With Asian food becoming ever more popular, the dearth of Japanese cookbooks is surprising. How fortunate, then, to have this ambitious, authoritative new work from a knowledgeable and talented Japanese cooking teacher. Shimbo-Beitchman, who ran a cooking school in Tokyo for eight years and London for two, now teaches in New York City, and part of the appeal of her book is her ready familiarity with Western kitchens and culinary style. She provides a detailed guide to equipment, techniques, and ingredients, followed by a wide-ranging selection of recipes of all sorts. There are both the home-style dishes she grew up on and more elaborate ones for special occasions, as well as the traditional Japanese classics, with her own touches, of course, and innovative new recipes. Shimbo-Beitchman has an appealing, straightforward style, and the head notes and text convey a vast amount of information; recipe instructions are detailed and clear. An essential purchase.