After graduating from college, Sarah Marx Feldner headed to Japan to teach English for a year. There, she befriended Hitomi and her food-loving family who introduced her to a countryside, a style of cuisine, and an overall aesthetic that she had never experienced before and quickly fell in love with. A couple of years later, Sarah got the idea to write a Japanese cookbook to tell people about her discoveries, and she returned to Japan and traveled the country collecting recipes and stories from experienced cooks who opened their homes and their hearts to her. A talented food stylist and cooking instructor, Yumi Kawachi is well versed in Japanese and French cooking. She is based in Tokyo and works for major Japanese magazines. Noboru Murata is one of Japan's most accomplished photographers. Based in Tokyo, he does work for "Japanese Elle Deco" and other leading lifestyle magazines.