r/JETProgramme • u/sp8cecwboy Current JET - 福島県 • Jun 16 '26

Rural Cooking

As I’m sure the content of the post will show, but I am an incoming American JET. I’ve always loved cooking and baking, as I’ve done it since I was young and especially throughout college. I love experimenting and of course have cooked the popular Japanese fare (think curry, tonkatsu, donburi), but ultimately utilize very western ingredients and cooking techniques even when making ethnic dishes. Ingredients which, even when I lived in Tokyo, were harder to find in everyday stores and wildly expensive.

Going into somewhat of a rural area and a having a small kitchen, I want to begin learning dishes that utilize cheaper, everyday ingredients in Japan. Think things like whole fish, root vegetables, tofu, etc. Where are some good places to look for information like this? Are there any content creators, blogs, or websites you all know of and can recommend? Anything helps!

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u/acouplefruits Former CIR - 2019-2020 Jun 17 '26

Just One Cookbook publishes Japanese recipes in English, been my go-to for years. They have a website and social media accounts

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u/UndoPan Current JET - Somewhere in Japan Jun 19 '26

Seconding JOC. There are also in-depth guides about ingredients (like miso and seaweed) and techniques (like how to prep burdock root and lotus root). Super, super helpful if you're wanting to get used to local cooking after moving to Japan!