Moving to Berlin, my first real wave of despair hit when I realized one thing: the concept of “thinly sliced meat” simply does not exist in this city. Not even by a millimeter. Coco here! Back in Japan, you can toss trays of razor-thin sliced meat into your basket...
When people hear “spring rolls,” most immediately picture the golden, crispy Chinese classic. But the simple act of wrapping ingredients in a thin sheet and frying them is actually a universal food culture loved all over the world. There are the delicate fried rice paper rolls from Vietnam, or spiced...
Living in Berlin, the single biggest culture shock—and ongoing stress—is the fact that trains just... don’t show up. Growing up in Japan, my brain still hasn’t fully processed this level of transit guesswork. Back home, trains arriving on time isn’t a miracle; it’s just...
From instant ramen to the Walkman that let us take music anywhere, all the way to the “Emoji” we rely on for everyday digital chats—Japan has always surprised the world by taking limited resources and elevating them through sheer craft and processing. It’s a country of inventive minds...
These days, you can’t walk past a cafe window in Berlin without seeing someone chatting over a vibrant green latte. “Matcha” has officially taken over the world. But what actually is matcha? And what is Sado (茶道)—the Japanese tea ceremony—that lies behind it? Today, I wanted to...
Hi everyone, Coco here. This week, we are headed straight into the heart of the casual Japanese food scene: the Izakaya (居酒屋). If you’ve never been, an izakaya is essentially Japan’s answer to a cozy neighborhood pub—a warm, completely unpretentious space where people gather after work or...
Last week, we explored the tiny universe of traditional Japanese potato salad. I hope you all enjoyed it! If you haven’t tried making it with German potatoes yet, please give it a go—the silky, elegant texture is something you truly have to experience in your own kitchen. This...
Hi everyone, Coco here. There’s a concept in Japanese home cooking called Ichiju-Sansai (一汁三菜), which literally means "one soup, three dishes." It’s the traditional layout of a meal: a bowl of rice and hot miso soup, paired with one main protein and two small vegetable...
The Story by Coco & The Recipe & Kitchen Notes by Kiki Hi, I’m Coco. If you’re reading this, you probably already love Japanese food. Sushi, ramen, tempura—Japan has so many incredible dishes that the world has come to love. But now that you’ve found us...
I need to make a small confession: when it comes to rice, I am incredibly particular. I was born and raised in Niigata—a region in Japan universally celebrated as the ultimate "rice country." Growing up surrounded by endless, golden paddy fields and eating some of the most...
The Story by Coco The Recipe & Kitchen Notes by Kiki On a crisp Winter night in Berlin last year, I was heading to a year-end Bonenkai (potluck party) with my local crew. Kiki was on dessert duty, and she had promised a "rich, decadent chocolate cake."...
The Story by Coco The Recipe & Kitchen Notes by Kiki (With support from each other, always) I have to tell you, Kiki is low-key hilarious. Whenever she creates a flawless new recipe, she sneaks up to me with this massive, unstoppable grin and proudly declares, "I just...
The Story by Coco The Recipe & Kitchen Notes by Kiki (With support from each other, always) Last summer, we were having a casual, slightly chaotic get-together at our place. Kiki walked in, opened her bag, and pulled out bundles of dry noodles alongside a single glass jar filled...
By Kiki (With moral support and editing from Coco) When you think of Japanese food, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Sushi? Tempura? A steaming bowl of ramen? Let’s be honest for a second. That is not the food most of us are actually making...
We are KIKI, a Berlin-based creative unit dedicated to unlocking the hidden potential of Japanese food culture. We don’t just "cook" Japanese food. We provide full-service creative solutions, from high-level branding and strategy to visual production, bridging the gap between Japan and Europe through...
Moving to Berlin, my first real wave of despair hit when I realized one thing: the concept of “thinly sliced meat” simply does not exist in this city. Not even by a millimeter. Coco here! Back in Japan, you can toss trays of razor-thin sliced meat into your basket...
When people hear “spring rolls,” most immediately picture the golden, crispy Chinese classic. But the simple act of wrapping ingredients in a thin sheet and frying them is actually a universal food culture loved all over the world. There are the delicate fried rice paper rolls from Vietnam, or spiced...
Living in Berlin, the single biggest culture shock—and ongoing stress—is the fact that trains just... don’t show up. Growing up in Japan, my brain still hasn’t fully processed this level of transit guesswork. Back home, trains arriving on time isn’t a miracle; it’s just...
From instant ramen to the Walkman that let us take music anywhere, all the way to the “Emoji” we rely on for everyday digital chats—Japan has always surprised the world by taking limited resources and elevating them through sheer craft and processing. It’s a country of inventive minds...
These days, you can’t walk past a cafe window in Berlin without seeing someone chatting over a vibrant green latte. “Matcha” has officially taken over the world. But what actually is matcha? And what is Sado (茶道)—the Japanese tea ceremony—that lies behind it? Today, I wanted to...
Hi everyone, Coco here. This week, we are headed straight into the heart of the casual Japanese food scene: the Izakaya (居酒屋). If you’ve never been, an izakaya is essentially Japan’s answer to a cozy neighborhood pub—a warm, completely unpretentious space where people gather after work or...
