KITCHEN Minoru
Photo‑Picture‑Book Author & Photographer
Founder, Texas BookSellers

Born in Fort Worth, Texas to an American father and Japanese mother, I relocated to Japan at age three after my parents’ divorce. At 18 I aimed to become a rakugo storyteller, stumbled, then applied (and failed) to daycare‑worker training schools. I devoted nearly all of high school to rakugo, movies, and mahjong, and by senior year mostly skipped classes—so the outcome was hardly surprising.

After high school I floated for a year, then entered the Department of Human Environment, Hosei University, where I studied community formation theory. That’s also when I discovered the fascination of photography—and adopted the name “Kitchen Minoru”.

Graduating, I took a job in a real‑estate sales firm and obtained the official real‑estate transaction agent qualification. The next year, celebrated photographer Takashi Kijima praised my work—so I quit the company and launched myself as a photographer. My corporate life lasted only one year, but it was a dense one: full of sharp sweet and sour. When I told Kijima‑sensei I’d left the company, he roared “IDIOT! Why’d you quit?!”, and I slunk off. Still, under his influence I began steadily building photographic work. That was in 2005.

Since then I’ve learned much from editors, writers, designers, and senior photographers, and now I work in books, magazines, web, advertising—shooting people and food as my main subjects. Starting in 2010 I began planning projects based on my surprising experiences at work and interesting phenomena around me. Using my photographic skills I’ve published books, hosted exhibitions, and shared in forms tailored to each project.

In 2019 I interviewed rakugo master Ichinosuke Shunpūtei and collected his pearl‑like sayings into a book titled Shi iwaku (Shogakukan) and also held exhibitions and talk shows. I guested on his radio show too—but I was so jittery I forget what I said.

I also followed tuna distribution for five years and released Maguro Relay (Monthly Kagaku no Tomo / Fukuinkan) and exhibited it at Ginrin Bunko at the Toyosu Market.

In 2021—on the publication of Taisetsu na Gyūnyū (Hakusensha)—I seriously launched myself as a “photo‑picture‑book author”. I’ve also taken up video shooting and editing, producing the YouTube channel “Nabe no Naka”.

In 2024 I founded my independent publishing house, Texas BookSellers, and expanded my activities beyond photography into publishing, design, website building, event planning, and more. https://texasbooksellers.jp/

Favorite treat: sweet potato.
Certified one‑star Tamarié (ID No. g019148).

Selected Works
Picture Books

Yama no Ki, Todoke! (Texas BookSellers)

Hikōki ga Tobu Mae ni (Texas BookSellers)

Taisetsu na Tamago (Hakusensha)

Asagao to Haru‑kun (PHP Kenkyūsho)

Taisetsu na Gyūnyū (Hakusensha)

Maguro Relay (Fukuinkan)
Photo Books & Author Works

The Egg Farm (Texas BookSellers)

The Dairy Farm (Texas BookSellers)

Kitchen Minoru’s Photo Class (Chikuma Shobo)

Tamagawa no Hitobito (Mill Books)

Textbook for Film Cameras (Raichō sha)

Umi (Texas BookSellers)
Projects & Co‑authored Works

Kombu no Hon (Fukuinkan)

Tsurutte Tabete Shiraberu Shinkai‑gyo (Fukuinkan)

Shunpūtei Ichinosuke – Shi Iwaku (Shogakukan)

Shunpūtei Ichinosuke no, Ichi no Ichi no Ichi (Shogakukan)

Okinawa – Nokoshitai Mise Wasurerarenai Aji (Seibundō Shinkōsha)

Meoto Pandora (New Foil)
YouTube Channel
“Nabe no Naka” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X38WhF3-C7g

Web Series
“Todoke! Otegami!! Kitchen Minoru’s At‑Home Social Studies” https://www.ism.life/ouchikengaku/index.html

“Shi Iwaku ~Fuwaku: Ichinosuke’s ‘I’ll listen only to stories’~” https://pdmagazine.jp/tag/shiiwaku/

Other Activities
Fully custom‑made & all‑handmade “Family Bookbinding”—in collaboration with professional interviewer Eriko Miyamoto. http://kazokuseihon.com

Workshop “MASK” — in partnership with fashion brand SUTOA, across Japan. https://www.kitchenminoru.com/info/02gallery/300.html

Social & Corporate
Instagram etc: https://linktr.ee/kitchenminoru

Inoue Co., Ltd. https://inoue.company