Just One Cookbook

Just One Cookbook
Just One Cookbook logo with ukiyo-e woman holding a book and chopsticks
Screenshot
Home page of Just One Cookbook with images of Japanese dishes and Namiko Hirasawa Chen, the creator of the food blog
Main page of Just One Cookbook on April 24, 2026
Website type
Food blog
Available inEnglish
Creators
  • Namiko Hirasawa Chen
  • Shen Wen Chen
Websitejustonecookbook.com
LaunchedJanuary 1, 2011; 15 years ago (2011-01-01)
Current statusActive

Just One Cookbook (JOC) is a Japanese recipe blog written in English and created by Namiko (Nami) Hirasawa Chen (Japanese: 平澤菜美子, Hirasawa Namiko).

Chen is a home cook who began the food blog in 2011 as a way to share recipes for simple Japanese dishes in English with friends and to preserve family recipes for her children.

Early life

Chen was born in Osaka, Japan and raised in Yokohama, Japan. She learned to cook from her mother.

She moved to the United States at age 20 to attend college. After graduating, she worked as a digital map specialist and met Shen Wen Chen, a colleague at her company. They eventually married and settled in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

Content

Chen develops, tests, and publishes traditional and modern Japanese recipes for home cooking. She chose the blog's name because she "wanted to transfer all [her] Japanese recipes to English and store it in just one cookbook, on the website."

The website also has information about Japanese pantry items and substitutions for hard-to-find Japanese ingredients. The recipes feature step-by-step photos for each recipe instruction in the preparation and cooking process.

In 2024, the blog launched JOC Goods, which sells artisanal tableware and kitchenware from Japan. The following year they launched JOC Japan Travel, which provides travel guides, sample itineraries, accommodation and dining recommendations, transportation advice, and information on local customs.

Reception

In 2022, Just One Cookbook had 5 million visits per month.

Books

Chen has published three books of recipe collections:

Recognition

References

  1. 1 2 3 Song, Kristie (January 11, 2024). "The Quiet Star Behind Just One Cookbook, the Internet's Favorite Japanese Recipe Blog". www.kqed.org. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  2. ↑ Ukai, Kei (March 30, 2021). "Strategies for delivering Japanese food recipes in English to reach the top 20 most viewed recipes in the US". www.asahi.com (in Japanese). Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  3. ↑ O-Donoghue, J.J. (July 1, 2017). "Blogger Namiko Chen satisfies an appetite for Japanese fare". www.japantimes.co.jp. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "How a Bay Area home cook's Japanese food blog gained 5 million readers". www.sfgate.com. November 11, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  5. ↑ Wartzman, Emma (October 16, 2024). "Now Open: A Shop Full of Hard-to-Find Kitchen Goods From Japan". The Strategist. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  6. ↑ "GlobeNewswire". October 6, 2025. Retrieved August 6, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ Chen, Namiko Hirasawa (December 1, 2013). Just One Cookbook Essential Japanese Recipes. United States: Independently published. ISBN 979-8636640608.
  8. ↑ Chen, Namiko Hirasawa (May 18, 2021). Just One Cookbook Essential Japanese Recipes. United States: Independently published (published May 1, 2021). ISBN 979-8706112172.
  9. ↑ Chen, Namiko Hirasawa (November 19, 2021). Just One Cookbook Essential Japanese Recipes Vol 3: Osechi Japanese New Year Recipes. United States: Independently published. ISBN 979-8763650051.
  10. ↑ "Meet the 2017 SAVEUR Blog Awards Finalists: 6 Food Video Series to Watch Right Now". www.saveur.com. August 17, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2026.