SEASON 1 EPISODE 35
- Like many ex-pats, Bobby headed to Japan on an English teaching program. He wanted to try living in another country and experience a different culture. Harboring the misconception that success would be easier to achieve in Japan being a foreigner, he soon discovered that he still needed to prove his worth.
- Bobby has a passion for cooking and developed his YouTube channel to showcase it. He shares his experience in making the career switch from teaching and modeling to guesting in a local cooking show. It opened a whole array of opportunities that allowed Bobby to pursue his true passion and work on various culinary projects.
- Anthony also interviews Jacqueline Wein, an antique dealer originally for New York. Jacqueline explains her role as an antique specialist and buyer. She also shares tips about which markets to visit in Tokyo and how to look for great bargains.
A Career in Cuisine
Anthony talks fame with Bobby Judo on his television success in Japan. Many foreigners think they could easily end up in Japanese shows of movies. But in this podcast, Bobby gave insights on his fair share of hard work to gain success in the fields of media and cuisine.
Wanting to figure out what to do with his life after college, Bobby went to Japan through one of its teaching programs, made good friends and even met his wife in the country. With more reasons to stay, he turned his attention to making long-term goals related to cooking. Coming from a family of great cooks, he enjoyed creating delicious dishes for others to try. To build his cooking portfolio, he would blog and create videos on various recipes for YouTube but in Japanese. While working for a modeling agency and several television stations, he would share his cooking hobbies. This got other people’s attention – enabling him to write for a cooking magazine and guest cook in a show. His Japanese language abilities also surprised people and helped him get more jobs from other shows in larger cities. Eventually, these offers allowed him to work full-time as a cook on TV!
Looking back to a full year still in Japan and able to support himself, Bobby shares some important learnings he had that enabled him to follow his dreams. When it comes to cooking, food presentation is very important to the Japanese people. They love colorful dishes with at least 4 colors (white, green, yellow, black). They also give more importance to the food’s subtle, natural flavor rather than tossing in too much seasoning.
His YouTube channel had been extremely useful as it served as his portfolio to show what he could do in the kitchen. Aside from his cooking and traveling video series, he also has a new series called One Beer with Bobby. In this show, he answers curious questions Japanese people have for foreigners like him – embarrassing questions included!
Bobby and his wife planned to go on a year-long world trip. Thus, he is in talks with his network on the possibility of creating video letters that feature him cooking while in other countries. He will also be writing a column for an outdoor magazine while on the road and continue making YouTube videos and posting recipes in his blog. For more of Bobby’s culinary adventures, check out Bobby’s videos at Bobby Judo.
Tokyo Antique Shows
Do you have a knack for collecting antiques? Anthony spoke to Jacqueline Wein to talk about the flea markets all over Tokyo. Jacqueline designs and finds pieces that complement her clients’ home. She scouts for items at several Tokyo bazaars that have regular schedules within a week or month. Aside from the rare stuff one can spot in these markets, dealers are also interesting and friendly. They are honest and can more or less give accurate information about the things they sell. When making a purchase, Jaqueline’s golden rule is that the worth of an antique ultimately depends on the final person who buys it. If it looks right for one’s home then negotiate for it!
One of the places Jaqueline recommended is the Oedo Antique Market near the Tokyo International Forum. The Tomioka shrine has shops great for tourists who want to pick souvenir items easily. There are more interesting bazaars located near the train lines but may lie outside Tokyo. For ongoing shows, their location, and schedules, head over to Tokyo Jinja. The blog also teaches people on different antique items and how to use them for homes.
