My new cookbook, The Japanese Pantry, and where to celebrate with me

The Japanese Pantry is my seventh cookbook! It is officially out this October 28, 2025.

This is a book that I hope will inspire people to make the most of powerful pantry ingredients and feel confident in recreating Japanese flavours at home that are inherently simple and full of flavour.

After writing Gohan, one of the things I was asked most often about was the ingredients — what to buy, how to look for them, where to get them, possible substitutions, and whether you need many special ingredients to cook Japanese food.

My vision is for home cooks to see Japanese home cooking as approachable and as accessible as they do Italian food: something easy to whip up, family friendly, economical, nourishing and comforting. Some of the recipes I’m particularly excited about are the sesame “tofu” (just 3 ingredients and 10 minutes), the “refreshing” chicken in the vinegar chapter, the takikomigohan, the umeboshi chicken (4 ingredients!), and hoto noodle hot pot, which is the most comforting, warming dish and happens to be vegan.

It has been such an honour to be able to write another book about Japanese home cooking with Smith Street Books, with the support of Hannah Koelmeyer and her wonderful team, my team of recipe testers and the help of the talented Yuki Sugiura, who contributed to some of the photographs.

Book Tours

I have a book tour lined up for the UK in late October, including a cooking class at Divertimenti and book signings, so keep your eye on my workshops page for that.

It’s been nearly two years since the last time I was in Australia, but I’m here in August for a short time and will be doing a few events to give you a quick preview of my upcoming cookbook! Books will be for sale (nearly 3 months early)! So please do come and say hello.

SYDNEY

Saturday, August 16th, 6-9pm

Ok this one isn’t for the The Japanese Pantry but it’s the only cooking class I will be giving. It’s a Sydney Seafood School Masterclass and we will be cooking from my Venetian cookbook, Cinnamon & Salt! On the menu will be risotto con le seppie (Venice’s famous cuttlefish risotto), baked scallops with mushrooms and fennel gratin. Tickets are $200, you can book right here.

Sunday, August 17th, 11am-1pm

Join me in this intimate Food & Words event, where we go shopping for Japanese ingredients in Crows Nest, Sydney’s “Japan town.” We’ll visit a Japanese grocery store and I’ll talk about the ingredients that inspired the cookbook and also point out some particularly special ingredients to super-charge your dishes with, like barrel-aged soy sauce. You’ll learn how to shop for Japanese ingredients and what you can do with them. Plenty of time for questions as this is a really small, intimate group. We’ll finish with a bowl of Sydney’s best ramen on tatami mats, just like in Japan. Tickets available soon.

Optional signed copy of The Japanese Pantry can be included. 

Saturday August 23rd 2025

Breakfast or Morning Tea from The Japanese Pantry at The Pantry, Flour and Stone 53 Riley Street, Woolloomooloo. Choose from the following options:

1) Breakfast  (9.00am – 10.30am) of Kissaten fried eggs with toasted Shokupan, Cabbage and Soy and Ricotta & Sake Lees Cheesecake

2) Morning Tea (11am – 12.30am) of Hojicha Cream Sponge Roll or Matcha Maritozzi

Tickets here: $105, includes breakfast or morning tea, Q&A and a signed copy of The Japanese Pantry.

If you can’t make the morning sessions, you can also just pop in to Flour and Stone to collect a signed book on the day ($55) and visit for counter treats from The Japanese Pantry on the day. Until sold out: Hojicha Cream Sponge Roll, Walnut Miso cookies, Ricotta, Sake Lees Cheesecake, Matcha Maritozzi, Black Sesame Chiffon Cake

CANBERRA

Thursday, August 14

Book launch at Bison Home, Piallago. Taste some nibbles from the book, prepared by Emiko, sit in on an informal Q&A with Emiko and Brian from Bison — there will be some limited copies of The Japanese Pantry available too! More information coming soon.

Thursday, August 21

Book chat at Cook&Co, Kingston. Meet Emiko, who will be in conversation with Emma Bickley. Get a personalised, signed copy of The Japanese Pantry. Special packs including the book and Emiko’s favourite ingredients will be available to purchase too! Tickets $10, coming soon.

MELBOURNE

TBA!

Where to pre-order the book:

UK/EU: 30 Oct 2025 | GBP £30 | Amazon, Bookshop.org UK

AUS/NZ: 04 Nov 2025 | AUD $55| Amazon, Booktopia, Readings, YourBookstore

US/CAN: 28 Oct 2025 | USD $40, CAN $55 | Amazon, Bookshop.org US, Rizzoli

But please consider the best place to order and purchase books is from your local independent book seller — they can pre-order books for you too!

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