Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

Cook Your Own Authentic Japanese Meals at Home

Japanese Cooking Studio

How wonderful it would be to make sushi, bento boxes, miso soup, and anything we enjoy in Japanese restaurants by ourselves. Chef, food coordinator, and founder of the Japanese Cooking Studio Mamie Nishide teaches us what we really need to know. In addition to private lessons, she also offers customized classes at the Natural Gourmet Institute (www.naturalgourmetschool.com), the Institute of Culinary Education (www.iceculinary.com), and Sur la Table in Long Island, where we can learn to make everything from sushi and izakaya-style dishes to handmade tofu and noodles.

One student reveals, “Simple but sophisticated taste is one of the features of Japanese food, and I wanted to replicate the flavor by myself very much. But it was hard to do that just by following the instructions in my cookbook. Then Mamie told me her tips, and that changed everything! She helps me with her great knowledge and techniques all the time. Now I can enjoy ‘real' Japanese food at home.” Chef Nishide not only passes on her recipes and demonstrates how to cook them but also introduces the cultural background, manners, and any story surrounding the cuisine, allowing her students to understand it at a deeper level and in a fun way. Also, the hands-on techniques that she teaches can be applied to Japanese food as well as our everyday, non-Japanese cooking.The fun part of any cooking class comes at the end: tasting. As a certified sake sommelier, Chef Nishide brings sake, or sometimes shochu and beer, pairing it with the dishes the students have just learned. It's the perfect finale to an enjoyable, educational, and delicious experience.

Besides offering classes, Chef Nishide runs a catering business for events ranging from a family party to a wedding banquet.

Chef Nishide has just launched a sweets brand, Gotta Eat Sweets (www.gottaeatsweets.com), introducing “Truffipops,” a sublime fusion of truffle and brownie. It’s a pyramid-shaped, bitesized sweet that has a texture in between that of a brownie and a truffle.

Physical and Mental Strength Through Discipline

Kaizen Karate Dojo

Under the philosophy “Perseverance through constant and never-ending improvement,” Kaizen Karate Dojo provides various martial arts and fitness classes for both adults and kids. The karate style was established by the founder and “sensei” Mike Mullero, who has trained in several different Japanese karate styles, Korean tae kwon do, and Brazilian jiu jitsu and has more than 20 years of teaching experience. He founded the dojo four and a half years ago in Spanish Harlem, and it quickly expanded to include over 100 kids and 50 adults.

Every single experience and training that Sensei Mullero has ever had is reflected in the Kaizen karate style. For example, in an adult mixed martial arts class, he teaches karate, jiu jitsu, kick-boxing, and other elements of martial arts. From warming up to practicing the “kata” techniques of trapping, joint-locking, and holding, all students are focused on refining themselves.

Sensei Mullero emphasizes the importance of not only physical strength but also of mental strength. In his dojo, he teaches courtesy and respect, and the classes are geared toward building self-esteem. Sensei Mullero explains, “If a person says ‘I can't,' but he knows he must, he will. If I can't, and I know I must, I will. Finishing homework for kids, for example––if I can't, and I know I must, I will. Doing 50 push-ups for adults. It's really attacking the mind, but it's a great foundation because it allows people to really understand who they are.” Through the training at Kaizen, students of all ages can learn the spirit of martial arts, understand who they are, and constantly improve. Fee: $150 per month with full access to any class offered.

CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE VIA DIGITAL MEDIA CREATION

Keio Academy of New York

Young hearts and minds absorb everything they see and experience just like sponges––that's why it's important that they have exciting, challenging ways to learn new things and meet new people. This summer from July 25 to August 8, Keio Academy of New York provides the perfect opportunity for eager young students from Japan and the United States to learn the techniques of video production as a method of self expression.

During the English-Japanese Bilingual Summer Program 2009, 80 participants (approximately 40 native English speakers and 40 native Japanese speakers) will stay together in a dormitory and have cross-cultural experiences while learning hands-on techniques in digital media creation. This video-production workshop will be taught by professional filmmakers in the industry, and there will also be lectures from top creators. This year's speakers will include Yuji Nunokawa, producer of the Naruto and Bleach series; Michael Arias, producer of The Animatrix and director of Tekkon Kinkreet; Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S.; and Shoji Kawamori, animation director and mechanical designer responsible for Ultra Space-Time Fortress, Macross and the Transformers series.

This unique bilingual program is in its second year. A participant from last year gave the program rave reviews, saying, “It's a totally unforgettable two weeks of my life, and I have really learned a lot about filmmaking. I had more fun than I expected before I joined the program, and I made a lot of Japanese and American friends.” The intense two weeks will be absolutely rewarding for the participants and provide a memory that will never fade.

Applicants must be 13–15 years old (12-year-olds may be considered on a case-by-case basis). Program Fee: $2,500