About Saya

Hi, I’m Saya — a vegan pastry chef based in Berlin, Germany, originally from Aichi, Japan.

I run Saishoku Gohan, a plant-based recipe site, while raising my one-year-old daughter. Whether you’ve been eating plant-based for years or you’re just curious about where to start — I’m glad you’re here:)

WHY PLANT-BASED

Why I chose a plant-based life

It wasn’t one big moment. It was a gradual shift that began when I moved abroad in my twenties.

For the first time in my life, I had friends who were vegan. I’d never encountered that growing up in Japan. I remember being surprised to see entire sections of supermarkets dedicated to plant-based products — it was completely normal there, and it made me curious.

Then one evening over dinner, a friend asked me something I’d never really thought about. “You say ‘itadakimasu’ before eating — you’re acknowledging that you’re receiving a life. But is that enough?”

My first reaction was to push back. Animals have always eaten other animals. As long as we’re grateful, isn’t that okay? But I kept thinking about it, and I started looking into things more deeply.

What I found was hard to ignore.

I learned about the conditions many animals are raised in. I learned that even eggs — which I’d always assumed were harmless — involved the suffering and death of animals behind the scenes. I learned how much damage animal agriculture and fishing cause to ecosystems and the natural world.

And then I learned something that changed everything: with a little planning, humans can live healthy, full lives without any of it.

That’s when I became vegan. Not out of guilt, but out of understanding. It felt like the most honest choice I could make.

ABOUT THIS SITE

Why I started Saishoku Gohan

Plant-based eating isn’t just for a certain type of person. It’s for anyone who’s curious, and I’d love for this site to be your starting point.

I believe that if good, accessible recipes exist, people will choose them.

You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. You don’t need to be perfectly informed or deeply committed. You just need an easy recipe that happens to be plant-based — something that tastes good, works on a weeknight, and doesn’t require specialty ingredients.

That’s what I set out to create with this site.

If more people have access to plant-based recipes they actually want to cook, then more people can make choices that are kinder to animals and gentler on the planet. It’s one of the most peaceful and practical actions any of us can take — and it starts in the kitchen.

I’m a trained pastry chef, and I put that knowledge into every recipe I share. Simple, nourishing, and genuinely delicious — made with ingredients you can find at your local supermarket, tonight.

Read more about this site, “Saishoku-Gohan”.⇩

MY LIFE NOW

Life in Berlin

Life in Berlin

These days, I live in Berlin with my husband and our one-year-old daughter.

Cooking with a baby means less time and energy than before. But if anything, becoming a mother has made my commitment to plant-based eating stronger. I want to nourish my daughter with food made with care. I want her to grow up in a world that still has clean oceans, healthy ecosystems, and space for all kinds of living things.

The recipes here reflect that. Quick enough for busy days, nutritious enough to feel good about, and always plant-based.

BACKGROUND

My journey

Growing up in Aichi, Japan, I always loved being in the kitchen. As a child, I was determined to become a cake maker — and I did exactly that.

After completing my pastry training and earning a professional qualification in Japan, I moved to Melbourne, Australia, for its incredible café culture. It was there that I first encountered veganism — through friends, through food, and through conversations that made me think differently.

From Melbourne, I moved to Europe, and eventually settled in Berlin — a city where plant-based living is woven into everyday life. It felt like the right place to keep exploring.