I bought this book a few month ago and I now find myself cooking from it quite often. Contrary to what I believed, Japanese cooking is quite simple and boil down to just a few key ingredients which shouldn't be substituted with western counterparts. The book is easy to read, it gives a brief guide to the common foodstuffs used in Japan and have pictures of ingredients can be found in shops in london. All the recipes are traditional dishes that are straight forward to prepare. Having said that, I've not tried making sushi yet! The glossary at the back is also very helpful. I would recommend it to people who likes to eat Japanese but not cooked it. P.S.Some of the ingredients can be also found in Chinese supermarkets which might be easier to find.