Roots to Fruit

Momoko Nakamura

Hi, I’m Momoko. And welcome to Roots to Fruit. I am a conservationist and storyteller based in Tokyo, exploring Japanese food culture and the traditional microseasonal calendar. In speaking with my most inspirational friends, it’s become clear that they often share this one powerful common denominator. And I too have found this to be my truest north star: Exploring our individual ancestral roots, better informs the creation of our richest, juiciest fruit. I hope you enjoy these extremely personal conversations with some of my highest vibing friends near and far. www.momokonakamura.com

  1. 02/22/2022

    020: Michelle Zamora / Texas, Los Angeles / A puppeteer who connects to her ancestors through the power of voice

    BIO: Michelle is a LatinX puppeteer, puppet creator, and CEO of Viva La Puppet, LLC. She traveled around the world bringing Waffles to life alongside Michelle Obama (Waffles and Mochi), lead the team that created The Tiger and The Buffalo (Meta), and collaborated on puppets for A Black Lady Sketch Show, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, and Jason Mraz. She is a Mama to Ellie and Milo and finds inspiration in their wonderment and joy for our world. ROOTS: Texas, Los Angeles FRUIT: By way of her grandmother’s enthusiasm for grito, and her mother’s enchanting butcher paper worlds, Michelle breathes voice and magic into puppets who help us to discover new perspective. INFO: https://vivalapuppet.com https://www.instagram.com/vivalapuppet/ https://www.instagram.com/michellezamoraofficial/ --- About the Host: https://momokonakamura.com/

    40 min

  2. 02/08/2022

    019: Seung Hee Lee / South Korea / A passionate mission to establish Korean cuisine as a global love language

    BIO: Author of Everyday Korean and founder of KoreanFusion, Seung Hee Lee is a writer and teacher with a PhD in Human Nutrition. Born and raised in Korea, she has studied traditional Korean Royal Court cuisine. She teaches cooking classes in Atlanta, Georgia and serves pop-up dinners all around the world from Copenhagen to Seoul. ROOTS: South Korea FRUIT: In part a product of her grandmother’s kitchen, her father’s teachings of vested experience, and her mother’s food memories, it is Seung Hee’s passionate mission to share the delicious techniques and stories of Korean cuisine with the world. INFO: https://www.thekoreanfusion.com https://www.instagram.com/koreanfusion/ https://www.thekoreanfusion.com/book --- About the Host: https://momokonakamura.com/

    58 min

  3. 01/25/2022

    018: Nikki Tsukamoto Kininmonth / Japan, New Zealand / A translator creates a stage for the female voice

    BIO: Nikki was born in Tokyo, Japan and spent her formative years in the North Island of New Zealand. She studied sociology and media studies at the University of Auckland while developing a passion in fair trade and human rights advocacy. With over 12 years of experience as a translator and interpreter, she currently hosts a Japanese radio show that brings attention to various social, cultural and political affairs. ROOTS: Japan, New Zealand, England, Scotland FRUIT: Nikki leverages her bilingual and bicultural background to navigate conversation and exploration of the female voice in Japan. INFO: https://www.instagram.com/kittenmouth/ https://twitter.com/tsukaniki85 --- About the Host: https://momokonakamura.com/

    54 min

  4. 01/18/2022

    017: Nour Najem / Lebanon, Brazil / A designer's dream for a powerful collective story

    BIO: Nour Najem is a serial social entrepreneur. She believes design’s true purpose is to draw change and out of the box solutions. Through her eponymous label, she has consulted and partnered up with Caritas, L’Artisan du Liban, Phenomenal Women, as well as other vulnerable communities. In 2013, she founded Kenzah in parallel to her brand, to preserve, develop and transmit traditional craftsmanship, and more recently Lebanon Needs, to provide vulnerable populations with essential survival requirements. She believes design plays an integral part in activating social-led change for the country. ROOTS: Lebanon, Brazil FRUIT: Nour’s entrepreneurial spirit is one that co-exist with the riches of cultural creativity and healthy social structure. She is on a mission to uncover Lebanon’s powerful collective story. INFO: https://www.lebanonneeds.org https://www.instagram.com/lebanonneeds/ http://www.nournajem.com https://www.instagram.com/nournajemdesigns/ --- About the Host: https://momokonakamura.com/

    39 min

  5. 12/21/2021

    016: Jeffery O'Harrow / US, Japan / A burned out salaryman's fruitful next chapter

    BIO: Born and raised in Tokyo, to a Japanese mother from rural Hokkaido and American father from rural Oregon. Attended international school in Japan, then moved to the US for university. Upon graduation, worked in finance in Los Angeles before returning to Tokyo in 2015. Jeffery lives with his two young boys, and his wife with whom he runs Tokyo Juice, the only American-style juice bar in Japan. ROOTS: US, Japan FRUIT: A Tokyo native experiences physical and emotional burnout as a Japanese salaryman, and takes hints from his father’s deep respect of nature and his mother’s childhood farm, to inform his own recovery and very fruitful business. INFO: https://tokyojuice.co.jp/ https://www.instagram.com/tokyojuice/ --- About the Host: https://momokonakamura.com/

    39 min

  6. 12/14/2021

    015: Andrea Balboni / Italy, US / On Caravaggio, and the reframing of sex, love and relationships

    BIO: Andrea Balboni is a Sex, Love and Relationships Coach who knows an important truth that she wants everyone to know – the secret to having the relationship, sex and intimacy you want – lies deep within you. And she knows how to get that secret out, because she’s done it herself. After more than a decade single, she finally cracked the code and created an incredible relationship full of depth, connection, love and blissful erotic pleasure. It is now her mission to help others do the same. ROOTS: Italy, US FRUIT: In recognizing social paradigm and cultivated self-judgement, Andrea explores her relationship with bread, art, and the church, to find empowerment in her own body and soul. INFO https://www.lushcoaching.com/calendar https://www.instagram.com/andreabalboni_lush/ https://www.facebook.com/andrea.balboni.54 https://www.facebook.com/groups/findmodernlove https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreabalboni/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ_ZyLXMaHAjao0foSI353A https://www.lushcoaching.com/ https://www.lushcoaching.com/vlog --- About the Host: https://momokonakamura.com/

    49 min

  7. 12/07/2021

    014: Ray Masaki / Japan / Observing social idiosyncrasies through design

    BIO: Ray Masaki is a Japanese-American graphic designer from New York, living and working in Tokyo since 2017. He studied illustration at Parsons School of Design, type design at The Cooper Union, and is currently pursuing an MFA in graphic design at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. In 2021, Ray wrote and published Why is the salaryman carrying a surfboard?, a bilingual book about the history of institutional white supremacy and Westernization in the Japanese design industry. ROOTS: Japan FRUIT: Ray pokes at the oddities, ironies, and the sometimes outrageous that exist in our increasingly cross-cultural society, through a highly personal and uniquely anthropological design lens, to spark conversation about and between us. INFO: https://www.bathboys.tokyo/product/why-is-the-salaryman-book --- About the Host: https://momokonakamura.com/

    51 min

  8. 11/30/2021

    013: Arlette Gómez Ortiz / Mexico / A designer's creation rooted in her grandmother and the bees

    BIO: Designer, gastronome, honey enthusiast & founder of A de abeja, a small scale honey project based in Mexico promoting bees and beekeepers' own ability to thrive by creatively increasing local consumption of honey. She studied design and visual communication at UNAM –Mexico– and a master in Creativity, Ecology & Education at UNISG –Italy–. ROOTS: Mexico FRUIT: Arlette fights for fair production, wages, and trade, by reviving the taste memory for floral, aromatic, real honey through thoughtful design. Keeping in mind that the solution should always be placed close to the source. INFO: https://www.arlettego.com/ https://www.adeabeja.com/ https://www.instagram.com/arlettego/ https://www.instagram.com/miel.adeabeja/ --- About the Host: https://momokonakamura.com/

    51 min
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About

Hi, I’m Momoko. And welcome to Roots to Fruit. I am a conservationist and storyteller based in Tokyo, exploring Japanese food culture and the traditional microseasonal calendar. In speaking with my most inspirational friends, it’s become clear that they often share this one powerful common denominator. And I too have found this to be my truest north star: Exploring our individual ancestral roots, better informs the creation of our richest, juiciest fruit. I hope you enjoy these extremely personal conversations with some of my highest vibing friends near and far. www.momokonakamura.com

Information

  • Creator
    Momoko Nakamura
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2022
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Momoko Nakamura
  • Show Website
    Roots to Fruit