As a cook and lifestyle guru, Harumi Kurihara has often been dubbed Japan's answer to America's Martha Stewart or Britain's Delia Smith. But in February this year, she scaled new heights when the English-language edition of her book "Harumi no Japanese Cooking" -- titled "Harumi's Japanese Cooking" -- was judged Best Cookbook of 2004 -- the highest honor bestowed at the 10th Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Orebro, Sweden. In scooping what's known in the culinary world as the "Cookbook Oscar," Kurihara not only outshone 5,000 entries from 67 countries, but she also became the first Asian to be awarded the honor.

Though international fame now seems to be hers for the taking -- with Spanish, French and Dutch editions of her book already out, and German and U.S. ones set for next year -- Kurihara has long been a household name at home. Here, her books have sold almost 6.5 million copies, her quarterly magazine, Suteki Reshipi (Lovely Recipes), has sold 8.7 million copies and she has a long-running cookery series in the women's magazine Lee. As well as that, her company, Yutori no Kukan (Relaxed Space), runs six restaurants, as well as 25 department-store outlets nationwide that bear her name and sell household goods ranging from dishes and kitchen utensils to T-shirts, towels and aprons.

So what is so special about Japan's best-known karisuma shufu (charisma housewife)?