Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen Paperback – December 26, 2006

Such a great book full of wonderful stories and recipes. My whole family is loving these dish’s.

This author speaks well of the importance of eating healthy yet practical and tasty. With much attention being given to Healthy eating these days, it would be good to venture into the area the Japaneese have gone, and for a number of years, in fact, they dont have the health problems that face many because there diet isnt loaded with fats, sugars, yet the foods are tasty. It has been noted also, they tend to live longer, so that says much for the authors love of her Moms cooking the Japaneese way, I highly recommend this book as we search for new ways of eating, the healthy way.

Let's start with the bad (beyond the gimmicky idiotic title). The author's tone is beyond smarmy. She congratulates herself and her countrywomen on almost every page - my favorite being her tale of being 40-something and going to the liquor store to buy alcohol and being asked for her identification to prove she was of age. Oh please. (And as another reviewer noted, the author does like to name drop a lot - where she and her husband have traveled; the upscale hotels they've stayed in, etc.) Ironically, the smarminess is quite un-Japanese or at least, quite untraditional. One of the first things I learned when I studied Japanese was that modesty in language is paramount and that one must always deflect a compliment. Perhaps we can attribute the smarmy tone of the book to Ms. Moriyama's American husband/co-writer. Either that or she has been in the U.S. too long.The other negative of this book is that a lot of it seems like a college term paper - statistics and historical anecdotes and what not that she lifted off Google and slapped together to meet the page limit.But there is actually an excellent book hidden here among the dross. And what that is is a good basic introduction to Japanese home cooking. Have you ever wanted to cook Japanese at home, but have been intimidated or befuddled by the ingredients? Then this book is for you. In down to earth language, the author explains the difference between the various kinds of tofu, what to look for in purchasing soba, how to buy bonito flakes for dashi, etc. Sure, there are millions of Japanese cookbooks, but this is Japanese cooking for idiots - and I say that as a compliment. (I find the more elaborate the cookbook, the more likely I am to stare at the pictures in stupefaction and the less likely I am to actually cook anything from the book).Some reviewers have complained that the ingredients in the recipes are too hard to find. However, I can't think of a single ingredient mentioned in the book that cannot be ordered over the Internet and the author includes an addendum of mail order sources (including a source for hard-to-find Japanese cookware).In sum, I wish this book was 2/3 shorter. The recipes, the explanation of the ingredients and perhaps a few charming childhood anecdotes. The rest I could have done without. Yet, I'll keep this book on my kitchen bookshelf and I think in a few months it will be well-splattered.

We have recently acquired this book and having made almost all the recipes, I love it! The author does a superb job describing the home life/food life of Japanese cooking rather than the American stylized version or the sushi bar. I have had a very easy time making all the recipes and I am a complete convert to the Japanese Country Breakfast. My 5 year old and my 1 year old eat the breakfast of egg, rice, broth and veggies. I think it depends on what they ate prior to trying these dishes. Certainly a child who has been used to more "typical" American breakfast of cold cereal and the like will find this vastly different. However, we have always controlled processed sugar intake and not infrequently had veggies for breakfast so this was not that much of a stretch. I definitely find with incorporating the recipes and principles into our diet that I am more satisfied with each meal and find myself searching for "something sweet" or "feeling munchy" less often. We live in Michigan so not ethnic center that New York is and I am still able to find an Asian grocery with most or all of the ingredients I am looking for. Do yourself a favor - get an asian rice cooker. It makes all the difference! I am off to find more Japanese home recipes!

The book is an easy read, I got through it in a couple hours. To begin with, I read that the author made the decision to cook Japanese style for herself and her husband. The recipes all serve 4. (Should I assume they had company at every meal?) As one who lives alone, this makes all the recipes very inconvenient. Secondly, AT LEAST 50% of the recipes contain tofu, which I do not like. I also cannot eat soba noodles or regular soy sauce, because I am allergic to wheat, which is an ingredient in both. It was not until I got to the last chapter, The Samurai Diet, and found “How to Eat Like a Warrior”, that I found the best advice in the book:SalmonFresh Vegetables, raw or lightly simmeredBrown RiceMiso Soup (in my case, only gluten-free would be allowed)(Tofu, which I hate) and Edamame (which I love)Fresh FruitGreen TeaChestnutsAs one who has studied nutrition for twelve years, this makes sense for me.

No matter how much your wife stares at a book, eyes it on her phone, pauses when she sees it during a bookstore visit - don't buy it for your wife. It's something akin to buying them a treadmill, I guess. They do not interpret the purchase as you were being thoughtful.

Seriously love this book. It's an inspiration and also is very informative. Have tried a few of the recipes and I love them! Also love how she goes from statistics, to her present life to her childhood memories. Very Japanese! Naomi Moriyama made a masterpiece with her passion of eating healthy Japanese food, while still making it friendly for those who are foreign to this lifestyle.