Our guest is Noriko Okubo who is the co-owner and chief operations officer of Ginza Nishikawa U.S.A. Ginza Nishikawa opened in 2018 in Ginza, one of the poshest areas in Tokyo, to sell high-quality Shokupan bread. Shokupan is also called milk bread and is gaining popularity worldwide for its distinctively soft and fluffy texture with a pleasantly sweet taste. Ginza Nishikawa’s Shokupan bread earned accolades very quickly and now it operates over 130 shops throughout Japan. The huge success spread to the U.S. and the bakery opened its first overseas location in L.A. in July 2022, which Noriko co-owns and manages. In this episode, we will discuss what shokupan is, why shokupan has become so popular in Japan and increasingly overseas, the secrets of Ginza Nishikawa’s shokupan that sells out within a few hours of being baked in L.A., and much, much more!!!Photo Courtesy of Courtesy of Ginza Nishikawa.Japan Eats is nominated for a viewer’s choice TASTE AWARD. Cast your vote before February 17th.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Japan Eats by becoming a member!Japan Eats is Powered by Simplecast.