About Me

Emi_uchidaWelcome to goboroot. I’m Emi Uchida, and I love photographing beauty. In my early teenage days, I used to carry a little Canon camera that one of my uncles bought for me on my birthday. I hopped on my bicycle, searching for the horizon, and finally discovered my own place to shoot ever changing sunsets in the midst of Tokyo.

Later, I was drawn to the floral industry, where I worked as a floral designer in search of beauty again, trying to find a place to express something inside of me. In 2000, I wanted to learn more advanced techniques from European floral designers, so I emigrated from Tokyo to Vancouver to pursue this dream. I worked for different flower shops, and later went back to school to become a horticulturist. Next, I became an organic gardener/ urban farmer and started photographing my creations.

Yes, twenty years later, I picked up a camera again, this time more seriously. I came full circle when I finally found a place to express myself through a lens with photography. I also cherish growing food, cooking homemade meals with fresh seasonal ingredients and styling them all! I started cooking at the age of 11 out of necessity because my mother left my twin sister and I when we were about 4 years old. I have learned cooking by watching my grandma in her kitchen and by eating her traditional Japanese dishes and Westernized meals. She has always been my inspiration!

Almost all the vegetables I use are organically grown in my garden, which is located in a plant hardiness zone 8, within the Greater Vancouver area, BC. That’s where I live with a long time partner and two four-legged friends. There are things that I cannot grow due to the space and the climate, so I support local farmers of all kinds and truly relish their beautiful artistry.

In 2012, I started this blog as a way to share my everyday life through food with my family in Japan, especially my twin sister! I hope to share this experience with you through my everyday healthy recipes and occasional indulgences. I would appreciate your comments and feedback, so please feel free to send me a message sometime!

And for those of you who wonder what gobo is, please check this post.

About Me

All photographs are taken by Emi Uchida, unless otherwise noted. All images and content are copyright of Emi Uchida and cannot be used without permission.

 

24 thoughts on “About Me”

  1. Hi Emi,

    I’m extremely interested in growing and cooking your own vegetables! But I have no experience. Could you advice where to start?

    1. Hi Anna, thank you for your interest. I suggest that you start reading The zero-Mile Diet by Carolyn Herriot that shows what it takes to grow food all year round and go into details. I find it very helpful! In the meantime, you can also go to a local nursery. They are knowledgeable and can suggest you the best vegetables to suit your climate.

  2. Hello! I just discovered your blog and I LOVE it!!! I’m from Korea but lived in Japan for two years before I came here to Vancouver (what a coincidence). I love Japanese food (and anything in general, really); I can’t wait to see more of your recipes on this blog!!

  3. Allo Emi,

    Félicitations pour ce projet vraiment très intéressant et qui reflète bien ta personnalité. Tu dois être fier de toi et en retirer une grande satisfaction.

    Les photos sont superbes et que dire des recettes. Tes propositions sont très inspirantes et instructives.

    Je me suis permis de transmettre le lien à plusieurs amis.

    À bientôt! Je t’embrasse!

    Steeve

    1. Allo Steeve. Merci pour ton commentaire, c’est très gentils! As-tu commencé ton jardin? Ou, est ce que vous avez encore de la neige? Grosses bises xx

      1. Nous sommes effectivement à préparer l’extérieur pour l’été. En plus de l’ajout d’une piscine, nous ferons un premier rectangle de culture. J’aurai l’occasion de t’en parler. Prends soin de toi xx!!

        Steeve

  4. I love the name of your blog because I make this gobo root-carrot salad that is great! Awesome blog!

    1. It’s an odd name but the name gobo represents myself well. Thank you for stopping by! I’ll post more gobo recipes when they are ready for the harvest: )

  5. Hello, Emi!

    I don’t know if you remember me or not but I was one of your customers at farmer’s market two summers ago (I loved your shishitou).

    I happened to find your blog here, your photos are amazing! and the styling and everything. Congratulations & good luck! 🙂

    1. Hi Hazuki, of course I remember you and I’m glad that you found me! As you can see I’ve been growing my own food in a smaller scale and perfecting unique recipes from my garden so stay tuned:)

  6. Was googling to verify that the “gobo” I found in a nearby Korean grocery was the same burdock root I have been traveling afar to purchase for juicing when I came upon your lovely blog……just wanted to tell you how delightful I find your blog and how peaceful your photography makes me feel! Gorgeous photos and wonderful sounding recipes, I will have to keep an eye out now for new entries. Thank you for sharing your lovely talents!!

    1. Hi Catherine. Thank you so much for the kind note. Comments like yours have really encouraged me to keep going since I started this blog almost a year ago. So thank you. By the way, I’m very curious about juicing gobo, I’d like to hear how you liked it. Look forward to hearing from you again!

  7. Hi Emi, I came over from Amber’s blog “One Good Thing,” I’m half Japanese but live in New Zealand (my other country) and got drawn in by your Japan trip photos. You have such a beautiful aesthetic – I used to read a lot of blogs but now, very few, but yours is a keeper.

  8. Hi Emi! Thank you so much for visiting my blog since it lead me to discover yours!! Oh so wonderful. I can’t wait to read the rest of your blog and I really enjoyed reading about you and how you came about to starting this blog. I love your photography!

    Can’t wait to continue following you along. Have a great weekend!

    Ana

  9. Hello Emi,

    I happened across your website on Pintrest. Another appreciative fan repinned your recipe for carrot lemon cake and I thought that sounded absolutely devine! When I looked up the recipe I found that you had named your website gobo root. My husband’s mother is Japanese and I love gobo! Thank you for the opportunity to peruse your recipes, many of which I have enjoyed eating before and will now be able to make them again!

    Denise

    1. Hi Denise. Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a wonderful feedback! Although I have lived in North America over a decade, my true Japaneseness has stayed in me. I still cook the dishes I’m familiar with from my childhood all the time so stay tuned for more recipes to come! You may come across something you are familiar with:)

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