Meet Julien: Curator of Cuisine-Centric Adventures in Kyoto—and Beyond
- By Zen Gaijin
- Jun 2
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 11
Looking for a memorable culinary experience in Kyoto? ? Meet Julien Doukhan, the French-Japanese chef behind Maka-Sete, whose immersive, food-focused adventures reveal a side of the city most visitors never see. With deep cultural insight, a chef’s deep knowledge of cuisine, and a storyteller’s flair, Julien opens doors to Kyoto’s culinary soul—from the secrets of Nishiki Market to the quiet elegance of kaiseki dining. Each time we’ve spent time with him, we’ve come away inspired, impressed, and warmed by his gregarious spirit.
At Zen Gaijin, we usually steer clear of personal profiles. Our focus is on places—the little-known, unforgettable corners of Japan that reveal something deep or unexpected about its culture. Protective of our editorial independence, we avoid advertorials and promotional pieces.
Julien Doukhan merits an exception.
Not just because he offers immersive culturally rich culinary adventures all across Japan—but because, at thirty-two, he is something of an adventure himself. Julien operates under the name Maka-Sete, a phrase that translates loosely to “leave it to me.” It’s an apt slogan for someone who casts himself as a gateway to Japanese gastronomy for curious, discerning travelers. The product of diverse linguistic influences, Julien is fluent in Japanese, English, and French enabling him to work comfortably cross-culturally.
Julien describes himself as a “premier culinary guide for mid- to high-end guests intrigued by Japan’s edible heritage”—and in our experience, that’s exactly what he is.
A Culinary Historian at Heart
Julien is happy to share all that he knows not because he has memorized a tour guide’s script, but because he lives and breathes the world of food.
“Although I have numerous friends and contacts in Tokyo, Osaka and elsewhere, I particularly love Kyoto,” Julien says. “While the food scene in exciting cities like Tokyo and Osaka bustles with novelty and culinary dynamism, Kyoto’s cuisine remains rooted in its traditions and legacies, emphasizing meticulous craftsmanship passed down over hundreds of years. In Kyoto, chefs are not merely cooks. They see themselves as guardians of an honorable heritage and willingly accept the solemn duty of preserving culinary knowledge and passing it down to successor generations.”
How We Discovered Julien
We first connected with Julien on a trip to Kyoto several years ago. Eager to explore the fabled Nishiki Market—often called "Kyoto’s Kitchen"—we were also wary of being swept up in the tourist crush or missing the deeper story. With over 135 tightly packed stalls, Nishiki is a sensory overload of colors, smells, and sounds. It's where local chefs and families alike come to provision their kitchens, but in the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to miss the deeper stories—and hard to distinguish the performative from the profound.
Julien allayed our fears of being overwhelmed or missing out. At our first meeting, Julien didn’t just show us the Nishiki Market—he opened a door into the cultural DNA of Kyoto’s cuisine.
As a chef himself, he provided more than just a guided walk along the market’s long aisles. He gave us a behind-the-scenes experience rooted in culinary knowledge and cultural insight.
Julien doesn’t just show you things—he unpacks the whys and wherefores, both historical and contemporary, of what you’re seeing. On our initial tour, for instance, he took us to a knife artisan’s workshop and explained why Kyoto fish knives differ in shape from those used in Tokyo (they’re tailored to suit the different regional fish).
He also cleared up a common myth. Left-handed single-edged knives do exist today, but traditionally, craftsmen didn’t make them. Left-handed chefs had to adapt, learning to cut with their right hand to get the clean, precise slices made possible by blades sharpened on one side only.
By the end of our first tour, we hadn’t just sampled splendid food—we’d started thinking differently about Japanese cuisine altogether.
On later tours with Julien, that feeling only deepened.
“A 1,200-year meatless history still shapes Japanese cuisine today.”
Time and again, Julien made these kinds of connections—linking food to philosophy, history, and cultural values.
Each tour with him has offered something more than just spirited walks and delicious tastings. They’ve been full of unexpected insights we’d never considered.
Julien also helped us understand why Kyoto cuisine is widely regarded as the most refined in Japan. This reputation goes beyond the centuries of imperial court influence; it reflects the attention to nuance, seasonality, and aesthetics that defines the city's food philosophy.
That refinement extends even to Kyoto’s water. We were fascinated to learn that top restaurants in Tokyo regularly send trucks to Kyoto not just to buy ingredients, but also to collect Kyoto’s famously soft, mineral-balanced water—considered ideal for making dashi and other foundational preparations.
His Own Recipe: Multicultural Roots and a Taste for Reinvention
Julien’s story reads like one of the fusion dishes he might dream up. He’s the eldest of four, born in France to a Japanese mother and a French father, and raised under the culinary influence of an Italian grandmother and an Algerian grandfather. In his family, food wasn’t just nourishment—it was identity, memory, and joy. That deep-rooted passion still drives him, shaped by a childhood where flavors crossed cultures and every meal told a story.
After his parents divorced, Julien followed his father to Shanghai and later to the Philippines. At the time, he was aiming for a career in finance.
From Dishwasher to Chef to Curator
That goal brought him to Kyoto, where he enrolled in finance studies at Doshisha University. But it was what he did after class that truly lit the spark: working nights as a commis chef in a local restaurant.
By nineteen, he knew the path he wanted to follow. He stepped fully into the world of fine dining, landing an apprenticeship at a Kyoto sushi restaurant under Chef Ryuji Fukagawa—an uncompromising mentor known for his discipline, precision, and deep respect for tradition.
For several years, Julien wasn’t allowed to touch food. His duties were limited to clearing tables, scrubbing dishes, and keeping the kitchen spotless. Only gradually did he earn the right to prep ingredients and begin developing his technique.
A short YouTube clip from those early days—filmed inside the restaurant kitchen—offers a rare glimpse of Julien in action as a young apprentice. It’s a compelling window into the discipline, intensity, and emerging charm that still define his work today. Watching it, you can see his focus and drive—but also the early stirrings of a bigger question taking shape. As he stared down the prospect of doing the same thing for decades, he began to wonder: How can I put my own unique stamp on the world of food?
Opening a Restaurant—and Being Forced to Close It Again
After seven years in the food industry, Julien opened his own restaurant, Les Deux Garçons Cafe, hoping to bring high-quality French cuisine to Kyoto at an affordable price. It was a bold, intensely personal project―launched at the worst possible moment: the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. Julien’s dream was among the many dashed in the rash of restaurant shutdowns.
As painful as it was, the loss of his restaurant was an eye-opener for Julien. As he took stock of his future, he realized that his passion actually lay less in the kitchen—and more in sharing his broad culinary knowledge and experience with others instead.
Pivoting to Experiences
He pivoted—at first gradually, then all at once. With the support of chefs and contacts around Kyoto and Kobe, Julien began guiding food-focused tours and leading cooking classes—often collaborating with local craftsmen and artisans, all the while refining his own culinary voice.
“I found I really liked being with people―people of diverse backgrounds and cultures―as much as being in the kitchen,” he says. “Still, at this point I didn’t think of myself as an event planner or cultural curator.”
Maka-Sete: A Brand Built on Trust and Taste
That viewpoint changed with experience. Four years ago, now sure of what he wanted to do, Julien formalized his business as Maka-Sete, offering intimate tours for couples and small groups, as well as full-scale events for companies with up to 100 guests.
In this collaborative role, what sets Julien apart is not just his expertise, but his agility. Japan is not known for flexibility in its tour industry. Julien is. Whether it’s designing an immersive three-day culinary experience for high-powered executives or tailoring a market tour for picky kids or food-allergic parents, Julien always finds a way to make it work―and to ensure his clients savor the experience.
Looking Ahead
At this point, if you ask Julien whether he still sees himself as a solo operator or now considers himself a budding entrepreneur, he smiles: “Yes--both. I am both. I do both. And want to keep doing both.”
Julien is expanding his vision now—dreaming of expanding Maka-Sete to Europe, perhaps France or Italy. Of course, that will mean more staff, more training, and more management. And a lot more people experiencing Japan through the deeply personal, flavorful lens Julien offers.
A tall order, but as Julien’s business name reminds us, Maka Sete. “Leave it to me.”
© 2025 Zen Gaijin. This content is original research and may not be reproduced without permission.
