Japanology Plus - Season 3 - Eps 21: Japanophiles: Rezaul Karim Chowdhury
The latest edition of our periodical Japanophiles series focuses on a Bangladeshi who was drawn to a career in Japan by a bond that goes beyond such cosmic coincidences: Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, a chef who has spent years striving to master the centuries-old tradition of making buckwheat soba noodles. An excursion with his Japanese-school classmates when he was 20 was to change his destiny forever. On that trip to a soba restaurant, Chowdhury was intrigued by what his teacher described as healthy Japanese food. And when he tried a simple morisoba set combining plain, cold soba noodles with a tsuyu dipping sauce, he was blown away by the taste. In this Japanophiles interview with Peter Barakan, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury talks about his struggle to master the making of soba noodles.
About Japanology Plus

Title: Japanology Plus
First Air Date: 2014-04-03
Last Air Date: 2025-05-22
Status: Returning Series
Rating: 6.4/10 (from 5 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 13
Total Episodes: 335
Network: NHK WORLD-JAPAN
Genres: Documentary, Talk
Production Companies: NHK, NHK Educational
Synopsis
Host Peter Barakan delves into various aspects of Japanese culture; exploring practices, history, and modern innovations in such areas as ramen, rice, sushi, geisha, bonsai, and so much more. Local experts discuss their passions at fascinating length, and American Japanophile Matt Alt experiences the food, practices, and cultures in each episode in depth. Viewers will finish each half hour episode with a new understanding of an area of Japanese life through demonstrative videos and explanations, all delivered respectfully and true to the Japanese way of life.
Cast

Peter Barakan
Self - Host