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When a family books my sushi class, I make one decision before we even meet: I teach to the youngest guest. I pitch the lesson to their level, and I talk to them more than to anyone else. If the youngest is engaged, the whole family is. Last Saturday, the youngest guest was Isaac. He was six years old, and he did not eat sushi yet. A family of six, and one request Greg and Chelsea came to Tokyo with their four children, ages 6, 9, 11, and 12. A few days before the class, Greg wrote to me. The three older kids loved sushi, he said. Isaac did not eat it yet, but Greg hoped he would enjoy learning […]

Chapter 31: The Room Next Door Where Would I Teach? Even while I was studying at Tokyo Sushi Academy, one question kept circling in my mind: “Where am I actually going to teach this sushi class?” Skills? Yes. Knife work? Yes. Edomae techniques, rice, fish, timing—every piece of the sushi class was gradually falling into place. I knew that sooner or later, Japan would fully reopen. Tourists would come back. When that happened, I wanted to be ready. But the one thing I still didn’t have was a place to actually welcome my guests. An Empty Room Changes Shape Back then, I was living in a small, slightly tired apartment building in the south of Tokyo. Nothing fancy. A narrow […]

Chapter 26: My First Sushi Party An Invitation from Taka-san About nine months after I started attending Tokyo Sushi Academy, the Christmas season arrived. One day, I got a message from an old friend, a CEO named Taka-san: “Kenji, we’re having a Christmas party. Would you come and make sushi for everyone?” By then, I had learned a decent variety of toppings and basic techniques. My hands weren’t fast yet, but at least they knew what they were supposed to do. So I said yes. The Power of a Sushi Display Case But I had one request. “If we’re going to do this properly,” I told him, “could you buy a real sushi display case for the fish?” I explained […]

Chapter 23: What Is Edomae Sushi? A Word Most Guests Have Never Heard Have you ever heard of “Edomae sushi”? Probably not. Maybe you’ve heard of omakase, or tried “authentic sushi in Tokyo.” Maybe you know the difference between nigiri and sashimi, or you can name your favorite cut of tuna. But Edomae? For most of my guests—even serious food lovers from the U.S.—the word is completely new. So… what is Edomae sushi? Sushi with a Passport If we stopped a hundred people on the streets of Los Angeles or New York and asked, “Have you ever had Champagne?” most of them would say yes. If we asked the same people, “Have you ever had Edomae sushi?” almost no one […]

Chapter 18: Why Successful CEOs Open Sushi Bars A Curious Tokyo Pattern In Tokyo, there is a curious pattern you hear about again and again. When a CEO becomes truly successful, he doesn’t always buy a yacht or a sports car. He opens… a sushi bar. It doesn’t matter whether his main business is IT, recruiting, or e-commerce. Somehow, CEO life and sushi counters seem to go hand in hand. Why? Because in Japan, high-end sushi restaurants are the perfect stage for business dinners. The Counter as a Negotiation Table For most Japanese people, a luxury sushi counter is a special space, far removed from everyday life. You sit at the counter. The chef stands right in front of you, […]

Chapter 14: The Logic Behind the Art The Myth of Endless Suffering Before I enrolled, I believed—like most Japanese people—that becoming a sushi chef required endless, almost mysterious years of suffering. As the saying goes: three years just to be allowed to cook the rice. Five years before you can touch the rice for sushi. A lifetime before you are trusted with nigiri. Long hours. Little pay. Almost no structured teaching. Just being shouted at in a cramped kitchen and learning by surviving. I had always assumed that was just how it was. So when I walked into Tokyo Sushi Academy for the first time, I was prepared for something harsh and painful. Every Technique Has a Reason Instead, I […]

Chapter 9: The World Shuts Down A Phone Call Near the Imperial Palace In December 2019, I was guiding a group of college students from New York through Tokyo. As we strolled near the Imperial Palace, one of their phones rang. It was his mother calling from the U.S. “Put on a mask. Right now. There’s a virus spreading in China. It’ll reach Tokyo soon.” The boys looked shaken. Within minutes, they were walking through Tokyo fully masked. They even bought designer masks at A Bathing Ape in Shibuya, smiling beneath the fabric. I watched them with curiosity, thinking, “Isn’t that a bit much?” After all, it was just something happening in China… wasn’t it? I couldn’t have been more […]

Chapter 6: Living Two Lives More Than a Side Hustle When I started guiding food tours, it was just a weekend side hustle. But the UK-based company assigned me more and more tours, and I quickly realized just how much demand there was for food experiences in tourism. Most of my guests were couples—honeymooners, people celebrating anniversaries, even a few planning to propose during their trip to Japan. They were here for memories, not just meals. Escaping the Office After Dark Meanwhile, I was stuck in a joyless accounting job with no hope of promotion, no raise in sight, and not even a girlfriend to text goodnight. By day, I dragged myself through spreadsheets and tax documents. But by evening, […]

Chapter 1: The Weight of a “Perfect” Career Another Morning, Another Sigh Another morning, another sigh. I dragged myself out of bed and opened the curtains, only to find the same dull light seeping in. The thought of squeezing into the rush-hour train already made my stomach ache. Prestige on Paper At the time, I was working at the Tokyo office of Ernst & Young, a global accounting firm. On paper, it was a great job—prestigious, international, full of promise. I used English every day with clients from the UK, Singapore, Canada, and Germany. It should have felt exciting. But deep down, I was completely miserable. My job involved checking numbers, correcting minor mistakes, and being reprimanded for even a […]

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 […]