About
Welcome to Just One Cookbook!
I’m so happy you’re here. I’m Nami, and for the past 14 years, I’ve been passionately sharing authentic, foolproof Japanese home-cooked recipes with people around the world.
はじめまして！菜美です。
どうぞよろしくお願いします。
How Just One Cookbook Started
Just One Cookbook (JOC) was launched in 2011, over 14 years ago, as a way for me to share my authentic Japanese recipes with friends and preserve them for my children to enjoy someday. What began as a simple blog soon evolved into a trusted resource for home cooks worldwide who wanted to bring Japanese flavors into their kitchens.
Today, Just One Cookbook is the internet’s largest Japanese recipe site for classic and easy-to-follow recipes. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned cook, we will help you recreate delicious Japanese meals at home—with growing confidence and joy.
What You’ll Discover on JOC:
Here’s what you’ll find on Just One Cookbook to help you every step of the way:
- 1,200+ Japanese recipes
- Step-by-step photos and clear instructions
- Substitution options
- How-to guides and cooking tips to build your skills
- Pantry pages to demystify Japanese ingredients
- 500+ video tutorials on our YouTube channel
- Free weekly newsletters with recipes and tips
JOC in the Media
We’re also honored to be recognized for our expertise in Japanese home cooking:
Experience Japan Through Just One Cookbook
Beyond recipes, I love sharing insights into Japanese culture and traditions—so you can truly appreciate the meaning behind each dish you prepare.
JOC Japan Travel
My family and I document our travel adventures on JOC Japan Travel, our upcoming sister site. Alongside our team, we share insider tips and in-depth guides to help you explore Japan like a local. The user-friendly interface makes it easy to search for specific destinations and itineraries, including seasonal highlights like cherry blossom spots and holiday travel plans.
JOC Goods
In September 2024, we launched JOC Goods—an online shop dedicated to artisan-made Japanese tableware and kitchenware. I personally handpick each piece from small kilns and workshops across Japan, with the hope of helping you create a thoughtful, beautiful dining experience at home.
Now, you can serve your favorite homemade Japanese dishes in handcrafted tableware—setting the stage for meaningful meals and lasting memories around the table.
💛 How Dyslexia Shaped My Recipes
I’ve always loved helping others cook Japanese food at home. What you may not know is that my lifelong struggle with reading and learning has shaped how I write and share recipes.
Recently, I was diagnosed with dyslexia, a language disorder, and weak working memory. The diagnosis finally explained the challenges I’ve faced for years. Suddenly, everything made sense.
Since I started Just One Cookbook, I’ve created every recipe with step-by-step pictures, clear instructions, and a well-organized layout. Back then, I didn’t know I had dyslexia—I was simply doing what worked best for me.
Now, I’m grateful that my visual-forward recipes are helping all kinds of learners, including those with dyslexia—like me.
I hope they make cooking easier and more joyful for you, too.
👉🏼 I share more about my story here.
Helping the Community
Over the years, I’ve received heartfelt messages from readers sharing how my recipes helped them reconnect with their culture, relive cherished food memories, and even heal from illness. Cooking is more than just making meals—it’s a way to bring family and friends together, and I’m honored to be a part of that journey.
At Just One Cookbook, my goal is to make Japanese home cooking simple and accessible to everyone. Many people assume Japanese food is difficult to make, but I’m here to show you that it’s easier than you think! My team and I are here to help you. Feel free to reach out using the contact form or leave a comment on the blog post. We’ll get back to you within 48 business hours.
How to Best Support the Blog
- Rate and comment on the recipe you try. Your feedback helps me improve my recipes and gives other readers the confidence to try something new. Plus, fellow readers love reading your tips, tweaks, and creative variations—it’s all part of building a warm, supportive cooking community.
- Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected! It’s where we share the latest updates, behind-the-scenes stories, and special content—straight from our kitchen or home to yours. Our newsletter community has always been the heart of JOC, and we’d love for you to be part of it.
- Sign up for JOC PLUS! We offer an ad-free subscription membership for just $25 per year. It comes with additional perks, so be sure to check it out!
- Share the site with friends and follow us on social media. This means the world to us. Every little action helps keep JOC going strong—thank you!!
We generate most of our income through ads, which allows us to keep all our recipes and content free for everyone. We truly appreciate your understanding and continued support—yes, we know ads can be a bit distracting sometimes. If you’re curious, check our FAQs below for tips on minimizing them. Over the years, many kind JOC readers have asked how they can support what we do, and we are so grateful.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m new to your site. Where do I start?
- First, sign up for our free newsletter. It’s the easiest way to familiarize yourself with our website and learn more about what we offer.
- If you have time, start here to get to know more about Japanese food.
- Just getting started with Japanese cooking? Try these 5 Easy Japanese Recipes to Cook at Home.
- Ready to cook? Explore recipes in our Recipe Index.
Where to buy Japanese ingredients? Explore these fan-recommended resources:
Do you have a cookbook?
Do I need to buy all the Japanese ingredients?
Yes and no. You’ll need some basic ingredients to create authentic Japanese flavors, but you don’t have to buy everything at once. Start with the pantry essentials and gradually build your pantry as you cook more Japanese dishes.
How can I avoid ads?
We rely on ads for income to keep our recipes and content free for everyone. We truly appreciate your understanding and continued support!
- If you prefer to skip the ads while browsing, simply use the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of each post for a quicker experience.
- When you’re ready to cook, click the “Print” button to open the recipe in a clean, ad-free print view format that’s easy to follow in the kitchen.
- If you ever see an invasive or inappropriate ad, please email us with a screenshot. Occasionally, some ads may slip through that we haven’t approved, and we appreciate your help in keeping the site clean and enjoyable for everyone.
- For those who’d like an ad-free experience across the site, we offer a subscription option—JOC PLUS—for just $25 per year. It comes with additional perks, so be sure to check it out!
Meet Our Team
Just One Cookbook was started by Mr. JOC and me, and since 2016, we’ve been fortunate to have an incredible team working alongside us behind the scenes—helping us grow, create, and share with our amazing community.
Namiko Hirasawa Chen (Nami)
Born and raised in Yokohama, Japan, and now based in San Francisco, Nami has spent the past 14 years sharing foolproof Japanese recipes with a global audience. She is passionate about preserving culinary traditions and empowering home cooks with clear, step-by-step guidance. Inspired by her own experience with dyslexia and learning differences, she takes a visual-first approach that makes Japanese cooking more accessible to all types of learners.
Shen Chen (Mr. JOC)
Shen Chen, affectionately known as Mr. JOC, is the co-founder of Just One Cookbook and the behind-the-scenes force that keeps everything running smoothly. Beyond photographing and video-recording Nami as she creates her recipes, he proudly serves as her chief taste tester. Responsible for operations, he manages the business and technology behind the brand, allowing Nami to focus on developing and sharing authentic Japanese recipes. With a deep passion for food, culture, and travel, Mr. JOC has expanded Just One Cookbook beyond recipes—running JOC Goods, an artisan Japanese tableware shop, and curating JOC’s travel content, offering an insider’s guide to their family’s adventures in Japan and beyond.
Reese Lee, Marketing Manager
Reese has been part of the JOC family since 2016 and is Nami’s trusted sidekick. Originally from Penang, Malaysia—a tropical island known for its rich culture and history—she now calls Minnesota home, embracing its distinct seasons, including the famed winter. With a background in UNESCO Heritage projects in the performing arts, she brings a unique perspective to her work. She has also taught Modern Asian Cooking classes at local co-ops and community education programs. In her free time, Reese enjoys family time, dancing, podcasts, and reading about wellness and design.
Naomi Kodo, Community Manager & Recipe Developer
Growing up in the Shikoku region, Naomi experienced firsthand the integral connection of the sea to Japanese cooking. She would join her mother and grandmother to gather seaweed at the beach, and then help in the drying process until the seaweed was ready for the kitchen and into a variety of Japanese dishes. Her childhood of observing her family’s enjoyment of cooking from scratch gave her a strong affection for healthy cooking and traditional Japanese cuisine. She carried that experience and knowledge to her current home in the San Francisco Bay area, where she loves cooking, photography, travel, and dancing.
Janet Otsuki, Copy Editor
Born and raised in California, Janet grew up watching her mom prepare both traditional Japanese cuisine and the American classics with loving care. This sparked her appreciation for home cooking and delicious food. She attended university in the San Francisco Bay Area and later worked in corporate communications for several years. Now an empty nester, Janet resides with her husband and their senior dog in Southern California. She loves learning and writing about the intersection of history, culture, and food.
Jason Leung, Videographer and Editor
Jason is currently located in the Bay Area, where he enjoys the convenience of being within a 3-4 hour reach of almost any environment. He currently works as a freelance photographer and videographer, primarily focused on documenting non-profit stories in the Bay Area as well as filming and photographing food content for restaurants. Although he enjoys capturing a variety of subjects, Jason’s favorite subject to shoot is food, as it offers a unique opportunity to connect with others and tell compelling stories. Furthermore, he finds that there’s always a perk of being able to enjoy the food after a shoot! While he has a strong passion for food photography, Jason remains open to exploring other genres to expand his skillset and find inspiration from other photographers. Ultimately, his goal is to make a positive difference in people’s lives through his photography.
Andy Cheng, Travel Writer/Photographer
Andy is a freelance writer and chef, who grew up in the UK. His mother is Japanese and his father is from Hong Kong so was exposed to various cultures and cuisines. His father, who was once a chef, taught him how to cook from a young age, which ignited his passion for food. After graduating from the University of Nottingham in the UK, with a bachelor’s in Architecture, he moved to Tokyo to seek new adventures. It was there that he realized he didn’t want to be an architect but wanted to cook. This led him to train in various restaurants across Japan, from Roppongi, Tokyo to a Michelin Star restaurant in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Now, while cooking his own menu at various pop-up events, Andy also writes about Japanese food, culture, and lifestyle. If he’s not cooking or writing, he’s probably on a drive taking some photos, or eating at his local ramen shop.
Richard Weninger, Writer
Richard is a career writer with a passion for travel and great food. He trained as a chef at a young age, and after obtaining his Canadian Red Seal Chef papers, he went on to complete journalism and communications-media studies. After a sideline serving with the Canadian Coast Guard, Richard returned to his main passion: writing. He has since worked in over a dozen countries (and counting), calling both Mexico and Canada home base. Being part of the JOC team allows Richard to write about what he loves most—fabulous cuisine, beautiful places, and fascinating people.
Enzo Chen, Content Creator
Enzo is Nami and Mr. JOC’s son, an aspiring cook with a curious mind and a big passion for good food. He’s currently studying Molecular & Cell Biology at UC Berkeley, where he brings his love of science into the kitchen. Just like in the lab, he enjoys experimenting with ingredients thoughtfully and creatively.
Enzo is also the star of our College Cooking series on Just One Cookbook, sharing easy, budget-friendly one-pan and one-pot recipes made for college students and busy home cooks. Even with limited time, tools, or ingredients, he shows how anyone can cook satisfying meals. In his free time, he loves preparing Japanese dishes for his friends.