Table of contents:
Summary
This site tells the personal story of Ryusei Hosono, a young web designer who shares his journey of motivation, growth, and setbacks through a unique food blog. It begins with a family turning point when his younger brother moves back to Japan due to language barriers, leaving Ryusei alone to prepare for his media design career. Struggling to keep projects alive, he eventually combines his passions for photography, cooking, programming, and design into creating a food blog. Despite initial challenges like losing motivation and missing his brother deeply, Ryusei keeps pushing forward, turning his experiences and love for sharing recipes into the heart of this blog, inviting visitors to join him on his evolving adventure.The Story of RyuKoch (Ryusei Hosono)
Foreword
Until recently, I had a perfectly normal, factual, and boring "About me" page. The problem: nobody cared that I was 20 years old and a web designer. That's why I want to do it differently now—in fact, more beautifully and elegantly. I want to tell you a true story about this blog, one that involves motivation, development, and even failure. At first glance, this may sound odd and unusual, but keep reading, and you'll see what I mean.
A little update
Since I wrote these lines, some time has passed—I'm now 28 years old! But the original motivation and the story you're about to read are still at the heart of this blog. While much has developed further, my joy for sharing my experiences and recipes has remained. I'm glad you’re here to follow this journey!
01 The Beginning
It was winter (more precisely December). I was in my room when my mother suddenly came in and said I should come downstairs because she had something important to discuss with me. Once downstairs, she told me that she was thinking about returning to Japan with my little brother, who was 9 years old at the time. The reason: she could hardly speak German. Living in Germany without being able to speak German is pretty tough, even if you live in Düsseldorf. You have few friends, communicating with teachers is difficult, and so on. That's why she wanted to go back in order to at least give my little brother a carefree childhood. When I started at the German school, my parents weren't much help. We only ever spoke Japanese at home. That may not seem essential to the story, but it does have something to do with how the food blog started, so it’s not unimportant after all.
02 Back to Japan
By now it was April. My mother had already been in Japan for two weeks. Now my little brother also had to leave, and I said goodbye to him—a moment I’ll never forget. What did my life look like next? I lived alone and was preparing for my apprenticeship as a media designer, because I loved programming and design. What I missed most were my mother and especially my little brother. Luckily, I still had my middle brother, then 17, and my father. Back then, I started a lot of projects but usually gave up after a month or two. I was getting tired of that, because I couldn’t see any project through to the end.
03 The Start
For a long time, I just kept going: photographing, making videos, programming, designing, helping others, and cooking. But everything separately. One day, as I was cooking Japanese food with a friend, I had the idea: I could combine photography, cooking, programming, and design—what you would call a food blog. I immediately did some research on how complex a food blog is, what the chances of success are, and so on. However, my research was pretty discouraging. Even then, there were already big companies running food blogs, and the general opinion was that you couldn’t compete with them. So I thought: whatever, I'll just start another project. That turned out to be the best decision of my life!
04 No Motivation
Three months went by, and, to be honest, the motivation was gone... again. Back then, I said to myself: "Well Ryusei, you know what, you've learned a lot, did a lot of programming, and learned quite a bit about blogging." So I basically put the project on hold, but with this thought in my head: "Hmm, I’ve invested a lot of work and money into this project, so don’t quit entirely—maybe do something once or twice a month." And that's what I did.
05 I Miss Him
I had a problem: I missed my brother tremendously. With the eight-hour time difference and my work, there were hardly any chances to communicate anymore. In the past, my brother would come running into my room every day after school and shout heyyyyyy . That’s really how it was. But now I couldn’t see, hear, or feel him anymore. I thought about what I could do to travel to Japan, but with only 600 euros a month during my apprenticeship, there was no way to save up. So I gave up—until, through marketing, that is my job, I found out you can actually make money from blogging, if you really stick to it. Not a lot, but enough that a trip to Japan could be possible. So I grabbed my computer, or rather, I sat down at my PC and started writing. Something I hated... oh god, it was so boring. 20 – 50 – 100 – 200 words, okay, that’s enough! I couldn’t write anything more. The photography, programming, and design, of course, were fun, but the writing... But I kept at it, since I had a goal!
06 Why Is This Fun?
So each week I wrote a text of about 100 to 200 words, but the success and satisfaction just didn’t come. And once again, marketing came into play: I watched a few webinars about writing and marketing. They said a text must be at least 300 words for Google to see it as worthwhile. So I changed my strategy and wrote my first "long" text—*cough*—500 words. Just enough to get by with Google. I did that two or three more times, and on the fourth try, suddenly I was enjoying it. I wanted to write! Suddenly, I wanted to craft beautiful sentences, and I cared about which words I used. It may seem exaggerated, but no, it was a real success for me. I had never voluntarily read a book or written a text in my life. I always avoided it, and now I was suddenly having fun. Now I had five major hobbies: cooking, programming, photography, design, and writing—and all of them fit my food blog. Perfect!
07 A New Life in Japan – The Journey Continues
Times change—and so does my workplace. In 2020, I made a life-changing decision: I quit my job in Germany, where I was no longer happy, and took the plunge into the unknown—I emigrated to Japan! My goal was to dive even deeper into my blog, which I continue to run as a passionate hobby, and to establish myself professionally as a freelancer in marketing and e-commerce in Japan.
I've now been here for five years, and not once have I regretted this decision. Japan has become my second home. Direct contact with Japanese culture, experiencing authentic cuisine on a daily basis, and the endless opportunities for road trips and discoveries haven’t just enriched my life—they’ve also created an endless flow of new content for RyuKoch. I feel like I want to spend most of my life here, though of course I love returning to Germany and exploring other corners of the world as well.
08 Writing in Transformation – A Blessing of AI
Do you remember chapter 6, where I described how I gradually found joy in writing? Even after the passion was sparked, one challenge remained: writing longer texts still cost me a huge amount of time. It was a hurdle that often slowed me down. But then came the AI revolution—and to me, it was an absolute blessing! Suddenly I had a tool that enabled me to efficiently and creatively put my countless experiences, gathered knowledge, and insatiable curiosity down on paper. Alongside AI, I can now not only write down my thoughts much faster, but also make content accessible to a wide audience—and even in many different languages! This opens up completely new horizons for the blog and my mission to share Japanese culture and cuisine with all of you.
09 The (Provisional) End – A Thank You
If you’ve read this far: respect and thank you for your time! Before I wrap up this constantly evolving article, I want to emphasize once again why this page is called /about-us/ and not /about-me/. While the personal journey is a major part, RyuKoch stands for an idea of community and sharing. A special thank you also to Markus Igel, who played a big part in helping build the blog, and to Daia S., for their tireless motivation and many creative ideas. Thank you both!
And of course, I thank YOU from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for reading my story—this snapshot from an ongoing journey. Thank you for visiting RyuKoch, and I hope you enjoy the posts and recipes. Your support gives me the strength to keep going and to follow and share my dreams with you.
If you have any questions or corrections, feel free to leave a comment below this post. If you add the word PRIVATE, I won’t publish it.
And now here’s a timeline of RyuKoch
April 2025 – Major language expansion: Korean, Chinese, Hindi and more!
RyuKoch has reached a new milestone! Since April 2025, my contents are also available in Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Hindi. And this is only the beginning—more languages are already in the works so that even more Japan fans worldwide can easily read my posts.
November 2024 – Hachijo-jima Travel Report
A detailed travel report about my explorations on Hachijo-jima.
November 2024 – New languages: French, Italian & Spanish
To make my Japanese adventures and recipes accessible to an even larger audience, RyuKoch is now available in French, Italian, and Spanish since November 2024! In addition to German and English.
August 2024 – Southeast Asia adventure: Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam
An unforgettable trip through Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Discoveries in Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh await to be shared.
November 2023 – Sapporo Hokkaido Trip Travel Guide
A comprehensive guide to my trip to Sapporo in Hokkaido.
July 2023 – Toyama Prefecture Trip Travel Guide
Discover Toyama Prefecture with me. A detailed travel guide with all the highlights.
April 2023 – Atami Trip
At the end of April 2023, I decided to travel to Atami, a beautiful coastal city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Atami is famous for its hot springs (Onsen) and picturesque scenery, surrounded by breathtaking mountains and the broad ocean. The city offers the perfect combination of relaxation, culture, and adventure that will delight any traveler. In Atami, I visited places like Atami Castle, where I could enjoy a stunning view of the city and Sagami Bay.
April 2023 – 2nd Trip to Ibaraki (Hitachi Seaside Park)
In April 2023, we had our second trip to Ibaraki to once again visit the impressive Hitachi Seaside Park. This time we were luckier, welcomed by a breathtaking sea of blue flowers that we enjoyed to the fullest.
The brightly blue Nemophila flowers, covering the park in fascinating blue, were in full bloom and provided a spectacular backdrop. The hills were covered with these enchanting blossoms, which harmoniously blended with the blue sky and created an almost surreal atmosphere.
February 2023 – Trip to Chichibu
In February 2023, I went on a two-day trip to Chichibu, a city in Saitama Prefecture, not far from Tokyo. I enjoyed a pleasant train ride there and explored the station and the city upon arrival. During my stay, I marveled at the amazing icicles of Ashigakubo and explored the beautiful Onouchi Valley. My hotel offered cozy lodging, and I had the opportunity to enjoy traditional Japanese cuisine as well as local cafés and wine tastings. Overall, the trip to Chichibu was an unforgettable experience that I recommend to anyone looking for a relaxing and culturally rich experience in Japan.
February 2022 – Trip to Kusatsu Onsen
In February 2022, I set off on an unforgettable trip to the picturesque Onsen town of Kusatsu Onsen, which is known for its hot springs and the breathtaking panorama of the surrounding mountains and snowy landscapes. Kusatsu Onsen is located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, and is especially popular during the winter months among those seeking relaxation and nature lovers.
February 2022 – Trip to Ibaraki (Hitachi Seaside Park)
In February 2022, I took a trip to Ibaraki to visit the beautiful Hitachi Seaside Park. Unfortunately, on our first attempt, we weren't lucky since there were no flowers blooming. Nevertheless, the overall experience was beautiful and relaxing.
The Hitachi Seaside Park is famous for its stunning seasonal blooms, especially the bright blue Nemophila flowers that turn the park into a sea of blue in the spring. When we arrived, we were surprised by the absence of the colorful blossoms, but we weren’t discouraged and decided to enjoy the natural beauty of the park anyway.
January 2022 – Trip to Nikko
In January 2022, I went on an exciting trip to Nikko, a charming city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Nikko, famous for its stunning natural landscapes and rich history, was the perfect place for a 1-2 day discovery tour in the heart of nature.
In my travel report, I share my experiences, tips, and recommendations for an unforgettable stay in Nikko. The post is titled "Nikko (日光市) Trip - Travel Guide" and is meant to be a comprehensive companion for your own journey to this fascinating region.
January 2022 – RyuKoch and Mattzip
In January 2022, we made an important decision: we chose to separate the Korean part of our blog and launch a new blog called "Mattzip". This move was made to provide our readers with a better and more specialized experience, especially regarding Korean cuisine and culture.
July 2021 – Fukui Travel Report: Experiences and Discoveries
Find out more about my exciting adventures and fascinating discoveries during my summer weekend trip to Fukui in 2021.
July 2021 – Trip to Shiga and Lake Biwa
In July 2021, I took an unforgettable journey to Shiga and to Lake Biwa in Japan. Shiga, a prefecture in western Japan, is known for its impressive landscapes and the majestic Lake Biwa, the country’s largest freshwater lake.
June 2020 – Collaboration with K-Shop
In June 2020, we began an exciting collaboration with the renowned K-Shop, a popular online store specializing in Japanese and Korean foods. Since our focus is on sharing Asian culture and cuisine, this partnership is highly beneficial for both parties. K-Shop offers a wide selection of authentic foods, offering our readers and visitors the ultimate taste experience.
Thanks to this collaboration, we can now link many of their excellent products directly on our website, so our users can easily access these wonderful foods and order them conveniently to their home. In return for linking these products, we receive a commission from K-Shop. This partnership enables us to keep providing high-quality content and information about Asian cuisine while also making it easier for our readers to access the best Japanese and Korean foods.
February 2020 – Emigration to Japan
In February 2020, a completely new chapter of my life began for me. I had decided to follow my mother and brother to Japan to build a new life there. This step was not just a physical move, but also a great personal challenge.
Once in Japan, I was warmly welcomed by my family, which made my transition to the new environment easier. The first weeks were full of new impressions and experiences that living in a foreign place brings. I began learning the language more intensively and familiarized myself with the country’s traditions and customs. During this time, I laid the foundation for my new life in Japan and looked forward to continuing this exciting and instructive journey.
August 2019 – USA Trip
In August 2019, we took an exciting trip to the USA, where we visited numerous Japan Towns and Korea Towns. These lively neighborhoods are known for their cultural offerings and exotic flavors that transported us into the diverse cuisines of Asia. In cities like Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, we experienced the best of both worlds, strolling the bustling streets and enjoying irresistible dishes in many restaurants and cafés.
The food, in particular, was an absolute highlight of our trip. In the Japan Towns, we enjoyed delicious Shabu Shabu, steaming bowls of Ramen, and refreshing Kakigori ice.
March 2019 – Japan Trip
In March 2019, I had the pleasure of visiting Japan again. Since I continued working my regular job at the time, I unfortunately wasn’t able to share many of my experiences with you. Nevertheless, I want to give a little insight into my trip here.
January 2019 – new stats
In January 2019, we at the RyuKoch food blog posted exciting new numbers and stats. We want to share this great news with you and express our gratitude for your continued support.
August 2018 – second RyuKoch Japan Trip
I'm super happy to let you know that, thanks to your great support, I'll be flying to Japan for the second time! This time, I'm focusing even more on the blog so I can bring you even more exciting insights and tips from the land of the rising sun.
August 2018 – Miso Course
In August 2018, together with my brother, I had the pleasure of participating in a Miso course during my Japan trip. This experience turned out to be incredibly exciting and enriching, as we had the chance to learn the traditional Japanese art of Miso-making firsthand. During the course, we learned how to make Miso from ingredients such as soybeans, rice, and salt, and gained a deep insight into the fermentation processes that give this staple its distinctive flavor.
December 2017 – my first RyuKoch Japan Trip
In December 2017, thanks to your generous support, I had the amazing opportunity to fly to Japan! As a Japanese person who had lived in Germany for years, this was a unique chance to see my home country again and visit my beloved family.
October 2017
We were invited by Chefkoch.de to the FoodCamp 2017 – you can find the post here .
July 2017
Our first cooperation – you can find the recipe here .
May 2017
We were featured by the Rheinische Post ("RP Online is one of the highest-reach German news portals, reaching 8.72 million users monthly" – Wikipedia)
April 2017
Out of the names (Ryu) sei and Matthias ( Koch ) comes RyuKoch . Since April 2017, Ryusei & Matthias have done everything together
April 2016 – The Launch!
Ryusei Hosono founds his food blog Ryu-Kocht
Comments
Hey, your About Us post still has a few spelling mistakes! Revise it and it will be perfect.
Hey, thanks a lot for your tip :) We’ve fixed the mistakes (hopefully all of them) :) Best, Matthias
I just finished reading your story, and I was very touched. ;__; That you miss your family. And that you’ve had so many setbacks. I know what it’s like with motivation, too, and I’m still trying to get myself to do something with my life, even with a small child... Also, since yesterday, January 3rd, 2018, I’ve already read a couple of your posts, and I spontaneously decided to make Onigiris, and I was more than surprised at how well they turned out, and that without watching the video first, I did everything exactly right. :> Actually, I plan to switch completely to eating Japanese food, since I noticed it’s really good for me and my health. Then I came across your site and now I’m more motivated than ever (at least, as far as changing my diet goes – I’ve been eating Asian food for about 2 to 3 months now ^^ Best regards, Jana Ryu
Hello Jana, thank you very much for your detailed and motivating comment. I’m writing this email on behalf of both myself and Ryu :) It’s great that you’ve started making Onigiri yourself. With your favorite filling, Onigiri are absolutely delicious and nutritious snacks, and can even be main courses, both for you and your child. We really like that you want to eat a lot more Japanese food from now on. Japanese cuisine (and Korean cuisine as well) are among the healthiest in the world and simply taste amazing on top of that :D Studies have also confirmed that a Japanese or Korean diet is proven to promote good health and can cleanse, invigorate, and strengthen your body. Thanks to your email, we’ve had another boost of motivation to publish the health benefits of Japanese cuisine along with suitable recipes in an e-book. Let's see how long it takes us to finish the ebook :) Many greetings from Ryu and me :)
Hallo Ryusei, First of all, I have to express my respect, because I read your story and was very moved. Family is the highest good in a person's life. You can achieve anything if you have the right motives. Now, about me... Japan is an impressive country for me, with a long history of tradition, culture, and development. I have always been fascinated by Japan. Now, through the movie THE LAST SAMURAI with Tom Cruise, I have also gotten my 12-year-old daughter interested in Japanese culture and history. She is a huge manga and anime fan, loves to draw, and has already created some wonderful artwork, even winning awards. Mama and daughter want to continue developing this, as we are both interested in the art of the samurai sword, and we're very lucky to live in Brandenburg an der Havel, where Sebastian Kopke "SATO" also lives. He is deeply involved in martial arts and shares his life wisdom and skills in courses with anyone interested. He also runs various projects with children and young people, giving them the chance at a new life. To top it off, I am currently changing my diet, trying to live healthier and more consciously. Through my older daughter, I got the idea to explore Japanese cuisine; it's common knowledge that the Japanese diet is very healthy. For her, everything could revolve around Japan, including the food, and she wants to cook a Japanese meal for her boyfriend, who is also a big fan of anime, manga, and, of course, Japan. The two of them have even written to each other in Japanese that they love each other. So, Japan has snuck its way into our lives in many ways, and now the food is joining in—let's see how my husband reacts, haha. That’s how I discovered your food blog and I have to say honestly, especially for a greenhorn like me, it is very clear and easy to understand. You did a great job setting it up—I can only say, keep it up, thumbs up! It's a pity that authentic ingredients are quite expensive in Germany, so daily cooking is a challenge, but since it’s just the two of us women for now, it works. Altogether we're five people: three kids, my husband, and me—plus three dogs, so it's never boring. Japanese cuisine will be a little taster, because our new main goal is a vacation in Japan—of course, due to costs, not all five of us can go, but at least I will go with my oldest. Many warm greetings from Brandenburg an der Havel from Mama Jessika and daughter Nyah
Hallo Jessika, thank you so much for the praise and your comment. I am always very happy when I can inspire and make people happy with my blog. Best regards Ryusei Hosono
Hello everyone, I just found this blog and I think it's great. I've been very interested in Korean cuisine for a few weeks now and am looking for inspiration. I found it here – thank you. Keep up the good work. Evelyn
Hi Evelyn, thank you so much for your compliment :) We will keep expanding the blog :) Best, Matthias
Hi Tanja, thanks so much! We will keep delivering more and more content :) Best regards, Matthias
I have been looking for odeng, fishcake, for so long to cook my Korean dish. I couldn’t find it anywhere online. Can you help me?
Hi Ma, I'll give that a try. Since you can't buy Korean fish cake (Odeng or Eomuk) online, I'll put together a recipe using fish that's available at the supermarket. Best regards, Matthias
HI interesting site ;o how are you? Regards A.L.
Hi Anita, thank you very much :) We are both doing very well :) Best regards Ryusei and Matthias
Correction of Ryusei's introductory text: Decision instead of Endscheidung (end of the paragraph "03 The Start") Very interesting story! I am new to your food blog and I'm looking forward to seeing how things develop :) PRIVATE (since it's just a correction)
Hi Uhm, thanks for your note :) Best regards Matthias
Hey, thank you so much for your great explanations and recipes for Dashi and Japanese fondue—keep up the amazing work with your fantastic blog! Best regards Linus
Hello Linus, thank you very much for your feedback, I'm glad to hear that! Best regards Ryusei
Hello, I just discovered your blog. It was through my son Luca that I became interested in Japan—its land, people, culture, and of course, the food. Our big dream is to one day travel there for a vacation. I will spend some time thoroughly exploring the blog in the coming days and learn a lot in the process. Thank you for the information and recipes, and I wish you lots of fun and continued success. Greetings from Italy, Bettina.
Hello Bettina, I’m glad to hear that! I hope my blog will be a good help for you. Best regards, Ryusei
Hello, I read your site with great interest and now have a big request: My husband and I have a tiny independent publishing house, the Hans Hauer und Ruth Linhart Eigenverlag HARU Wien. We are not a commercial publisher; making books is just our hobby. I write the texts, Hans creates the books by hand and binds them in Japanese paper. We have now made a little book about our last trip to Japan in November 2023. It's called: In the Realm of the Blackthroat. A Culinary Journey in Japan. There are also recipes included. My request is this: Please give us permission to refer to your website with the Oden recipe in our Oden recipe. We will also include your URL and the QR code to your site. I have already sent you two emails to the address given in the legal notice on your website. Our website is http://www.ruthlinhart.com/verlag.htm. In the previous emails I also sent you the recipe section of our book including your URL and the appropriate QR code. We would be very grateful if you could contact us and give us permission. Many warm greetings from Vienna Ruth
Hello Ruth, Thank you very much for your kind request! I’m happy to clarify this with you directly via email. If you’ve already written, I’ll make sure to check your message as soon as possible and reply promptly. If I have overlooked anything, please just send your request again. I look forward to hearing from you and wish you continued success with your wonderful project! Best regards from the RyuKoch world, Ryusei 🌸