A culinary portrait of Japan's Kansai region

Chefs
of Kansai

関西の料理人たち

Explore the project

関西

A portrait of Kansai,
told through its kitchens.

関西の料理人、土地、そして食文化をめぐる旅。

01

About

ENGLISH

Chefs of Kansai explores the lives and stories of the people behind the kitchens of Japan’s Kansai region. Paul Tanahashi and Akiumi Okabe, who is originally from Nara Prefecture, are developing the project through photography and personal narratives, exploring the experiences, relationships and daily commitments that shape a life around cooking.

A kitchen holds traces of the people who spend their lives there: the arrangement of familiar tools, gestures refined through repetition, and preparations that begin long before guests arrive. These everyday details reveal the journeys the chefs have taken and the care they bring to their cooking. Through photographs and words, we follow these threads to tell the stories of the lives behind the kitchens.

日本語

Chefs of Kansai は、日本の関西地方の厨房で腕を振るう人々の人生や物語に光を当てるプロジェクトです。ポール・タナハシと奈良県出身の岡部明海が、写真と一人ひとりの語りを通じて、料理を軸にした人生を形づくる経験や人間関係、そして日々の仕事への向き合い方を探ります。

厨房には、そこで日々働く人々の歩みが刻まれています。手になじんだ道具の配置、繰り返しの中で磨かれた所作、お客さんを迎えるずっと前から始まる仕込み。こうした何気ない風景から、料理人たちが歩んできた道や、料理に込める思いが見えてきます。その一つひとつをたどり、厨房の向こうにある人生の物語を、写真と言葉で届けます

02

Places

Four places, each with its own rhythm, ingredients and way of gathering around the table.

それぞれの暮らしのリズム、食材、食卓を囲む文化が息づく、四つの土地。

Map of the Kansai region

01

Kyoto

京都

Seasonality, refinement and tradition.

A city where cuisine is shaped by precision, ritual and the beauty of the seasons.

繊細な技と受け継がれる作法、四季の美しさが料理に息づく街。

02

Osaka

大阪

Energy, abundance and generosity.

A city of lively kitchens, shared plates and deeply rooted food culture.

活気ある食卓と、分かち合う喜びが息づく街。

03

Nara

奈良

History, landscape and local ingredients.

A place where heritage, forested surroundings and everyday cooking meet.

歴史と自然、そして土地の食材が、日々の料理と出会う街。

04

Kobe

神戸

Harbor culture, balance and craft.

A coastal city shaped by trade, precision and a deep affection for fine ingredients.

港町の文化と食材への愛情が育む、洗練された食の街。

03

Authors

Photographer / Writer

Paul Tanahashi

ENGLISH

Paul Tanahashi is a UK-based photographer and writer who documents the lives of the people, landscapes, and food culture unique to the Kansai region. Through a thoughtful, human-centred lens, his work explores the connections between food, tradition and everyday life, capturing the beauty in both time-honoured practices and the evolving stories of today's kitchens.

Paul Tanahashi

日本語

ポール・タナハシは英国を拠点とする写真家兼ライターであり、関西地方特有の人々の暮らし、風景、食文化を記録しています。

一人ひとりに寄り添う眼差しで、食と伝統、日々の暮らしのつながりを見つめます。時代を超えて受け継がれてきた技と、今も厨房で紡がれていく物語。その両方に宿る美しさを、写真と言葉で捉えます。

Editor / Creative Producer

Akiumi Okabe

English

Akiumi Okabe is the co-author and Japan-based producer of Chefs of Kansai. He contributes to the project's narrative development, editorial direction and local production. His work brings to light the craft and personal stories behind each dish, exploring time-honoured skills and the new challenges facing contemporary chefs.

日本語

アキウミ・オカベは、『Chefs of Kansai』の共著者兼日本を拠点とするプロデューサー。物語の構成や編集方針、現地での制作に携わり、一皿の向こうにある料理人の仕事や思い、受け継がれる技と新たな挑戦に光を当てます。奈良県出身。