The Glorious Food of Japan and the Woman who Shares it so Beautifully
Visual Artist and Writer, Kaki Okumura Question & Answer
Bio
Kaki Okumura was born in Dallas, TX then was later raised in New York and Tokyo. Her dual-culture upbringing has both shown and challenged her values, and she uses words and illustrations to help others learn to live a better, healthier life.
Visual Artist and Writer, Kaki Okumura Q & A
Shauna Kelly: I was so happy to find your work because you are a visual artist and an expert on Japanese food, culture, and lifestyle! My favorite things!
Kaki Okumura: Haha, I’m hardly an expert. I’m just very curious.
SK: My impression is that the average Japanese person is a foodie (let’s define it as someone who really cares about what they are eating) more than the average American person. Why do you think that’s the case? Or why do you disagree?
KO: I think Japanese people are more particular about certain things, such as the quality of ingredients used, the cooking process, and presentation of food (just look at any bento box or meal served in a restaurant!) but everyone loves food. I think Americans just have a tendency to care about different things- such as size, being flashy and experimental, extremeness. I think parts of American culture are built on a certain exceptionalism because that’s what a lot of its history and success is built on, and so those values are reflected in food. But I think the relationship with food is changing, as we see more movements toward organic, environmentally friendly, and healthier ingredients in general.
SK: I use Japanese Cooking 101 for recipes. Can you recommend other sites?
KO: I personally love http://elydream.com/category/food/ and https://www.chopstickchronicles.com!
SK: You write about ichiju sansai (small plate meals). The intricacy of those meals are picture worthy. The colors and beauty demand our attention. Our palate loves the range of textures, flavors, and subtleties. Since Framed Performances is a site about performance and the arts, what do you think about Japanese cuisine from the angle of artistry in the aesthetic of Japanese food?
KO: Oh, Japanese food is definitely an art form, especially when you think about kaiseki cuisine (I think it’s a UNESCO cultural heritage) or wagashi nerikiri sweets. Even homemade style cooking, like bento boxes and teishoku meals are pretty beautifully plated. I think Japan’s relationship with food has a lot to do with Japan’s history in Buddhism and Shintoism, and values connected with nature. It’s an island nation, so it’s unsurprising that its culture has built a strong relationship with nature.
SK: What do you think about chefs’ ‘performance’ in restaurants with an open kitchen for instance?
KO: It’s fun! I love anything about a kitchen which helps the person served connect with the person making the food.
SK: The purpose of your blog is to teach “…how to lead a healthier and sustainable lifestyle based on Japanese values, habits, and culture!” I have thought long and hard about how to express what America can learn from Japan and you have done that. Thank you! Stylistically your art that accompanies your writing really helps exemplify some traits of Japanese culture like gentleness and tradition. Some of your blog posts are full of your art. What do you feel your drawings and watercolors add to the readers’ experience of your blog?
KO: The illustrations are important, and also the words. I think both are necessary. Although some people are great at it, I’m not a wordsmith and so it helps to have visuals which can translate my ideas. I draw a lot of inspiration from Ghibli films, and the way the art tells the story. Also HONY’s photo essays, and the way the text reinforces the photos (or the photos reinforce the text?). Either way, the stories come through a lot stronger because of both. I think about poetry too, like Shel Silverstein and his illustrations, and manga, and how the art adds power to the story. I guess I just like picture books.
SK: Of course, people who write about food often use photographs but you use your own artwork. It’s wonderful. Your drawings and watercolors leave more up to the imagination than a photograph does. Therefore, your art doesn’t alienate people who have never tried Japanese food and could not name a single food item in the picture. You prevent people from being intimidated by a photograph. Is that part of your impetus for using your artwork?
KO: Wow! I never thought about it like that. I mean, the thought behind the illustrations has always been hinting at the imagination, whereas photos tend to be very grounded in reality. I like being able to take someone away from reality a bit, and create a comforting space in the mind. I don’t think photos are particularly intimidating, but you need to be very skilled in photography for them to come off as poetic, and I just have an easier time drawing this sentiment than capturing it with a camera.
SK: By using your watercolors, you show the reader that you have not only carefully crafted your words, but you also care enough to compliment your written work with custom illustration. What kind of feedback have you gotten about your artwork in your blog?
KO: Oh, my readers are so wonderful and they share compliments 🙂 They’ve told me they find it calming, therapeutic. Their feedback has definitely made me want to get better and practice!
SK: How did you come to be a writer/visual artist?
KO: I’ve always been into writing and illustrating, as it’s like a form of therapy for me, but it was more scribbling in a journal and sketching in a notebook at first. But I came across Medium, saw and read other people’s work and felt inspired to do the same, and now I’m more proactive in sharing what I’ve learned/am learning and trying to help and inspire other people.
SK: You say, “My goal is to empower you with the strength that you can control your own well-being.” I really like that you’re explicit about how your blog is meant to serve people. There is a depth to your intentions. You do a really nice job of personalizing the experience on your site and making yourself accessible to readers. How did you come to be in the service of people in this way?
KO: I used to struggle a lot with my health (overweight, then underweight, then stress and pressure from thinking about my weight, etc.) but was lucky because I was in an environment that was less about dieting rules and extreme ways of eating, and focused on principles and environment. It’s healed me, and I relied on a lot of people, books, and wisdom from other people to get here. I guess it’s a form of passing it on? I see too many people struggling with their health, and the stress, anxiety, and havoc it can have on their happiness, but I want to give people hope that it doesn’t have to be this way. There’s so much bad healthy eating advice out there, and it took me a while to figure out and understand what a sustainable and healthy lifestyle should look and feel like. I guess my writing and illustrating is creating an online space of what I wish I had back then- creating a resource which if I had stumbled upon when I was at my low-lows, would’ve helped me and made me love food again, in a way that wasn’t stressful.
SK: People can commission you to do paintings for them. That must be an interesting change of pace. What is your experience of doing commissioned work compared to your usual work?
KO: Haha, commissions are just for fun! It’s helped me connect much more deeply with readers, and I really enjoy doing them. Yes, it’s just painting, but you end up sharing stories and learning more about others, and I think it’s made me more empathetic and introspective.
SK: Last year in Tokyo there was a photography exhibit (I didn’t get to it) that captured enjoying food together. What artists, films, documentaries, books can you recommend that celebrate Japanese food culture (or even just culture)?
KO: So many! I love Midnight Diner: Tokyo Series, which explores humanity in a very unique way, through izakaya restaurant culture. I also love Netflix food docuseries (Chef’s Table, Street Food Asia, anything with Anthony Bourdain). An interesting manga is Oishinbo by Tetsu Kariya. Some books that have been on my list to read include Rice as self by Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, and Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power and National Identity by Katarzyna Joanna Cwiertka.
More about Kaki:
Website: www.kakikata.space
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kakikata.space/?hl=en
Kaki Okumura on Medium
Originally published at https://www.framedperformances.com on July 7, 2020.
