Shalom Japan

Today I’m chatting with Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi, the owners of Shalom Japan –– a Japanese-Jewish fusion restaurant in Brooklyn.

Truth be told, I’ve been waiting for this conversation for a long time because it's thanks to Shalom Japan that I got this idea of Yiddishland and the fact that Jewish cuisine is evolving on its own terms for, it seems, the first time in history. I was lucky enough to visit back in May of 2021 to slurp up my own bowl of matzo ball ramen and that’s when it all just clicked.

But enough of my memories. Let’s get to Aaron and Sawako! I started our chat by asking Aaron about some of his earliest Jewish food memories.