Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa Of Tokyo: Edible Haikus Worthy Of Michelin Stars

Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa exudes the serenity of a man who has found the equilibrium between passion, which in his case is cuisine, and a contemplative attitude to life. Coupling Japanese culture and seasonality with French sensibility acquired through his time in Europe with chefs like Paul Bocuse and Joël Robuchon, Narisawa has developed his own distinctive "Satoyama" cuisine. This unique style of cooking is an ode to his Japanese culture and ancestors, bridging centuries-old traditions and the contemporary (satoyama is the Japanese term for the borderland between foothills and flatland).

As one of Japan's trailblazing chefs, Narisawa has garnered international attention for his artistic depiction of natural landscapes on plates at his Narisawa restaurant in Tokyo's Minami Aoyama neighborhood. A visit to his table evokes the earthy aromas of nature and the harmony of seasons realized as comestible poetry. Subdued seasonings may include herbs, flowers, or even charred vegetables meant to enhance his contemplative creations.

One of his iconic dishes, "Essence of The Forest and Satoyama Scenery," is most representative of his edible landscapes, with a soil of matcha, soy pulp, black tea, and bamboo representing the forest floor while edible branches are made using ten different ingredients. The "Bread of The Forest," baked at the table with butter disguised as a moss-covered rock, precedes courses highlighting Japanese ingredients like sea snake, seasonal ayu fish, snow crab, fugu (pufferfish), or (when in season) cherry blossoms. Narisawa's imaginative cuisine is literally hands-on, as surprised diners at this two-Michelin-star restaurant are instructed to use their fingers or spear food with twigs at the draped white tables. Japanese wines and unique sakes are optional pairings with the tasting menu, while teetotalers have the option of tea pairings curated by a tea expert.

The usually quiet, reserved chef is vocal when it comes to Japanese products and the topic of sustainability. As one of the first Japanese chefs to speak out about the use of pesticides in Japanese agriculture he has paved the way for conservation and a renewed connection to nature. He was the first recipient of the Sustainable Restaurant award from The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2013 for his mindful cuisine. Since 1996 he has owned and operated his own establishments: first the La Napoule restaurant and then the present restaurant, opened in 2003 as Les Creations de Narisawa and now simply called Narisawa. Over time, his style and cuisine has moved from a very French perspective toward his Japanese roots. His passion also extends to wine, and consequently the restaurant uniquely showcases the finest wines produced in Japan. The two-Michelin-starred restaurant has been in the top ten of The World's 50 Best Restaurants list for many years and was voted No. 18 in 2017. On Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list, it currently holds the No. 6 spot, making it the top restaurant in Japan.

Narisawa's familiarity with kitchens goes back to his childhood in Aichi prefecture south of Tokyo, where he was exposed to both Japanese food culture (in his grandfather's sweet shop) and Western culture (in his father's shop, which relied on local dairy and eggs for its confections). Reminiscing about those days, he shared: "My grandfather used to pound steamed rice to into rice cake [mochi] at home during the New Year days, so I was always looking forward to fresh rice cake. I also liked my father's fresh-baked bread every morning and from the spring until summer I loved the Japanese sweet with Japanese mugwort (known as yomogi in Japan, it belongs to the chrysanthemum family) picked by my father." The Japanese sensibility of beauty and emotion epitomized by the phrase mono no aware, or "the pathos of things," or sometimes "a sensitivity to ephemera" is beautifully encapsulated in his work — in the case of his cuisine, it references the transience of nature. The serene dining room of his restaurant allows glimpses of the kitchen team in action through sliding glass doors, and diners are treated to seamless and attentive service.

Narisawa sits on the International Culinary Council of the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián, Spain, with the likes of Ferran Adrià, Massimo Bottura, Alex Atala, René Redzepi, Dan Barber, and Enrique Olvera. In an industry where transient celebrity status turns chefs into egoistical rock stars of the moment, Narisawa is an example of a man with his feet on the ground, unaffected by the media hyperbole. Whether at home in Japan, or speaking and cooking at international food events, he stands out for his dignified manner and humility. When not on foraging trips into the Japanese hinterland he can be found surfing the waves at Amami Ooshima Island, so it's not surprising that the surfing-centric San Sebastián is one of favorite places to visit.

The Daily Meal: How do you bridge tradition with modernity in your kitchen?

Yoshihiro Narisawa: Tradition was formed over a long period of time and is actually a kind of style that was necessary for each period in history. Modernity, on the other hand, is a reflection of actual society and the natural environment. The style always exists, so I make use of the part of the style that is necessary while at the same time I use the current technique by thinking of the future. Therefore in the kitchen, tradition and modernity always coexist. Nowadays, it's necessary to understand tradition and its influence on the society and natural environment for the future.

What brought you into the fold of the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián all the way from Tokyo?

I became part of it because I believe proper education is very important for people coming into the industry. They must prepare well before going to work in a kitchen. I believe that San Sebastián is one of the most influential towns in the world in terms of gastronomy. Anyway, I don't think of it as very far and I have a lot of friends in that part of the world.

Your restaurant was the first to win the Most Sustainable Restaurant award from The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list. Is the concept of sustainability new for the Japanese culture or is respect for ingredients also ingrained in the Japanese kitchen?

I think using the use of the term sustainable is new to gastronomy in Japan, even if the concept has always been around. The respect for ingredients and the way products like wagyu are raised, for example, with a lot of care is part of our culture. Wagyu along with sushi is one of the most recognized elements of Japanese cuisine around the world. It is however questionable if the sushi chefs working in Japan are aware if they are using sustainable fish or not wasting products. I think we are still missing a lot of information and not paying attention to these aspects in Japan. We need to get more involved in these issues.

After the Fukushima disaster in Japan, is there concern about the quality of the country's products, especially with regard to GMOs?

Not only because of Fukushima, but I feel these days, in our modern society, we are more concerned with quality and effects on our body of products we consume. Using color or preservatives has a far worse effect on health than anything else.
 

Japan has a very big program regarding the GMOs. In this process, small producers become slaves of big corporations, which is unfair and must be rectified. It happens everywhere else in the world too and is a very big and complex problem that is difficult to understand or resolve. The market is controlled just like nuclear matter in a war. It is important to understand it even though it is a huge problematic issue and we need to work on it.

Since chefs cook and work with products every day, are they more intimately connected with the products? How can chefs become more involved with these issues?

I think every chef should use proper ingredients using their relationships with suppliers. In reality, supply and demand should be equally balanced, otherwise the producers, especially small producers, will disappear. From my perspective, large corporations and companies are the biggest negative influencers, and chefs should send a message to these kinds of entities by the way they work and while choosing products to work with.
 

Chefs should also participate in educating children to recognize the differences in products and their health benefits. Products like chips, fast food as well as convenience foods sold by big companies in supermarkets, are what children often consume. It is our obligation as chefs to children to educate them so that the next generation can imbibe the proper values.

Do chefs with one restaurant and those with multiple operations view these issues from a different angle?

I don't think it matters much how many restaurants a chef has. For me, what is more important is that the chef is cooking every day. The concept of each chef may be different, but cooking is what is the basis of our work. It is also important for the chef to teach their staff their concept and values, and in my case what is more important to me is to learn to use the proper ingredients. Restaurants I believe should send a message out to society which is an important part of a chef's work. Teaching is crucial to imparting values and concepts, but more importantly techniques must be shared and taught.

In your case, does having a tasting menu give you an advantage in working with seasonal ingredients?

Yes it does, but of course at the same time we adapt to the client's requirements or allergies or dietary restrictions, so it's not the same thing for everyone dining in the restaurant.

Social media makes it easy for ideas to be replicated in other kitchens. Does it have a positive impact?

Social media does enable pictures of dishes to go all over in a moment. I feel it is very dangerous because it is just a picture that contains no message or the philosophy of the creator. I hope that a picture of my dish sends something more than an image.

Do well-known chefs help make a product trendy when they choose to work with a certain ingredient?

It's all a way of thinking about products. I feel using an ingredient from Peru in Italy or Japan is ridiculous. I feel we should use ingredients that are local and around you wherever you are.

How important is animal protein in Japanese cuisine? With scarcity of products looming ahead, will this result in a more vegetable-based or alternative protein diet?

Earlier Japanese diets did not incorporate a lot of animal protein, and during those times the average life span was shorter. When animal proteins were introduced in larger quantities people started living longer. Vegetarian people are believed to have shorter lifespan, I think. As for the scarcity in the future I don't feel it is going to shift toward vegetable-based diets or menus in restaurants.
 

Alternate proteins like insects were customary in Japan at one time during very poor conditions. I am now focusing on ingredients like sea snake and turtles, because they taste good, for one thing, and can be used to implement change in ingredients. I demonstrated a sea snake dish at the San Sebastián Gastronomika last year, though I couldn't use turtle as it is prohibited in Spain. Both are on the menu at Narisawa.

Is the Japanese kitchen frugal and mindful regarding food waste? Do you use every part of a product?

Of course. In Narisawa we don't waste anything, and every day I tell my staff that we should maximize the use of each product. In Japan, especially in sushi restaurants, there is a lot of food waste, as they throw away the parts of fish or vegetable that they do not use. Such food waste is a recognizable problem in Japan. In our case, if a product has edible parts that cannot be served to guests, we use these in our staff meals.

When you travel, cook, and dine all over the world, do you find inspiration or new ideas to bring back to Japan?

At the moment when I travel I am interested in learning and finding new things in the countries I visit. I like to learn something that we can emulate in Japan to exert a positive change. I am very interested now in carrying back this message to the Japanese chefs so we can all progress. For example, in sushi restaurants, they stress the use of "wild fish" but they do not comprehend the dangerous situation with regard to our natural resources. They are still living with the concepts from100 years ago.

Are there any new concepts or ingredients you are working on for next season's menu?

My concept hasn't changed for a long time. It's safeness, sustainability, and using delicious ingredients. When I cook I am always thinking about how I can make good use of the ingredients. I like to pursue the Japanese food culture while thinking about Japanese geographic environment and culture.

What are the qualities a creative cook must have, and is it possible to learn to be creative or does it have to come naturally?

Knowledge of ingredients and basic techniques of cooking are essential qualities for a cook, according to me. With these two qualities, one creates dishes with imagination which is unique to each individual. As for learning we can learn to be creative by observing nature, talking with other professionals, appreciating the art and listening to music, traveling and learning about new cuisines.

What do you like about having guest chefs in your kitchen or cooking in their kitchens during collaborative dinners?

Having guest chefs in our kitchen stimulates our young staff members, and we learn a lot by observing how another chef works. Collaborative dinners in another kitchen are very meaningful to me because I can learn about the ingredients of different places and I really enjoy communicating with staff at these restaurants. In each restaurant, I can feel the passion of young trainees from all over the world, and I enjoy answering their questions and talking with them about cooking.

What is your favorite place to travel in Japan? Do natural landscapes interest you more?

I like going in to nature especially mountains and the sea and not so much to a big city. If there are fantastic ingredients wherever I travel to then it is more interesting to me as a chef. Nature provides inspiration for a lot of my cooking, and especially Japanese forests, because there are still many natural and wild plants that I like to discover and cook something delicious with.

Is the Japanese kitchen influenced by French cuisine or vice versa? Is your style influenced by your French training?

I think so, but what I am doing now is the opposite of this idea. I am going towards the Japanese roots. I feel it is not only just French cuisine and culture but there is a connection with other countries, including Italy and China. My style of course is influenced by France but also Italy and Spain, where I have spent time. Recently I am more influenced by South American cuisine. When I initially started my career as a chef, I was influenced by so many people in countries like France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Japan, so it's a continuing process.

How important are awards like Michelin or 50 Best to you?

The awards encourage the producers and staffs who are working with us. If we can get a good result, it's a fantastic reward.