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.