New Challenges for Sushi Artisans

Sushi is a symbol of Japanese food culture.

You sit directly across a counter communicating your preferences to a highly trained chef, enjoying fresh seafood and hospitality.

It can be a special dining experience.

Edomae is a traditional form of sushi.

In it, all toppings are prepped with salt and vinegar, or otherwise somehow cooked.

These processes are truly a showcase of culinary skill.

And now, traditional Edomae sushi is taking some fascinating new directions.

This restaurant specializes in unique combinations of ingredients.

Guests are invited to record the experience and preserve the memory.

Most other sushi chefs
don't take us seriously.

But we want to blaze
a new trail with our sushi.

Some chefs are also taking a fresh look at sushi training, where long, grueling apprenticeships are a tradition.

In this episode of The Signs, we explore trends in Edomae sushi, a distinctive part of Japanese cuisine.

This Edomae sushi restaurant is never short of customers.

Its unique approach to serving sushi is a hit with guests.

Delicious!

Traditional sushi dining can feel somewhat formal.

But a more relaxed approach is gaining popularity.

This restaurant goes one step further.

The sushi here is great
and the atmosphere is lively.

Ozaki Jun is an up-and-coming chef who is gaining a lot of attention.

He's a proponent of what he calls Neo Edomae sushi.

No one else is doing it.
That attracts attention.

If everyone else was doing it,
I wouldn't stand out.

Edomae sushi requires more preparation
than conventional sushi.

To that, I'm adding a modern presentation.

Edomae sushi dates back around 200 years.

In an age without refrigeration, seafood preserved with salt and vinegar was a delicious topping for rice.

Ozaki's Neo Edomae sushi may be new, but it's still firmly rooted in tradition.

The work of prepping ingredients starts early in the morning and takes many hours.

Seventy or eighty percent of the taste
depends on the prepping stage.

After that, all we do is slice and serve.

Guests can see we're not
serving fish straight from the market.

Let's take a look at how young sea bream are prepped in the Edomae style.

Salt draws out excess moisture and improves the flavor.

The flesh is rinsed with vinegar, and tiny bones are carefully removed.

These techniques let diners experience all the delicate flavors of the fish.

But if Ozaki's preparation is traditional, his presentation is anything but.

Neo Edomae sushi is a new experience for his guests.

Here's a case in point.

Crab meat, topped with sea urchin roe.

To bring out their natural sweetness, Ozaki adds caviar with just the right degree of saltiness.

Combining multiple ingredients into a harmonious flavor experience is a new concept in sushi.

Yes, this is delicious.

The innovation keeps coming.

Is everyone ready?

I'm mixing pureed monkfish liver
with vinegared rice.

I'll be serving this
on sheets of seaweed.

In the world of sushi, mixing an ingredient with rice is a daring move.

But the result is something completely different.

This is how Ozaki puts the "new" in Neo Edomae.

And he also adds novel touches in the way he mixes hospitality and performance.

Up until recently, most sushi restaurants did not allow photos.

But Ozaki was quick to give social media a role in his presentation.

Most chefs don't take us seriously.
I don't let it bother me.

My guests love my creations.
That's what matters most.

My sushi generates word of mouth.

It's part of the new Edomae way.

Last but not least, tamagoyaki.

Here too, Ozaki takes basic sushi to a new level.

He first adds pureed shrimp to the eggs in the traditional way.

Then he folds in a merengue of whipped egg whites, inspired by souffle technique.

The resulting mixture is light as a cloud.

He bakes it carefully for about 90 minutes.

The final touch: a layer of caramelized sugar.

The top is crunchy.

The interior is moist and light.

Neo Edomae tamagoyaki is Ozaki's closer.

I'm a fan of yours.

Say that a little louder!

I try to take the customer's viewpoint,
and do what would make me happy.

Delicious taste is a given.

Add good atmosphere, and customers
will leave saying they had a good time.

To me, that's the most rewarding thing.

Very kind - thank you so much for accommodating us.

It was delicious.

Ultimately, it's all about making the customer happy.

Traditional Japanese hospitality is the driving force behind Ozaki's new vision of sushi.

Edomae sushi is a world of traditions.

Aspiring chefs must complete a long and challenging apprenticeship.

The first-year apprentice handles cleanup and dish washing, as well as simple preparation and miscellaneous tasks.

During their second and third years, apprentices assist the chef with simple tasks behind the counter.

After learning to prep vegetables, they progress to seafood.

But more and more young people are finding it hard to complete their training, which can last up to ten years.

The result: a dire shortage of competent sushi chefs.

Sakagami Akifumi runs a high-end sushi restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district.

He's developed a new training system aimed at today's young apprentices.

Young people are in a hurry
to learn how to make sushi.

But usually they have to wait years.

There's no feeling of progress.
That's the main reason they quit.

So, Sakagami opened a new shop aimed at training young chefs.

He named it Toryumon, which means "gateway to success."

Apprentices in their 20s are already serving customers.

Uemura Samuel is a fourth-year trainee.

Kobayashi Kodai is in his ninth year.

Veteran sushi chefs give on the job training.

With apprentices making the sushi, prices are a small fraction of what Sakagami charges at his main restaurant.

But the seafood and ingredients are the same.

On weekends, there's a line outside for spots at the counter.

The guests may be watching, but the veteran chefs pull no punches in dispensing advice and guidance.

Thanks for waiting.

Not on the tray.

Uemura is doing too much talking and not enough work.

Move your hands, not your mouth.

They're not here for to hear you talk.

Don't keep the customer waiting.

The chance to watch a veteran chef train his apprentices is another reason people come here.

I like this shop,
and not just for the low prices.

We can experience what it's like
for young sushi chefs to grow.

Sakagami's trainees have a long way to go.

But putting them in front of customers has benefits.

The experience helps fourth-year apprentice Uemura appreciate the importance of kitchen work.

Serving guests shows me
how everything fits.

If I don't remove
every scale on this shrimp...

I'll have a problem at the counter.

Seeing the entire process end to end
makes me focus more on my prep work.

That's not all.

Good morning.

I look forward
to learning more today.

Egi Naoki is a first-year apprentice.

He's still too green to serve guests.

But his motivation has soared.

He works to learn more even on his days off.

With more experience,
I'll start serving customers.

Knowing that, my attitude has changed.

I want to be the best apprentice,
so I'm working hard toward that day.

Kobayashi Kodai is going on nine years as an apprentice.

His skills are advanced, but he says that serving customers has exposed his weak points.

Once I started serving customers,
I felt my shortcomings every day.

I need to balance friendliness
and distance with guests.

To know how to chat
and when to be quiet.

Receiving customers is hard.

Sakagami-sensei taught me
that sushi isn't just a culinary skill.

You have to develop as a person.

Sakagami breaks tradition by putting his trainees in front of customers early in their apprenticeship.

He's convinced this is the best way to learn what being a sushi chef is all about.

Without a modest, sincere attitude,
you can't satisfy customers.

Sushi is a key part
of Japanese food culture.

And culture is hard to transmit.

It should be handed down
firmly and correctly.

That's what mentors are for.

Edomae sushi, the fruit of two hundred years of tradition.

Now, this distinctive food culture must prove itself capable of adapting to the realities of a new era.

And chefs with vision and imagination are demonstrating that the future is bright.