Discovering Real Japan: The Oldest Izakaya, Fermentation Lab And Singing With Japanese Bluegrass Musicians

Our guest is George Padilla who plays a key role in multiple exciting Japanese restaurant and hospitality businesses in New York, including Rule of Thirds ( ), Bin Bin Sake ( ) and Teruko ( ) at The Hotel Chelsea. George’s passion for and profound understanding of Japanese culture is impressive. Since he joined the tiny yet influential Japanese restaurant Okonomi in Brooklyn in 2014, he has been one of the most inspiring people in the Japanese food industry. He joined us with his chef partner JT at Rule of Thirds, in Episode in August 2021, and shared his idea of Japanese food and food culture. He recently took another trip to Japan, which was packed with unique experiences and discoveries. In this episode, we are going to discuss all about them, such as his visit to the oldest izakaya in downtown Tokyo, the standing sushi bars he enjoyed and his stay at a traditional foodway retreat in Yamanaka Onsen. We will also talk about traditional manufacturers and breweries he visited, Japan’s fermentation culture and much, much more!!! ＊＊＊ Places mentioned: Shinsuke izakaya Kagiya izakaya Tachiguizushi Akira (standing sushi bar) Hakko Department (fermentation retail shop) Hannah Kirshner’s Yamanaka retreat Harappa Aizu (cotton textile) Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Japan Eats by becoming a member ! See Privacy Policy at and California Privacy Notice at .

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Discovering Real Japan: The Oldest Izakaya, Fermentation Lab And Singing With Japanese Bluegrass Musicians is an episode from Japan Eats by Heritage Radio Network.

This episode is 00:57:59 long.

This episode was published on Dec 19, 2025.

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