i. Biography
A Beppu native and the son of a chef, Taizo Hirokado came up inside kitchen rhythm before he ever formalized the work. After high school, he went to Osaka to learn Japanese cuisine in earnest, then returned to cook from his home ground. That outward training and inward return set the terms of a career built on technique, memory, and the specific character of place.
Coming Up
Training at Osaka and Daruma Sekkasanbo sharpened Taizo Hirokado’s craft through repetition, attention, and the patience the work demands. He then served as second-in-command at a popular restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, a role that required precision and composure in a busy, exacting setting. Those years gave his cooking its working structure, while also clarifying the direction of the plate: not just competence, but a cuisine with a clear sense of where it belongs. Today, Nihon Ryori Beppu Hirokado (since 2021) is where that sense of place is built into the restaurant itself. As proprietor and chef, Taizo Hirokado has made the name new while keeping the line continuous — a cook returning to the terrain that shaped him and establishing a kitchen that can only operate from there.
Where They Are Now
Place is the organizing principle of the cooking, and Taizo Hirokado states it directly: “When I set out on my own, I wanted cuisine unique to this place.” At Nihon Ryori Beppu Hirokado (since 2021), the food is framed by Beppu and Oita rather than by a generic idea of Japanese dining, so the region’s character stays present in the experience. Fish carries that approach most clearly. “Only here can I serve fish truly just out of the water.” The line is about freshness, but it is also about proximity — the tight interval between land, sea, and table that gives the cooking its force. In Taizo Hirokado’s hands, fish is treated as part of a local working vocabulary, dependent on timing, environment, and restraint. His ambition reaches beyond the plate to how the prefecture is understood through taste. He is not only working with ingredients; he is working toward a broader recognition of what Oita can mean as a cuisine: “I want people to say Oita has not only good ingredients, but delicious cuisine.”
Signature
Taizo Hirokado’s signature is fish truly just out of the water. The idea sits at the center of the work: freshness is not a garnish on the style, but the condition that shapes the whole plate.
In Their Words “I want people to say Oita has not only good ingredients, but delicious cuisine.” “When I set out on my own, I wanted cuisine unique to this place.”
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Taizo
What is Taizo Hirokado's's current role?
As of 2026, Taizo Hirokado's is Proprietor and Chef.
Where did Taizo Hirokado's train or study?
Taizo Hirokado's trained at Osaka and Daruma Sekkasanbo.
