Sushi Chef or Sushi Evangelist? Two Ways to Learn Sushi in Tokyo
A sushi chef makes sushi at the counter. A sushi evangelist helps you understand it, enjoy it, and make it yourself. Both matter, and they are different jobs.
Guests often ask me, halfway through shaping their second piece of nigiri, whether I am a sushi chef. I answered that question in I Am Not a Sushi Chef. This post goes one step further. If you want to learn about sushi in Tokyo, who should you learn from? Here is how I see the two roles, what each one gives you, and where each one falls short.
What a sushi chef does
A sushi chef’s skill is built over many years behind one counter. It is deep, precise and focused, and that focus is its strength.
- Craft that takes decades. The way a chef seasons rice, cuts fish and forms nigiri comes from thousands of repetitions.
- The counter is the stage. A chef’s work is to serve each piece at its best, in the moment, to the guest in front of them.
- Passing it on. A chef trains apprentices and hands down skill the slow way, by working side by side.
- A full range of choice. Depending on the chef, you can eat anything from everyday sushi to the finest omakase in Tokyo.
I still learn from a sushi chef myself. Since 2025, I have trained privately with a chef who has about 40 years of experience. He prefers to stay anonymous, and I keep it that way on purpose. To me, he stands for the many unnamed craftsmen who have quietly carried sushi culture for generations. Everything I teach rests on what people like him have built.
What a sushi evangelist does
A sushi evangelist stands between the counter and the guest. My job is to translate what chefs know into something you can understand, enjoy and take home.
- The process behind every piece. I spent a year at Tokyo Sushi Academy and keep training today. In class, I explain why each step exists: why we slice the rice instead of mixing it, why akazu (red vinegar) matters, why nigiri is shaped the way it is.
- Knowledge from outside the kitchen. Before sushi, I spent about 15 years in accounting. I have hosted travelers at home since 2013, guided guests around Tokyo, and photographed food for around 300 restaurants. That mix shapes how I teach: I think about what a guest needs to understand, not only what a cook needs to do.
- Sushi in the bigger picture. I place sushi within Japanese culture as a whole: the history of Edo, seasonality, the market, the manners at the counter. Sushi makes more sense when you see what surrounds it.
- A conversation in English. You can ask me anything directly, with no interpreter in between. My class is dialogue-led, so your questions shape the session.
- Not tied to one counter. I am free to go where the guest’s curiosity goes, inside my kitchen studio or outside it.
Side by side
| Sushi chef | Sushi evangelist | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Makes and serves sushi | Explains sushi and teaches you to make it |
| Where | Behind the restaurant counter | In a kitchen studio, at the market, or beside you at a counter |
| What you take away | A meal at the chef’s level | Understanding, and a skill you can repeat at home |
| Language | Often Japanese only | Direct conversation in English |
| Best for | Eating the best sushi of your trip | Learning why sushi is made the way it is |
Beyond the counter: Fred’s day in Tokyo
I took Fred and his wife to my favorite sushi restaurant and had seats in front of the sushi chef.
Because I am not tied to one counter, I can say yes to requests a restaurant cannot. A recent example came from Fred and his group.
They asked me to spend a day with them walking through Tokyo, with a few requests of their own along the way. I built those into the plan and took them to lunch at my favorite sushi counter. There, I did not make the sushi. I sat with them and explained what was in front of them: how the chef worked, how to eat each piece, and the manners that make the meal better.
Fred and I enjoyed sushi palate of 11 pieces.
Afterwards, Fred wrote:
“The food is outstanding, but Kenji’s sharing of his expertise in the art of sushi is exemplary (and fun!). Kenji is fun to be with, but he turns appropriately serious when talking about culture and protocol, all of which enhances the experience.”
Fred spent many years at one of the Big Four accounting firms. I spent about 15 years in accounting myself, including at an EY group firm, so I know how carefully people in that world choose their words. “Exemplary” is the language of a performance review, not a typical travel review. Coming from Fred, it meant a great deal to me.
That is the difference I want to describe in this post. The chef made the sushi. My role was to help Fred’s group understand it.
If you have a request of your own, such as joining you at a sushi counter or shaping the day around your interests, please write to me through the contact page. I read every message myself.
What I am not
I have never worked in a restaurant, and I will not pretend otherwise. A chef who has stood behind a counter for 30 years has a sense for fish and rice that I am still building.
My class is also not for everyone. If you want a quick, inexpensive plate of sushi, a good conveyor-belt restaurant is the better choice. And if you want the single best piece of sushi of your life, book a seat at a great chef’s counter. I will happily tell you how to enjoy it.
Restaurant technique is also designed for a restaurant: the same quality, many times a day, with professional equipment. At home, you need a different approach. That is part of what I teach.
Which is right for you?
It depends on what you want to bring home from Tokyo.
- You want one unforgettable meal. Book a sushi chef’s counter.
- You want to understand what you are eating. Learn from someone who can explain it in your language, whether in a class or beside you at a counter.
- You want to make sushi at home. Take a hands-on class designed for home cooks, not for restaurant kitchens.
- You want both. Do the class early in your trip, then visit a chef’s counter. You will notice far more.
Questions guests ask
Is your class taught by a sushi chef?
No. It is taught by me, a sushi evangelist. I trained at Tokyo Sushi Academy and continue to train with a veteran chef, but my role is to teach and explain, not to run a restaurant counter.
Can I really make sushi at home after one class?
Yes. The class is built for home cooks, with techniques you can repeat in your own kitchen.
Do I need to speak Japanese?
No. The class is in English, and you can ask me anything directly.
Can you join us at a sushi restaurant?
It depends on the request and the date. Please write to me through the contact page.
Learn sushi with me
My class starts with a one-hour walk through Tsukiji Outer Market, exploring the food culture that grew up around Tokyo’s fish market. Then we take the subway to my kitchen studio in Iriya and make Edomae sushi together. One private group per day, in English.