jinsei no kiseki
ジンセイノキセキ
Journey
JAPANESE CULINARY CULTURE EXPERTISE – ABOUT – MY JOURNEY
One sentence from my father set everything in motion.
His passion for Japanese aesthetics — zen gardens, traditional architecture — a wellspring of inspiration for his career as an architect, led him to ask me a seemingly offhand question about my studies: “Why not Japanese?” In an instant, the inspiration passed to a new generation: I took up the challenge of carrying that legacy forward. Decades later, that inheritance still holds true.
Japan Must Be Earned
Years of studying the Japanese language and culture at university in Paris did nothing to prepare me for the culture shock of my first study stay in Kanazawa. With no familiar bearings, I found myself facing a vast unknown. Everything was upended. A whole new kind of learning began — starting with the essentials: what do I eat? A trip to the local konbini (convenience store) only added to the confusion. How was I supposed to decipher all that packaging?
Guided only by insatiable curiosity, I dove into a world I had barely grasped from university textbooks, confronting a subtlety as bewildering as it was fascinating. Little by little, the people I met helped me find my footing in this environment that had once felt entirely foreign.
I wouldn’t realize it until much later: it was during this first stay that I experienced, for the very first time, Omotenashi — that quiet hospitality, given without expectation of anything in return, woven into every detail.
Professional Japan
I returned to Japan for my first professional experiences — first in Nara (between Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe), then in Nagoya. I became a bridge between Japan and Europe, a kind of guide for professionals on both sides.
Much like the philosophy behind traditional Japanese architecture, where rooms are arranged in a progression from public to intimate spaces, I was gradually invited to move beyond the storefront I had once only observed from outside, and step into the back room — where everything actually happens — without ever crossing into the spaces reserved strictly for family.
Family Japan
An unexpected encounter rooted me permanently in Japanese life. Once married, I gained access to the most intimate layer of Japanese life: the experience of being a “yome” — a daughter-in-law.
My husband’s family’s cooking then opened itself to my curiosity, which never stopped seeking out every dish, every flavor, every technique.
Countless discoveries and lessons that few Westerners ever have the chance to experience. A family transmission that opened the world of Japan to me even further.
A Franco-Japanese mother of two daughters raised between both cultures: Hannah (whose kanji means “flower”) and Maya (whose kanji means “mystery,” “rare”). With them, that intergenerational transmission continues.
Our family carries within it all the culinary cultures that shaped us. Japanese home cooking is part of our everyday life, wherever we happen to be.
In 2023, in Paris, the idea was born to pass on the richness of this culture through a unique experience — the result of my singular life journey:
Now it’s my turn to pass on to you the experience of an authentic Japan —
through flavors, tastes, images, and exchange.
Whether with your family, friends, or fellow food lovers, you’ll be welcomed
the way one is in Japan — following the principles of Omotenashi.
Travel without leaving Paris, and without adding to your carbon footprint.
