Nobuhiro Nishi’s decision to leave Japan was not an simple one in a society where home franchises are passed from father to elder brothers. Since 1850, Nishikane, his mother’s cafe in Fukui, has been serving kaiseki-style food since 1850, and the seventh generation is expected to carry on the legacy.
Unfortunately, Nishi’s father, who was 18 years old, encouraged him to work outdoors to broaden his perspective on food. He spent a number of years switching between his home restaurant and stints in other Japanese locations, finally taking over as chef of the three-Michelin-starred Kagurazaka Ishikawa in Tokyo from 2010 to 2014.
It was a turning point. Non-Japanese customers accounted for at least half of the customers, and the cafe often had pop-ups in cities like Seoul, Singapore, and San Francisco, which gave Nishi his inspiration. He explained:” In our home restaurant, we focused on serving the customers, but at Ishikawa there were many fascinating and exciting things beyond that. When did I make the decision to keep Japan and pursue further education. The bishop was obviously disappointed but he also saw his father’s determination. Nishi’s father destroyed the outlet in front of him so that he would n’t look back when the family restaurant was shut down.