About

Naomi Moriyama
森山 奈保美

健康、ウェルネスの原動力となる美味しい食べ物やライフスタイルを探し、見つけたヒント、また日頃、気になったこと、感じたことを文章にしてみなさまにお届けします。私の独り言でお終わらず、読者のみなさまから投稿いただき、ここに訪れる方々との対談、アイデア、知恵などの共有を持って豊かな土壌になることを望んでおります。

Hi! Thank you for being curious about me. My quest for wellness began when I discovered that I had an incredible fortune of growing up at a time in a country where home-cooked meals achieved the gold standard for nutritional values, and my mom cooked meals three times a day for her family (my dad, sister and me) because she wanted to give us the gift of “health”. And it was (lucky for us) a pre-fast-food-takeout-era!

I found out the beauty and wisdom of the delicious healthy Japanese diet by leaving my native country. By coming to the United States of America. The whole experience — before, during and after — became a book “Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother’s Tokyo Kitchen”. I co-authored the book because I wanted to share the wisdom and simplicity of my mother’s Tokyo kitchen with almost 70% of the U.S. population who were overweight and obese by demystify the Japanese home-cooking. I wanted more people to enjoy delicious meals and incidentally be healthy, as the most people who lived in Japan did. I thought, “If I can do it, you can do it too!”

Then the book was for those who simply loved the authentic Japanese foods and wanted to make them at home. To my pleasant surprise, the book has been translated into 21 languages.

After my son was born in 2007, I co-authored “Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Children: Why Japanese children have the longest, healthiest lives – and how yours can too”. I wrote the book for me and those who wanted practical insights and how-tos for preparing meals for their families. Please look for these titles anywhere books are sold.

Over time, my quest for wellness expanded beyond the Japan-style diet and physical health. In addition to being an early adopter of the green living, I’ve become an vegetarian/vegan experimenter. I began meditating in 2015 — twice daily, and continue to practice. I have also began incorporating a more natural, clean lifestyle. For example, I stopped coloring my hair. I rarely paint my nails. Yes, I often wear make-ups, but keep them minimum with clean and natural products. I garden when/where I can even in a city like New York. I always loved to hike, especially in pristine nature, and want to do more. I have been in psychotherapy for many many years. I want to explore more, wider and deeper in that realm.

My goal is prevention — to stay healthy as much as possible rather than fixing an illness, or doing potentially harmful things to my body-mind-soul. My goal is to be well inside out. I look for delicious and healthy foods, lifestyle habits, fun activities, and positive energies that nurture my body-mind-soul. I share them with you through my writing, photos, recipes, products and private sessions. My goal is to find authentic beauty in being. And of course, I know a goal is like a horizon. When I get closer to it, it moves further away. So my journey goes on.

At 幽玄草紙 Yūgen Sōshi

  • I share my observations and musings as conversation starters
  • I share recipes for you to try
  • I invite you to share your ideas and experiences
  • I encourage you to engage with the people who come here

Join me in this quest, and walk next to me toward the horizon.