She's like the queen of Japan, an Empress of Domesticity, the Japanese Martha Stewart. Harumi Kurihara is in New York to publicize her first book in English, Haruma's Japanese Cooking.
Cooks like Ms. Kurihara, who incorporate modern and global flavors without stooping to fast food, earn both worship and respect.
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A Japanese mother's reputation in school rests on her bentos," said Nobuko Suzuki, the editor of Ms. Kurihara's Japanese cookbooks. Bento boxes — and the wrapping, arranging, rolling, folding and decorating that goes into them — are portable national icons, carried by children and adults alike.
