A fantastic culinary journey to Tokyo by acclaimed chefs Kimi Mikuni and Yusuke Nomura

Those who travel to Tokyo will be able to enjoy cuisine from around the world. Great Japanese chefs let the Euronews team discover some of the secrets of their cuisine.

Kimi Mikuni is one of the most famous chefs.

“I used to work in Europe and all the chefs in ‘three-star’ restaurants used local vegetables, from local producers, and my culinary characteristics were influenced by this. I express this by using Tokyo produce and Tokyo vegetables as main ingredients.”, declares the celebrity chef.

The area where your restaurant is located Mikuni Marunouchi, a place known as Marunouchi Brick Square, is a very special place, and it is surrounded by many large buildings. It has the only garden in the area in the yard.

“When I was 18 years old, I started working at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, washing dishes. I used to go to a ramen restaurant called Horan, a five-minute walk from the Imperial Hotel,” says the Japanese chef.

Kiyomi Mikuni usually goes to the same ramen restaurant all the time, a place that has been open for nearly 50 years and loves it. “It’s excellent!”

On her days off, she enjoys Tsukiji Market. He loves to see the knives and ingredients, but the most interesting thing for him is checking out what’s in season and trying them. On this occasion, he found the national tuna, and decided to buy some pieces after trying it.

He says, “It just melts in your mouth, like butter! It’s that good!”

Yusuke Nomura describes the Japanese capital as a delicious, fun, beautiful, modern and very exciting city. He is the head chef at the two Michelin-starred restaurant Daigo, located in the Toranomon district of Tokyo. Daigo was founded by his grandmother, Yoshiko Nomura, in 1950. Yosuke Nomura is the fourth generation of chef.

He notes, “Chojin cuisine focuses on vegetables. Based on Buddhist teachings, it tries not to waste food and cooks carefully. It is also said to be good for health.”

Next to the restaurant is a temple called Seishoji. Whenever a chef has questions in my kitchen, or in my life, I go there for spiritual support, for answers. Building skyscrapers in the shape of a lotus flower or admiring, from there, the landscape of Tokyo Tower … This kind of fusion of tradition and innovation is also a great inspiration for his cuisine.

During his days off, he likes to walk around Shibuya.

“What attracts me to Shibuya is that the ideas of outstanding young artists of all kinds, such as digital design, architecture, and music, come together and continue to challenge themselves,” he says.

In Shibuya, he’s also involved in a new project: the sauna. Meanwhile, he uses his knowledge of “chojin cuisine” to produce some vegetarian dishes familiar to the youngsters, such as curry and ramen.

He concludes, “Tokyo is a very cultural city, one that can excite any visitor.”