Japan’s Top Culinary Arts Programs: Learn from the Real Iron Chefs
Don’t take the opportunity to go to chef school in Japan lightly. In fact, world-renowned chefs make Japan a culinary Mecca, a destination for gastronomic inspiration and sensory experience. Native Japanese cuisine is distinct in its true environment. The ingredients are unmatched and the attention to detail uncommon elsewhere. The cuisine continues to inspire cooks of all kinds to new methods, new flavors, new combinations, and new presentation.
With that said, you don’t go to culinary school in Japan without relishing the food, and trying to get close to the country’s master chefs.
Pop Culture Iron Chefs
One of the most compelling and entertaining pop culture television shows, Iron Chef, came from Japan. This 1990s reality TV cooking competition introduced the world to a team of renowned Japanese chefs and some of the most dramatic kitchen “battles” and food elements. Famous Iron Chefs:
- Masaharu Morimoto
- Chen Kenichi
- Hiroyuki Sakai
Sampling Japan’s Food for Culinary Inspiration
The food and types of restaurants are so distinct from anything in Western culture and promise unending culinary inspiration if Japanese cuisine is in your cooking future. Even the yatai—or street vendors—dish up inexpensive eats, including ramen, which is nothing like the freeze-dried version available for pennies in American grocery stores.
If you’re bold enough to venture a chef school in Japan then drink up everything and put it to good academic use.
Popular Cooking Schools in Japan
Le Cordon Bleu Tokyo-- Located in the Daikanyama district, this Le Cordon Bleu campus continues its tradition of training chefs in classic and regional French and haute cuisines. The school is located in an upscale district with a smattering of French restaurants and bistros. Programs offered include: Diplomas in Cuisine, Bakery or Patisserie; and Certificates in Basic Boulangerie, Basic Cuisine, Initiation Cuisine, Basic Patisserie, Intermediate Patisserie, Superior Patisserie, Superior Cuisine, Advanced Boulangerie, or Intermediate Cuisine. You may also choose from a few dozen different short courses, including patisserie ecriture, patisserie pochage, and patisserie foncage. Study in Japanese or in French language classes.
Le Cordon Bleu Kobe -- This cosmopolitan port city is the second campus location in Japan. Ironically Kobe is also where famous Kobe beef comes from. Beef is a chief ingredient here. At Le Cordon Bleu Kobe you learn the fundamentals of the French culinary tradition, from classic to regional fare. Faculty includes well-known French and Japanese chefs. Choose to study the following programs/majors: Diplomas in Cuisine or Patisserie; Certificates in Initiation Cuisine, Basic Patisserie, Basic Boulangerie, Basic Cuisine, Intermediate Cuisine, Advanced Boulangerie, Intermediate Patisserie, Superior Cuisine, Superior Patisserie.
Hattori Nutrition College -- Most well-recognized outside Japan for its participation in the wildly successful Iron Chef shows. The school provided the show with assistant chefs from its student pool. The kitchen facilities alone, at Hattori, rival anything ever seen on Kitchen Stadium and include state-of-the-art chef demonstration arenas, stainless steel industrial strength kitchens and the latest professional equipment. But you better have a clear understanding of Japanese.