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Chef of Ginza Kojyu - Toru Okuta<\/p>\nIn July, I visited \u201cGinza Kojyu,\u201d a two-Michelin-star kaiseki restaurant in the fiercely competitive culinary district of Ginza, Tokyo.\u00a0Located\u00a0on the fourth floor of a building amidst Ginza\u2019s glittering facades, its discreet signage is easy to miss if you\u2019re not looking closely.<\/p>\n
When the elevator doors opened, a different world unfolded \u2014 a small garden with stone paths led me to the counter seats. Chef Toru Okuda, with his gentle demeanor and calm presence, greeted us from behind a 700-year-old hinoki cypress counter. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he surprised us by bringing out hamo (pike conger), a prized summer fish, and began skillfully performing the traditional\u00a0honegiri\u00a0(bone-cutting) technique right\u00a0in front of\u00a0our eyes.<\/p>\n
Chef of Ginza Kojyu - Toru Okuta<\/p>\n
In kaiseki, the honegiri technique is one of the truest tests of a chef\u2019s skill, and mastering this alone can take five to ten years.\u00a0Pike conger\u00a0is at its fattest and most flavorful before autumn, but its flesh is riddled with tiny bones only about 1\u20132 centimeters apart. The bones must be cut without piercing the skin \u2014 typically at intervals of \u201cone inch, twenty-five cuts\u201d \u2014 requiring exact precision. With a calm and practiced motion, Chef Okuda tilted his knife and produced\u00a0the\u00a0rhythmic\u00a0cutting\u00a0as he worked, more effortlessly than I can slice onions at home.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tastytrip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ko1.jpeg\")
Hamo<\/p>\n
Once prepared, the hamo\u00a0got\u00a0a quick blanch in hot water and an immediate ice bath. The meat curled slightly, tender yet springy, with bones so finely cut they disappeared on the palate. Paired with tart plum sauce and crisp okra, its subtle fragrance shone through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next came fatty tuna belly diced into cubes, lightly seared\u00a0and\u00a0dressed in a soy-egg yolk sauce, and so tender it melted\u00a0right away. Sweet, creamy\u00a0purple\u00a0sea urchin\u00a0(Murasaki Uni)\u00a0and briny nori deepened the ocean\u2019s embrace;\u00a0The\u00a0steamed abalone, thick and springy, was paired with Kamo eggplant, tofu pur\u00e9e, and edamame, all finished with a deep green sauce made from abalone liver, heightening the shellfish\u2019s natural intensity. Ise lobster and flounder sashimi followed \u2014 the lobster crisp yet yielding, the flounder delicate and sweet \u2014 each served with their ideal condiments of ponzu, soy sauce, and wasabi.<\/p>\n
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Abalone<\/p>\n
The\u00a0wanmono\u00a0(soup)\u00a0course was prawn\u00a0shinjo\u00a0in a clear kombu-bonito broth. While shrimp shinjo is not rare, Kojyu\u2019s rendition was perhaps the softest and richest I\u2019ve had. Unlike the usual round form, this was rectangular, as airy as a souffl\u00e9, breaking apart at the lightest touch. Chef Okuda shared that his recipe uses more egg white and yam, giving it an ethereal texture reminiscent of the fluffy\u00a0tamago-yaki\u00a0served at top sushi counters.<\/p>\n
When the chef presented two deep-fried ayu (sweetfish), my heart leapt. In\u00a0summer, the must-have seafoods are hamo, unagi, ayu, and abalone \u2014 and\u00a0among them,\u00a0ayu is my favorite. Instead of the classic tadezu pairing, one was served with soy milk foam, the other with a thick, jam-like sweet pepper sauce \u2014 the first leaning Japanese, the second evoking Japanese-Chinese\u00a0flavors. Biting into the crisp ayu from head to tail, I savored the pleasantly bitter-sweet innards, then the sweet, tender flesh near the tail, and finally the\u00a0crunchy\u00a0fin. Two were gone in moments, and I still longed for more.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tastytrip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ko3.png\")
Fried Ayu<\/p>\n
I recalled that as a child, I preferred plump, roe-laden ayu, avoiding the bitter innards.However, over the years, I\u2019ve grown to appreciate that subtle bitterness and the aroma of its skin and bones. \u201cJapanese people can\u2019t eat spicy like the Chinese, but we love bitterness,\u201d Chef Okuda remarked. No wonder the bitter wild greens of spring, the ayu of summer, and the guts of sanma are so beloved here.<\/p>\n
Another fish course followed \u2014kinki\u00a0(thornhead). Though still midsummer, its flesh was rich with fat, the gelatinous skin tender, the meat fine-grained. It was paired with a tomato broth bright with acidity, alongside seasonal vegetables \u2014\u00a0new onion, asparagus, zucchini \u2014 a harmony of sweet, savory, and tart. \u201cIsn\u2019t this the\u00a0prominent\u00a0\u2018tomato water\u2019 in\u00a0western\u00a0fine dining?\u201d Chef explained that he steams the tomatoes, collecting and reducing the dripping essence. The first sip was distinctly tomato, but with the fish\u00a0fat\u00a0layered in, the broth deepened into something hauntingly delicious.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tastytrip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ko4.png\")
Kinki, Tomato broth<\/p>\n
The meat course was charcoal-grilled wagyu sirloin from Miyazaki\u2019s Ozaki beef. Lightly seared to showcase its marbling, it offered both sweetness of fat and\u00a0certain milky taste. The sesame-vinegar sauce was toasty, tangy, and bright, balancing the richness. The vividly patterned plate it was served on was as memorable as the flavor \u2014 a reflection of the chef\u2019s passion for\u00a0Karatsu-yaki\u00a0ceramics, from which even the restaurant\u2019s name \u201cKojyu\u201d was inspired.<\/p>\n
Then came the long-awaited grilled unagi. It was served with\u00a0tamago-yaki\u00a0and two petite rice balls \u2014 one with\u00a0shiba pickles, the other with fresh sansho berries. The eel skin was crisp, the flesh thick and tender, brushed with a delicate\u00a0kabayaki\u00a0glaze. I especially loved the edges, kissed with char, where smokiness and fat intertwined. While eel is often paired with powdered sansho, I preferred the fresh berries here \u2014 citrusy, lightly pickled, with a gentle tingle that was utterly addictive.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tastytrip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ko5.png\")
Grilled Eel<\/p>\n
Dessert was peach granita and\u00a0mizu-yokan. The granita\u2019s gentle sweetness and floral-fruity aroma, accented with apple and blueberry, refreshed the palate completely. A final sip of hot roasted tea brought the meal to a comforting close.<\/p>\n
After the meal, everyone\u00a0had\u00a0different personal favorites, but\u00a0we\u00a0all agreed that\u00a0Ginza\u00a0Kojyu\u2019s broths were exceptional. If French cuisine\u2019s soul lies in its sauces, then in Japanese cuisine, it lies in the\u00a0broth. Whether in the\u00a0kombu-bonito\u00a0broth or the tomato essence for the\u00a0kinki, Chef Okuda distilled the essence of many ingredients into something clear yet infinitely deep.<\/p>\n
Chef Toru Okuda, along with the chefs of three-Michelin-starred \u201cRyugin\u201d and \u201cKanda,\u201d all trained at the famed Aoyagi in Tokushima, earning them the nickname \u201cThe Three Musketeers of Tokyo Washoku.\u201d \u201cGinza Kojyu\u201d held three Michelin stars for eight consecutive years since the Tokyo guide\u2019s debut, maintaining two stars since 2015. Chef Okuda has also opened restaurants abroad in New York and Paris (the New York branch has since closed), tirelessly promoting\u00a0Japanese cuisine\u00a0worldwide.<\/p>\n
Today, using seasonal ingredients are no rarity for restaurants, but Chef Okuda\u2019s cooking shines in its restraint \u2014 abundant yet never showy, with bold touches woven subtly into the details. This visit to Ginza Kojyu was not just delicious.\u00a0It was a quiet yet commanding showcase of the season\u2019s beauty, captured in every dish.<\/p>\n
Many wonder if\u00a0Ginza\u00a0Kojyu will reclaim its third star, but\u00a0I wonder if this matters to him that much any more. Besides working in\u00a0the kitchen, Chef Okuda writes, teaches, and advocates for Japanese cuisine with eyes bright and a heart as pure as a child\u2019s. Clearly, this is way more admirable than a star.<\/p>\n
Author:Patty Chuang
\nImages: Patty Chuang<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In July, I visited \u201cGinza Kojyu,\u201d a two-Michelin-star kaiseki restaurant in the fiercely competitive culinary district of Ginza, Tokyo.\u00a0Located\u00a0on the fourth floor of a building amidst Ginza\u2019s glittering facades, its discreet signage is easy to miss if you\u2019re not looking closely.
When the elevator doors opened, a different world unfolded \u2014 a small garden with stone paths led me to the counter seats. Chef Toru Okuda, with his gentle demeanor and calm presence, greeted us from behind a 700-year-old hinoki cypress counter. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he surprised us by bringing out hamo (pike conger), a prized summer fish, and began skillfully performing the traditional\u00a0honegiri\u00a0(bone-cutting) technique right\u00a0in front of\u00a0our eyes.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,3],"tags":[66,15,72,43],"class_list":["post-4970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-86","category-food","tag-66","tag-15","tag-72","tag-43"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n