Learn Delicious Japanese

About Learn Delicious Japanese

Learn Japanese through authentic izakaya recipes and food culture with Nami (izakaya owner) and Namihei (cooking teacher cat). Our story-driven approach makes mastering Japanese as enjoyable as cooking delicious traditional dishes. 📚Check Out the Full Study Guide on Substack learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com (https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Learn Delicious Japanese

Category

education · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Sept 2025

Latest episode

25 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

48 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   25 Aug 2026

   #48 Learn Japanese Drama | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 4)

   This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com (https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7) #48 Learn Japanese Drama | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 4) The lanterns are coming down and Nami is exhausted in the best way — the okonomiyaki sold out. Then the greengrocer comes over with news: the shopping street wants her back next year. And something she never knew — なみちゃんの おとうさんも、むかし まつりで やたいを だしてたんだよ。とてもじょうずで、みんなに よろこばれてた。 This week you'll learn the vocabulary of community and legacy — しょうてんがい, そっくり, あとをつぐ, うけつぐ, あいじょう — plus warm grammar patterns like 〜てくれる (did it for me), 〜てもらいたい (I'd like you to ~), 〜させてください (please let me ~), and まるで〜みたい (just like ~). And there was a recipe. Her father called it「あいじょうの おこのみやき」, with a secret ingredient — and Namihei starts to answer before he catches himself: "ああ、それは..." The recipe is lost, but later that night a small voice offers something better: "あいじょうが、いちばん たいせつな ざいりょうだからね..." Also, the greengrocer casually calls the two of them まるで おやこみたい, and a certain cat has to explain very quickly that they are simply a pet and his owner. The premium study guide includes the full transcript (romaji + English), grammar explanations, vocabulary lists, comprehension exercises, a guide to the loving touches that elevate okonomiyaki, and cultural deep dives into しょうてんがい community life, what あとをつぐ really means, and the Japanese idea of かくしあじ — the hidden flavor you never announce. 🎊 And with this episode, the full 12-month course from Level 1 to Level 4 is complete. Thank you for cooking and studying with Nami and Namihei. 📚 Check Out the Full Study Guide on Substack https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com/ (https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com/)

2. 

   18 Aug 2026

   #47 Learn Japanese: Running a Yatai | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 3)

   This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com (https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7) #47 Learn Japanese: Running a Yatai | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 3) きょうは おまつり とうじつ！Nami closes the izakaya and does something she's never done before — sets up her own やたい. The street is packed, the ふんいき is electric, and then the first おきゃくさん walks up. "いらっしゃいませ〜！おこのみやき、いかがですか？" Suddenly all that practice matters. This week you'll learn the vocabulary of running a stall — うんえい, とうじつ, ふんいき, タイミング, ひっくりかえす — plus the four service phrases you'll hear in every shop in Japan: いらっしゃいませ, いかがですか, はい、どうぞ, and めしあがって ください. And Namihei can't help himself. As the batter hits the griddle, a small voice drifts up from beside her: "（こごえで）ひっくりかえす タイミングが たいせつだよ..." Nami turns. "え？" His recovery is faster this month — "なんでもない！がんばって！" — but a cat who knows exactly when to flip an okonomiyaki learned it somewhere. The premium study guide includes the full transcript (romaji + English), grammar explanations, vocabulary lists, comprehension exercises, a step-by-step guide to serving customers at a stall, and cultural deep dives into what each service phrase actually does, ふんいき as a Japanese value, and how cooks judge タイミング by sound, smell, and feel rather than by the clock. 📚 Check Out the Full Study Guide on Substack https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com/ (https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com/)

3. 

   11 Aug 2026

   #46 Learn Japanese: Ingredients & Batter | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 2)

   This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com (https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7) #46 Learn Japanese: Ingredients & Batter | Izakaya Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Week 2) The festival is next week, so Nami decides to practice: まつりの まえに、れんしゅうして おかなくちゃ！ The basics turn out to be simple — こむぎこ, キャベツ, たまご, みず, だしのもと — and then whatever you feel like adding. Which, as Namihei points out, is exactly where the name comes from: 「おこのみ」は「すきな ものを」っていう いみだからね。 This week you'll learn the vocabulary of ingredients and batter — ざいりょう, こむぎこ, だしのもと, きざむ, きじ — plus natural spoken patterns like 〜って (the thing called ~), 〜ておかなくちゃ (I have to ~ in advance), and 〜てみる (try doing ~). And Namihei knows a bit too much again. He explains the technique とくいげに — chop the cabbage fine, fold it into the きじ, get the てっぱん properly hot — until Nami stops him: "すごく くわしいのね。どこで おぼえたの？" This month's excuse: "え、えーっと...りょうり ばんぐみ？" The premium study guide includes the full transcript (romaji + English), grammar explanations, vocabulary lists, comprehension exercises, a step-by-step ingredient-selection and batter-making guide, and cultural deep dives into the meaning of 「おこのみ」, why だし is the ingredient that changes everything, and Japan's genuine debate over how finely to chop the cabbage. 📚 Check Out the Full Study Guide on Substack https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com/ (https://learndeliciousjapanese.substack.com/)

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