Chef and Recipe creator YUCa will guide you through the art of Easy, Simple and Delicious Japanese food to you!
The Best Cooking class in Japan by international travelers 2018 – 2023 by TripAdvisor!
YJC offers 7courses. All classes focuses on Japanese home cooking. Each class takes 3 hours and hands-on class. Please push button to know more detail.
YJC introduces "Easy, Healthy and Delicious" Japanese home cooking recipes for both video and text. Please watch and try them out!
The best cooking class in Japan 2019 & 2018 by TripAdvisor. Certificate of Excellence, which was awarded to only the top 10% of service providers.
Azabudai Hills(麻布台ヒルズ) is a large-scale urban complex located in Azabudai, Minato City, Tokyo. It officially opened on November 24, 2023 and its concept, “Modern Urban Village,” blends urban functionality with lush greenery, creating a harmonious environment in the heart of the city.
Here are the 7 places you should check there!
1. Arabica coffee
This coffee brand was founded by a Japanese entrepreneur from Kyoto, who was raised by parents active in the Esperanto movement, along with a father who ran a trading company, traveling the world while growing up. The brand aims for global expansion.
2. Saboe
This tea organization dedicates to contributing to the development of tea, creating and preserving modern tea-drinking practices in the present day.
Dorayaki (どらやき) is a traditional Japanese confection consisting of two fluffy, pancake-like cakes filled with sweet red bean paste (anko). The cakes are typically made from a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, and honey, giving them a soft, slightly spongy texture.
The red bean paste is often made from adzuki beans, which are cooked with sugar to create a smooth, sweet filling.
Dorayaki is widely loved in Japan and is often associated with the popular Japanese cartoon character, Doraemon, who is famously depicted enjoying dorayaki. It is commonly eaten as a snack or dessert and can be found in many bakeries and supermarkets throughout Japan.
The name “dorayaki” comes from “dora,” which means “gong” in Japanese, as the shape of the cake is said to resemble a gong. The treat has a long history and is believed to have originated in the Edo period (1603-1868).
Today, dorayaki continues to be a beloved snack in Japan and has gained popularity internationally as well.
Recipe :
– Dorayaki
In October 2024, we established a new company, Nagomi Inc. (和株式会社). The name “和” (Nagomi) not only refers to Japanese style or ways of doing things, but also symbolizes harmony and reconciliation.
Through this new company, we will continue to focus on Japanese culinary education, particularly through cooking classes centered on washoku (和食, Japanese cuisine). In addition, we will promote the charm of Japan’s local regions through YUCa’s Tea, which connects tea and travel, and introduce Japanese lifestyle through our retail business, YUCa’s Choice.
By combining these efforts, we aim to spread the beauty of Japan, its food culture, and lifestyle both domestically and internationally, while creating a world of “Nagomi”(和).
We sincerely ask for your continued support and encouragement as we move forward with this new venture!
2024年10月、新しく株式会社を設立しました。会社の名前は、和株式会社（Nagomi Inc.）です。「和」は、日本式や日本流という意味のほか、調和や融和などを表します。新会社では、これまで通り料理教室を通じた和食の教育事業を中心に、お茶と旅を通じて日本の地方の魅力を紹介するYUCa’s Tea、日本のライフスタイルを紹介するYUCa’s Choiceでの物販事業、これらを融合しながら日本の魅力や食文化を国内外に広め、世界に「和」を創り上げていきます。
今後ともご支援と応援をどうぞよろしくお願いします。
Company Name: Nagomi Inc. 和（なごみ）株式会社
Date of establishment: Oct 2024
Board members: YUCa (CEO), Masashi Togami (CMO)
Web: https://yjc.tokyo/nagomi
In the spring of 2024, during the cherry blossom season, a new tea room called “居雨/KYO” opened in Kyoto, a collaboration between the Tokyo-based craft gallery “AMAHARE” and the Fukuoka-based tea and sake house “Yorozu.”
Sabo KYO is located inside a traditional Kyoto machiya (townhouse) at the craft gallery “KYO AMAHARE.” After passing through the gallery entrance, you’ll find this tea room tucked away inside a former storehouse.
At the heart of the space, a large table with a wind furnace and walls made by a Japanese paper artist creates an atmosphere of stillness, with droplets of water gently falling from above, filling the room with an aura of “darkness” and “quiet.”
Castella is a traditional Japanese sponge cake with origins in a Portuguese recipe. It was introduced to Japan in the 16th century by Portuguese missionaries and was adapted by the Japanese over time into its current form.
The ingredients are simple—primarily flour, sugar, eggs, and honey—yet the cake is characterized by its fluffy texture and moist sweetness.
Typically, it is baked in a rectangular mold, with a slightly firm crust on the outside and a moist, golden-yellow interior. Today, various regional versions exist across Japan, with Nagasaki being especially known as a prominent region for Castella production.
Nakamura Tokichi (中村藤吉) is a long-established Japanese tea specialty store, founded in 1854. It is especially renowned for its production of matcha, with its matcha made from carefully selected tea leaves from regions like Uji in Kyoto.
The matcha is known for its rich flavor and deep green color. Nakamura Tokichi Café offers a modern twist on traditional matcha culture, making it popular not only with matcha lovers but also with those who enjoy café culture.
Some of the signature matcha desserts include matcha parfaits, matcha ice cream, matcha cheesecake, and matcha Mont Blancs. These desserts are characterized by a rich matcha flavor, with not only matcha powder but also matcha syrups and sauces that are carefully crafted.
The café also offers a wide variety of matcha drinks, such as matcha lattes, iced matcha drinks, and even original matcha-based beverages. The perfect balance of matcha’s bitterness and the sweetness of milk makes these drinks irresistible to matcha fans.
Nakamura Tokichi Café has several locations, mainly in Kyoto, including spots near major tourist destinations like Kyoto Station and the Arashiyama area. The atmosphere of the cafes is designed to offer a quiet and relaxing space where both tourists and locals can enjoy matcha.
There is also a café at GINZA SIX in Tokyo, where I went with my family.
We tried the matcha soba, which was topped with a variety of ingredients, including sweet tea (the base of matcha), sweetly seasoned fried tofu, grated yam, perilla leaves, and Kyoto-style pickled vegetables. The dish was not only rich in umami but also enjoyable for its delightful texture. The set menu included matcha jelly topped with shiratama (sweet rice dumplings), allowing me to indulge in matcha to the fullest.
Additionally, we tried the matcha parfait, which is exclusive to the Ginza location. This parfait was a fun and exciting experience, with layers of white rice dumplings, matcha ice cream, matcha-flavored sponge cake and mousse, rice puffs, and sweet red bean paste. It was packed with so many different elements, and every bite felt like a new surprise.
If you’re shopping at GINZA SIX, why not take a break and enjoy a relaxing tea time at the café? It’s the perfect way to unwind.
Sara Udon (皿うどん) is a specialty dish from Nagasaki, Japan, featuring either crispy fried noodles or thick steamed noodles topped with a rich sauce full of various ingredients. There are two main types: one with thin, crispy noodles and another with thick, chewy noodles.
The dish includes ingredients such as pork, shrimp, squid, cabbage, bean sprouts, and wood ear mushrooms, combining the flavors of vegetables and seafood. The sauce, made with chicken broth, soy sauce, and oyster sauce, is thick and flavorful, bringing out a rich, savory taste.
The thin noodle version has a crispy texture, and when topped with the hot sauce, the noodles retain a delightful crunch that contrasts perfectly with the thick sauce. The thick noodle version, on the other hand, uses steamed noodles, giving it a soft, chewy texture and a heartier feel.
Sara Udon is enjoyed in Nagasaki’s Chinatown, as well as in Chinese restaurants and households across Japan. With its diverse textures and flavors, this dish is widely loved.
November has arrived! Typically, this would be the time when people wear jackets even during the day, but although it’s cold in the mornings and evenings, the days have remained warm enough to get by with just long sleeves. How’s the weather in your area?
Looking back a bit, October was unusually eventful. In the first half of the month, I got sick for the first time in a while, which left me with a husky voice. Later in the month, my daughter and I both celebrated our birthdays, so we enjoyed quite a bit of cake! A few days afterward, we took part in a Halloween parade organized by my son’s elementary school and the Arakawa Ward.
And last but not least, I had a major change in my life—I’ve become the CEO! Over the past few years, I had been carefully considering the timing to incorporate my business as the cooking class industry has gradually recovered post-COVID.
I plan to post more about the new company at a later date.
Let’s all stay healthy and enjoy November!
YUCa
Do you know a Japanese famous artist, Katsushika Hokusai? Even if you do not know his name, you may have seen this ”The Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa”, one of his masterpieces.
This is one of his representative works and is particularly famous among ukiyo-e (浮世絵). The piece depicts the fierce waves swallowing boats, characterized by its powerful movement and vibrant colors. Hokusai boldly expresses the power of nature, highlighting the smallness of humanity.
Recently, it was decided that “The Great Wave” will be featured on the reverse side of the new 1,000 yen banknote in Japan. This reflects the recognition of Hokusai’s work as a symbol of Japanese culture worldwide. This choice signifies the universal appeal of Hokusai’s art and its importance in conveying the tradition of Japanese fine arts to future generations.
The influence of “The Great Wave” extends beyond just being an art piece; it can also be seen in contemporary design, fashion, and advertising. In this way, Hokusai’s works continue to inspire people across time.
Since this LEGO product were recently released, we decided to display it inside the YJC classroom. Furthermore, we are happy to add a Japanese-style interior
The hand towels for my cooking class are finally ready. Until now, we had been using store-bought towels, but I wanted something with a unified look, so I decided to create my own this time. The colors are pink, brown, yellow, and blue. Each towel has a ‘YUCa’s Japanese Cooking’ logo in the corner. They turned out really cute, and I’m very satisfied with them. Please feel free to pick your favorite color when you visit the class. What color do you like?
