Lost in translation

The Telegraph

By Ami Eden · July 14, 2008

I've heard of niche publishing, but a kosher Japanese cookbook aimed at people who don't keep Shabbos?

Kinue Imai Weinstein, the author of Japanese Kosher Cooking – With Ingredients From Your Refrigerator - will talk how easy it is to cook Japanese food kosher at Kinokuniya Bookstore located at 1073 Avenue of the Americas (between 40th and 41st St.) New York, NY (Tel: 212-869-1700) at 3 pm on Saturday, July 19. She will also talk about Jews in Japan with slide presentation followed by a book signing session until 4 pm.

The first Jewish merchant arrived in Japan in 1861, two years after Japan opened the country. Despite Japan allied to Germany during WWII and many anti-Semitic works were translated into Japanese from German, the Japanese did not adopt the anti-Semitic attitude of the Nazis. Today, there are about 1,000 Jews living in Japan .

The cookbook, the first of its kind, was published in English by KTAV Publishing House last November. "Making Japanese food kosher is easier than you think. All you need is kosher soy sauce, which is readily available," says Kinue. Among the 107 kosher Japanese recipes, 46 of them can be easily modified for vegetarians.