i. Biography
Yakitori sits at the center of Naoki Kawana’s career, and the format has carried both a Michelin Guide star and a Tabelog Bronze Award. What reads as a simple grill-led discipline becomes, in his case, the organizing principle of the work: fire, timing, and texture held to the same standard across the course of a professional life.
The Climb
Kaiseki training gave Naoki Kawana a base in precision, restraint, and attention to season. As a chef trainee in that setting, he worked inside a tradition that asks for control as much as sensitivity, and that discipline stayed visible when he moved on to Kokepiyohe in Daikanyama as co-founder. The shift from trainee to co-founder traces a common thread in his work: not just technical command, but the ability to shape a restaurant around a defined point of view. Yakitori became that point of view, a style that appears modest until its demands on heat management and timing become clear. Since 2016, Minami Aoyama Nanachome has been the place where that approach has had a fixed address. As owner-chef, Naoki Kawana has held responsibility for the restaurant’s direction and execution, from the room’s setup to the details that arrive at the table. The role is a practical one: the person running it is also the person making the decisions that define the house.
Today
Minami Aoyama Nanachome gave Naoki Kawana a permanent platform for yakitori in 2016, and the restaurant has remained the clearest expression of his cooking since then. With him serving as owner-chef, the work has had continuity at every stage. That kind of continuity matters in a format where consistency is built skewer by skewer, course by course, and where a chef’s hand is most legible in repetition done well. In a market that can reward noise, his approach stays close to the craft itself. The emphasis at Minami Aoyama Nanachome is not on volume, but on making one format count for as much as it can. That is where the recognition sits: in a career shaped around a single method, pursued with enough discipline to make it stand out.
In Their Words “Look what else can be done with this!”
Recognition
Naoki Kawana’s honors include Michelin Guide star and Tabelog Bronze Award. Those recognitions map onto a career that moved from kaiseki training to co-founding Kokepiyohe in Daikanyama, then into the long-running leadership of Minami Aoyama Nanachome since 2016. In that line of work, yakitori is the main language, not a supporting one.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Naoki
What is Naoki Kawana's current role?
As of 2026, Naoki Kawana is Owner-chef.
Where did Naoki Kawana work before?
Naoki Kawana's earlier career included kaiseki restaurant and Kokepiyohe.
What recognition has Naoki Kawana received?
Michelin Guide star.
