen
Before seasoning an ingredient, taste it.
Notice its aroma and texture.
Then ask yourself:
What does this ingredient need?
Not:
What can I add?
That small change in thinking is one of the foundations of The Japanese Kitchen Way.
2. Seasons | Cook with the Seasons
Japan has a strong culture of noticing seasonal change.
In the kitchen, this appears through shun (旬) — the time when an ingredient is considered to be at its best.
But seasonality goes beyond ingredients.
In summer, we may want something cool, crisp, acidic, or refreshing.
In winter, simmered dishes, soups, hot pots, and warm tea become more comforting.
Colors change.
Textures change.
Cooking methods change.
Tableware changes.
Tea changes.
Even the atmosphere we want to create around the table can change.
Cooking with the seasons means allowing nature to participate in deciding what we eat.
In your kitchen
You do not need access to Japanese ingredients.
Visit your local market.
Notice what is abundant.
Notice what looks especially good.
Choose one seasonal ingredient and let it inspire the meal.
The Japanese Kitchen Way is not about importing Japan into every kitchen.
It is about learning from a Japanese way of noticing what is already around us.
3. Balance | Create Harmony
A traditional Japanese meal may include rice, soup, a main dish, side dishes, and pickles.
One familiar structure is ichiju sansai (一汁三菜) — one soup and three dishes.
But the deeper lesson is not the number of dishes.
It is balance.
Warm and cool.
Soft and crisp.
Fresh and cooked.
Light and rich.
Different colors.
Different cooking methods.
Different flavors.
Instead of asking one dish to provide everything, a Japanese meal can create satisfaction through the relationship between several simple elements.
This is why balance is about more than nutrition.
It is about harmony.
In your kitchen
You do not need to prepare many complicated dishes.
Start with what you have.
If the main dish is rich, perhaps make the side dish refreshing.
If everything is soft, add something crisp.
If the plate looks monochromatic, add a seasonal vegetable.
Balance does not necessarily mean adding more.
Often, it means adjusting what is already there.
4. Ingenuity | Use What You Have
Home cooking is not restaurant cooking.
Everyday kitchens have leftovers.
Half a carrot.
A small piece of daikon.
Rice from yesterday.
Vegetable scraps.
Ingredients that need to be eaten soon.
And that is where ingenuity begins.
Japanese home cooking has developed countless ways of drying, pickling, simmering, preserving, transforming, and reusing ingredients.
This connects naturally with the Japanese expression mottainai (もったいない) — a feeling that something of value should not be wasted.
But ingenuity is not simply about avoiding waste.
It is creativity within limits.
What can I make from what I already have?
A good home cook does not always need more ingredients.
Sometimes, we need another way of looking at the ingredients we already have.
In your kitchen
Before shopping, look inside your refrigerator.
Choose one ingredient that needs to be used.
Make that your starting point.
Constraints can create creativity.
This is everyday ingenuity.
5. Appreciation | Cook and Eat with Gratitude
Before eating, many Japanese people say:
Itadakimasu (いただきます).
After eating:
Gochisosama (ごちそうさま).
They are simple expressions, but they point toward something fundamental.
A meal exists because many things came together.
Nature.
Ingredients.
Farmers.
Fishers.
Producers.
People who transported and sold the food.
And someone who prepared it.
Appreciation does not need to be formal.
It can appear in small actions.
Taking care when preparing an ingredient.
Serving food thoughtfully.
Trying not to waste it.
Thanking the person who cooked.
Cleaning the kitchen after the meal.
Taking a moment before eating.
The Japanese Kitchen Way asks us to remember that cooking is not only an act of making.
It is also an act of receiving.
In your kitchen
Before your next meal, pause for a moment.
Look at what is on the table.
Consider what made that meal possible.
Then eat.
Sometimes appreciation begins with nothing more than paying attention.
Five Principles, One Way
These five principles are closely connected.
Ingredients teach us to notice.
Seasons teach us to adapt.
Balance teaches us to harmonize.
Ingenuity teaches us to use what we have.
Appreciation teaches us to value it.
Together, they form the foundation of The Japanese Kitchen Way.
And importantly, they are not strict rules.
They are ways of thinking.
You can practice them while making miso soup.
You can practice them while preparing pasta.
You can practice them while making tea.
You can practice them while deciding what to do with yesterday’s leftovers.
You do not need to live in Japan.
You do not need a Japanese kitchen.
And you do not need to cook Japanese food every day.
The principles can begin wherever your kitchen is.
From 5 Core Principles to 100 Principles
These five ideas are the foundation for the 100 Principles of The Japanese Kitchen Way.
The 100 Principles will explore the small practices behind them:
How we choose ingredients.
How we make dashi.
How we sharpen a knife.
How we build a balanced meal.
How we use leftovers.
How we prepare tea.
How we clean.
How we notice the seasons.
How we serve others.
And how everyday kitchen habits can influence the way we live.
Because The Japanese Kitchen Way is ultimately about more than learning Japanese recipes.
It is about learning to notice more, waste less, create balance, and appreciate what we have.
The kitchen is where we practice these ideas every day.
And sometimes, what we learn there travels far beyond the kitchen.
Explore The Japanese Kitchen Way
What Is The Japanese Kitchen Way?
Start with the philosophy behind the five principles.
Why Japanese Food Feels So Light
Explore how dashi, ingredients, seasoning, and balance shape Japanese cooking.
What Is Ichiju Sansai?
Discover one of the traditional ideas behind a balanced Japanese meal.
100 Principles of The Japanese Kitchen Way
Explore the everyday practices behind the philosophy.
The Japanese Kitchen Way is a philosophy articulated by YUCa®, inspired by Japanese home cooking, food culture, and years of teaching Japanese cooking to people from around the world.
Enrich Life from Kitchen.
Japanese Home Meals : 24
Menu:
– Chilled Celery & Cilantro Soup
– Corn Rice
– Miso-Stir-Fried Summer Vegetables
– Cilantro, Cucumber & Corn Salad
– Fresh Cherries
Build This Meal: Instagram
What Is The Japanese Kitchen Way?
Timeless wisdom from the Japanese kitchen for cooking and living well.
Japanese cooking is often known for its beautiful presentation, seasonal ingredients, and delicate flavors.
But behind the food is something deeper.
It is not only what we cook.
It is how we approach cooking — how we choose ingredients, work with the seasons, create balance, use what we have, and appreciate the food in front of us.
This is what I call The Japanese Kitchen Way.
More Than Japanese Recipes
When people begin learning Japanese cooking, they often start with recipes.
How do you make miso soup?
How do you prepare dashi?
How much soy sauce should you use?
These are important questions.
But recipes alone do not explain why Japanese home cooking feels the way it does.
Why does a simple bowl of miso soup feel satisfying?
Why are seasonal ingredients so important?
Why are several small dishes often served instead of one large plate?
Why does Japanese cooking often use relatively simple seasoning?
The answers are found not only in recipes, but in the way Japanese people have approached the kitchen for generations.
The Japanese Kitchen Way explores the ideas behind those everyday choices.
The 5 Core Principles
The Japanese Kitchen Way is built around five core principles.
1. Ingredients — Let the Ingredients Lead
Japanese cooking often begins by asking:
How can we bring out the best in this ingredient?
Rather than covering ingredients with strong flavors, we try to understand their natural taste, texture, aroma, and character.
Good cooking does not always mean adding more.
Sometimes it means knowing when to stop.
2. Seasons — Cook with the Seasons
Seasonality is deeply connected to Japanese food culture.
We call ingredients at their best shun (旬).
But eating with the seasons is about more than choosing seasonal vegetables or fish.
Colors, tableware, cooking methods, tea, and even the feeling of a meal can change throughout the year.
The kitchen becomes a place where we notice nature changing around us.
3. Balance — Create Harmony
A Japanese meal is rarely about one dominant element.
Rice, soup, vegetables, protein, pickles, colors, textures, and flavors work together.
This can be seen in the traditional idea of ichiju sansai (一汁三菜) — one soup and three dishes — but balance does not require following a strict formula.
It is about creating harmony.
Not too much.
Not too little.
Enough.
4. Ingenuity — Use What You Have
Japanese home cooking has long been shaped by everyday ingenuity.
Leftover ingredients become another dish.
Vegetable scraps may become stock.
Seasonal foods are preserved.
Simple ingredients are prepared in different ways.
This way of thinking is closely connected to the Japanese idea of mottainai (もったいない)— recognizing value and avoiding unnecessary waste.
A good kitchen is not necessarily a kitchen with more.
It is a kitchen where we learn to use what we already have well.
5. Appreciation — Cook and Eat with Gratitude
Before eating in Japan, we say:
Itadakimasu. (いただきます)
After the meal:
Gochisosama. (ごちそうさま)
These familiar words remind us that food does not simply appear on the table.
Ingredients were grown.
Someone transported them.
Someone prepared them.
And life and nature made the meal possible.
Appreciation changes the way we cook, serve, eat, and care for our kitchen.
Why Japanese Food Can Feel So Light
One question I often hear is:
Why does Japanese food feel so light?
The answer is not simply that Japanese cooking uses less oil, smaller portions, or fewer calories.
Flavor is often built differently.
Dashi creates depth before heavy seasoning is added.
Seasonal ingredients are allowed to keep their character.
Different dishes create contrast and balance.
And seasoning often supports the ingredients rather than covering them.
This is a good example of The Japanese Kitchen Way.
Instead of asking:
“What can I add?”
we can sometimes ask:
“What does this ingredient already have?”
The Kitchen as a Daily Practice
The Japanese Kitchen Way is not limited to food.
The way we sharpen a knife.
The way we care for a cutting board.
The way we prepare tea.
The way we clean as we cook.
The way we use leftovers.
The way we notice the changing seasons.
These small actions may seem ordinary.
But repeated every day, they shape our relationship with food, our homes, and our lives.
The kitchen can be more than a place where meals are made.
It can be a place to practice care, balance, creativity, and appreciation.
100 Principles of The Japanese Kitchen Way
To explore these ideas more deeply, I am developing 100 Principles of The Japanese Kitchen Way.
They are not strict rules.
They are simple ideas gathered from Japanese home cooking, food culture, kitchen habits, seasonal living, tools, tea, and everyday wisdom.
Some will help you cook better.
Some will help you waste less.
Some may simply help you notice something you had never noticed before.
Together, they offer a different way to think about the kitchen.
Not as a place of perfection.
But as a place of practice.
Start in Your Own Kitchen
You do not need a Japanese kitchen to practice The Japanese Kitchen Way.
You do not need special ingredients.
And you do not need to cook Japanese food every day.
Start with something simple.
Notice the season.
Taste an ingredient before adding seasoning.
Use what you already have.
Take care of one kitchen tool.
Pause before your first sip of tea.
Appreciate the person who prepared your meal.
Small actions can change the way we experience everyday life.
The Japanese Kitchen Way begins in the kitchen — but it does not have to end there.
Explore The Japanese Kitchen Way
Continue with:
The 5 Core Principles of The Japanese Kitchen Way
Why Japanese Food Feels So Light
What Is Dashi?
Why Japanese Meals Feel So Balanced
100 Principles of The Japanese Kitchen Way
The Japanese Kitchen Way is a philosophy articulated by YUCa®, based on her experience with Japanese home cooking, food culture, and more than a decade of teaching Japanese cooking to guests from around the world.
Enrich Life from Kitchen.
What Japanese Families Eat During Autumn & Winter
Autumn and winter are wonderful seasons to experience Japanese home cooking.
As the weather becomes cooler in Japan, our everyday meals naturally begin to change.
Warm dishes return to the table, seasonal ingredients appear in supermarkets, and the aroma of dashi and miso soup feels even more comforting.
Japanese families often enjoy meals such as:
- warm miso soup
- simmered vegetables
- grilled fish
- seasonal mushrooms and root vegetables
- freshly cooked rice
- hot pot dishes
- ramen and gyoza
- seasonal fruits
Rather than relying on heavy flavors, Japanese home cooking often uses dashi, miso, soy sauce, and seasonal ingredients to create warmth and depth.
A simple bowl of soup or freshly cooked rice can feel especially comforting on a cold day.
Welcome, September 2026!
Konnichiwa! A new month has begun.
Here in Japan, September has arrived, although it still feels very much like summer. The days are still warm, but every now and then, I can sense a small change in the air.
The long summer holidays are now over, children are returning to school, and our everyday routines are beginning again.
Looking back, August was a wonderful month filled with family time, nature, summer food, and little moments to slow down and refresh.
Interestingly, when I looked through the photos I took over the summer, I noticed that so many of them were filled with green — trees, plants, vegetables, mountains, and scenes from nature.
Perhaps I was unconsciously looking for a little more nature in my everyday life.
From Summer to Autumn
September is an interesting month in Japan.
It is not quite autumn yet, but you can slowly begin to notice the transition.
The light changes.
The evenings come a little earlier.
And gradually, autumn ingredients begin appearing in supermarkets and local markets.
Mushrooms, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, eggplant, and autumn salmon are some of the ingredients I start looking forward to at this time of year.
This gradual change of seasons is something I really love about Japanese food culture.
We don’t suddenly switch from “summer food” to “autumn food.”
Instead, the table changes little by little along with nature.
Have Questions About Our Cooking Classes? Ask AI Anytime!
Planning to join a Japanese cooking class during your trip to Tokyo?
We’ve introduced a new AI-powered chat service to make it easier for you to find information about our cooking classes — anytime, from anywhere in the world.
Ask Before You Book
When planning an experience in another country, you may have lots of questions.
Which cooking class should I choose?
What will we cook?
Is the class suitable for beginners?
Can I join with children?
How long is the class?
Where is the cooking studio?
What should I expect on the day?
Now, you can simply ask our AI chat and get information about YUCa’s Japanese Cooking whenever you need it.
No need to worry about the time difference in Japan!
Recipe : Miso-Glazed Eggplant (Nasu no Miso-Yaki)
Soft, tender eggplant coated in a sweet and savory miso glaze—this simple dish is a comforting favorite in Japanese home cooking.
In Japan, eggplant is enjoyed in many ways throughout the summer and early autumn. Because its mild flavor absorbs seasonings so well, it pairs beautifully with rich, umami-packed miso. This recipe requires only a frying pan and a few everyday Japanese ingredients, making it an easy side dish for a weeknight meal.
What Is Miso-Glazed Eggplant?
Miso-glazed eggplant is known as nasu no miso-yaki (なすの味噌焼き) in Japanese. The eggplant is first pan-fried in sesame oil until tender, then coated with a glaze made from miso, mirin, sake, and sugar.
The result is a delicious balance of sweet, savory, and deeply satisfying flavors. It goes especially well with a bowl of freshly steamed rice and can be served as part of an ichiju-sansai meal—one soup and three dishes.
Ingredients
1 Eggplants (about 180–200 g / 6–7 oz total)
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
White sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Thinly sliced shiso leaves, for garnish (optional)
Shredded dried red chili (ito togarashi), for garnish (optional)
For the Miso Glaze
2 Tbsp Miso
1 Tbsp Mirin
1 Tbsp Sake
2 tsp Sugar
Instructions
In a small bowl, combine the miso, mirin, sake, and sugar. Mix until smooth, then set the glaze aside.
Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Make shallow diagonal cuts in the skin, taking care not to cut all the way through.
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Place the eggplant halves in the pan and cook both sides until lightly browned and beginning to soften.
Reduce the heat to low. Spread the miso glaze over the cut side of each eggplant.
Cover the pan and cook for another 2–3 minutes, until the eggplant is completely tender and the glaze is warmed through.
Transfer to a serving plate. Finish with white sesame seeds, sliced shiso, or shredded dried red chili, if desired. Serve warm.
YUCa’s Tips
Score the Skin
Shallow cuts help the eggplant cook evenly and make it easier to eat with chopsticks. They also allow it to absorb more of the flavor from the glaze.
Keep the Heat Low After Adding the Miso
Miso and sugar can burn quickly. Once you add the glaze, lower the heat and watch the pan carefully. The goal is to warm the glaze and gently cook the eggplant—not to let the miso scorch.
Adjust the Sweetness
The flavor of miso varies by type and brand. White miso creates a sweeter, milder glaze, while yellow or awase miso gives the dish a deeper savory flavor. Taste the glaze before using it and adjust the sugar if necessary.
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Tokyo Guide: Edo-Tokyo Museum — Discover the Story Behind Modern Tokyo
If you are visiting Tokyo and want to understand the city beyond its famous restaurants, shopping districts, and skyscrapers, the Edo-Tokyo Museum is a wonderful place to start. Tokyo is constantly changing, but underneath the modern city is the story of Edo — the name Tokyo was known by for more than 250 years.
At the Edo-Tokyo Museum, you can step into that history and discover how people lived, worked, traveled, celebrated, and built the culture that still influences life in Tokyo today.
Step Back in Time to Edo
One of the most fascinating things about the museum is its sense of scale.
Rather than simply looking at historical objects, you can experience recreations and detailed models that help bring old Tokyo to life.
The museum introduces the transformation of the city from Edo to modern-day Tokyo, showing how people’s homes, neighborhoods, transportation, entertainment, and everyday lifestyles changed over the centuries.
The miniature models are especially fascinating.
Look closely and you will find tiny people walking through streets, visiting shops, working, eating, and going about their daily lives.
It almost feels as though you are looking through a small window into another time.
Tokyo Food & Neighborhood Walking Tour
Beyond the Cooking Studio: A New Tokyo Food and Neighborhood Walking Tour
At YUCa’s Japanese Cooking, I welcome guests from around the world and introduce them to Japanese home cooking.
After class, I sometimes take interested guests to a local supermarket.
As we browse ingredients such as kombu, bonito flakes, miso, soy sauce, seasonings, and Japanese snacks, I answer questions such as:
“What is this used for?”
“How do Japanese people choose this ingredient?”
“What would you recommend as a souvenir?”
For those of us who live in Japan, a supermarket is part of everyday life. But for visitors from overseas, it can be a fascinating place filled with discoveries about Japanese food culture.
Japanese Home Meals : 23
Menu:
– Miso-Glazed Eggplant (Nasu Miso Dengaku)
– Miso Soup with Shiitake, Tofu & Malabar Spinach
– Multigrain Rice
– Cucumber Shio-Koji Pickles
– Green Beans with Sesame Dressing
Build This Meal: Instagram
