24 high school students will participate in an 11-day workshop to take an in-depth look at multifaceted Japanese cuisine and culture.  Participants will examine the history of Japanese cuisine, ranging from traditional food to dishes for special occasions to various Japanese adaptations of cuisines from abroad.

Through demonstrations by professional chefs and participating in basic cooking sessions, participants will also learn about emphasis on seasonality of food (shun), quality of ingredients and presentation as well as dining etiquette/manners.  Participants will enhance their knowledge of various Japanese dishes by exploring Japanese restaurants in New York City and Mitsuwa Martketplace in New Jersey druing the workshop.

In the second week, particiants try their hands at making rolled sushi (maki-zushi), soba noodles, sukiyaki, tempura and Japanese sweets (wagashi) under the guidance of professional chefs.

Participants: High school students from the New York City area. Maximum number: 24 Tuition: $95 (includes cooking materials, breakfast and lunch) plus $15 for textbook
Tuition waiver:  a limited number of need based tuition waivers are available

1st week: August 4-8, 2008

8/4 (Mon) at Japan Society
Morning: by Japan Society Education staff and a course instructor

• Goals of the program
• Get-to-know activities on food/cooking facilitated by Education staff members
• Quizzes on Japan and Japanese food
• Each student is assigned to record activities of each day and take photos.

Lunch:  Rice balls from Oms/b rice ball sets with sides & miso soup.

Afternoon:
1. Noodles by Kazuko Minamoto, Deputy Director, Education, Japan Society; Noriyuki Kobayashi, Chef, Restaurant Megu

• Learn about kinds of noodles (Udon, Soba, Ramen, etc)

2. Rice (Kome): Japanese staple foods by Makoto Yamauchi, Director, Agriculture & Fisheries Department, JETRO NEW YORK (Japan External Trade Organization);Nobuyo Otagaki, Reverend, International Shinto Foundation

• Examine rice culture in Japan from historical, geographical, religious, psychological perspectives as well as production trends.

Students will be divided into 4-5 groups for group discussion and activities
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8/5 (Tue) at Japan Society
Morning:
Annnual Festivals/Rituals of Japan & Associated Foods and Drinks by Rev. Ohtagaki, International Shinto Foundation.

Examine festivals and the significance of food and drinks associated with the festivals.

• Examples: Osechi-ryori, toshikoshi-soba, amazake, kashiwa-mochi, tsukimi-dango, etc.
• Some of them will be delivered for taste-testing.

Group discssion and acitivies on celebratory cuisines students are familiar with.

Lunch:  Currey delivery from Curry-ya

Afternoon:
Types of Japanese Cuisine by Kazuko Minamoto, Japan Society

• Traditional-style Japanese food, similar to what already existed before 1868
• Historically imported/adopted food (eg: tempura from Portugal)
• “Westen-style” Japanese food that has been adapted to a degree that they are now considered Japanese and are an integral part of any Japanese family menu

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8/6 (Wed)
Morning: at Japan Society
Tea (Cha) & Japanese Pastry (Wagashi) by Stefen Ramirez, Tea Dealers
History, kinds of tea available in Japan, and tea ceremony

• How wagashi is different from western pastry

Early lunch: Bento box delivery by a restaurant (Sakagura or Sobaya)

Early lunch at 12:00
1:00 pm:  leave Japan Society for Urasenke Chaoyu Center via Subway

Afternoon: at Urasenke Chanoyu Center
2 pm    Tea Ceremony at Urasenke Chanoyu Center

• Participate in tea ceremony (26 p.p. including chaperons)

3:30 pm Class is dismissed at the tea center

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8/7 (Thur) at Japan Society
Morning:
Dining and drinking manners and etiquette by Kazuko Minamoto, Ariana Moir and Kanako Wada, Japan Society
Proper use of chopsticks and other etiquette: dos and don’ts.

Lunch at a Japanese restaurant

Afternoon:
1. Presentation by a restaurant owner chef (Tadashi Ono, Matsuri)
Possible topics:

• Mr. Ono’s path to become a chef
• Differences between western and Japanese cuisine cultures.

• Popularity and Trend:  Japanse Cuisine in America
• Opportunities and Challenges: Running Restaurant Business in New York

2. Students to work with Ariana  to create an invitation to the 8/16 reception.
Other students will engage in role plays for discussing restaurant business from multiple perspectives (owner, chef, customer, investor)
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8/8 (Fri)
Morning at Japan Society
By 9;45 am     Gather at Japan Society
10:00 am         Leave Japan Society to visit Uoriki, NJ
11 am – 12 pm  Visit to Uoriki to learn about super frozen tuna
12:30 – 1:30     Lunch at Mitsuwa
1:30 – 2:30       Scavenger hunt by groups.  Look for ingredients for rolled sushi, sukiyaki and tempura.
2:30                 Leave NJ, return to Japan Society by 3:30 pm contingent on traffic from NJ to Manhattan.
3:30 – 4:30     Group discussion on the ingredients, prep for the second week.

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Homework for the weekend:

• Distribute reception indivations to friends and families
• More reading assignment for students

2nd week:  August 11-15, 2008
8/11 (Mon) at Astor Center
Morning:
Cooking lesson: RICE BALLS (Onigiri/Omusubi) by Noriyuki Kobayashi, Megu
10 am:  Meet at Japan Society
10:15:  Leave Japan Society
10:45:  Arrive at Astor Center

11:00-12:30 pm   Cooking lesson
How to boil rice, how to make rice balls

1:00     Lunch:   Rice balls student made.

Afternoon:
Cooking lesson: ROLLED SUSHI(Maki-zushi) by Noriyuki Kobayashi, Megu
1:30 – 3:00       Cooking lesson
3:00-3:30         Discussion on what they learned today.
Students will bring rolled sushi home.
3:30 – 4:00       Cleaning up the kitchen
4:00                 Class is dismissed at Astor Center

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8/12 (Tues)
Morning: At Sobaya10 am
Cooking Lesson:  SOBA NOODLES by a soba chef of Sobaya

• Demonstation by chef
• Some students try touch dough and cutting into soba noodles.
• Prepare soup for soba noodles (cold soba and hot soba)

Lunch:    11 am – 12 pm:  Students will eat pre-ordered tempura soba noodles (hot or cold).
Afternoon:
12:30 – 1:30 Visit Korin Office for a talk led by Ms. Saori, Kawano, President of Korin
1:30 – 2:30   Visit Korin store to see their kitchen utencils
3:00 – 4:00    Visit a Japanese restaurant between lunch and dinner break and see their kitchen space and preparation near Korin
Or different activiteis.
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8/13 (Wed)
Morning: at Astor Center
10 am               Meet at Astor Center
Cooking lesson:  SUKIYAKI by Noriyuki Kobayashi, Megu

Goals: Understanding special ingredients and Japan’s Nabe culture.

Lunch               Sukiyaki student made

Afternoon:
1:30 pm            Move back to Japan Society or Stay at Astor Center
Discussion, activities, or a talk by a culinary professional (tentative)

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8/14 (Thurs)
Morning at Astor Center
10 am               Cooking course:   TEMPURA by Noriyuki Kobayashi, Megu
(Note: Studnets prepare ingredients only.  Chefs cook tempura in oil)

Lunch:              Tempura students and chefs made

Afternoon at Astor Center
1:30 pm
Preparing Power Point Presentation on Japanse foods and practicing rolled sushi at Astor Center

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8/15 (Fri)
Morning at Astor Center
10 am
Cooking lesson:  WAGASHI by a dessert chef at Cha-an or Mrs. Tomoko Yagi
Students try their hands at making simple wagashi or anmitsu.

12:00 – 1:00     Lunch at Ippudo (tentative)

Afternoon: at  Astor Center
1:30 – 4 pm

• Preparing Power Point Presentation
• Create a menu
• Setting up the reception area at Astor Center

Borrowing noren, other decorative items from Korin
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Saturday, Augsut 16, 2008
Reception at Astor Center
Families and friends are invited to a reception set up in a traditional Japanese style where Japanese dishes, tea and sweets are served including those prepared by chefs and students.

Morning:
10:00 am         Preparation, decoration and set-up for a reception

11:30 pm         Doors open to the public
Student Presentation on Japanese Cuisine (Power Point)

12:30 pm         Reception begins
Rolled sushi making demonstaton by Mr. Kobayashi, chef, Restraunt Megu
Rolled sushi making demonstration by a selected # of students
Audience participation in sushi making with students and chefs
Food and drinks will be served to guests by students
(Most of food will be delivered from a restaurant or catering service)

2:00 pm           Green tea and Japanese sweets (Wagashi) will be served to guests (tentative)

2:30 pm           Reception ends

3:30 pm           Clean-up ends and everyone leaves.