What's cooking with Yuichi Kimura

by Chris MaGee

Last week we ran an article about actor Susumu Terajima’s long-running advice column at Japanese film site Cinema Today and I joked that now all we needed was for Ren Osugi to start writing horoscopes. Now, don’t get worked up! Osugi hasn’t taken up astrology, but another Japanese character actor seems to have a second career, this time in the kitchen.

Many of you might not immediately twig when you hear the name Yuichi Kimura, but I’ll guarantee that you’ve seen him before. He’s appeared in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Hana”, Miwa Nishikawa’s “Sway” and Nobuhiro Yamashita’s “The Matsugane Potshot Affair” amongst others, but he’s also a talented chef and has authored four cookbooks, two of which are above.

In his 2004 cookbook “Kimura Ryouri Dou: The Nabe Kimu's Sutairu” or “Kimura Street Food: Nabe Kim’s Style” the actor shares his secret for making delicious hot pot dishes and in it’s follow up, 2005’s “Kimura Ryouri Dou 2: The Sara Kimu's Sutairu” he takes on light fare and side dishes from noodles to sandwiches.

So, I guess if Kimura’s career as an actor tanks he can always start up yet another Japanese cooking show. Itadakimasu!