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    Chef

    Taku Takashina

    Discipline
    Chef
    Portrait of Taku Takashina

    Portrait of Taku Takashina

    i. Biography

    The Climb

    The route into the kitchen was direct: Hiramatsu in 1991, then work as a cook under chef Tatsuji Aso, and then a long run that stayed close to the cooking itself. That sequence gives Taku Takashina’s career its shape. The progression is spare, but it says a lot about the trade: learn the discipline, keep returning to the basics, and let repetition build authority. At Ristorante Aso in Tokyo, Japan, that kind of continuity reads clearly in the room and behind the pass.

    The work here is less about display than about keeping standards intact over time. Takashina’s path suggests the value of staying with a kitchen long enough to know its rhythm, its expectations, and the daily demands that define it.

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    Today

    The present role is straightforward: Taku Takashina serves as chef and executive chef at Ristorante Aso. The title covers leadership, but the substance remains the same craft-first attention that shaped his early years. His position is anchored in the practical work of service, not in distance from it. Takashina has remained close to the act of cooking, and that steady focus gives his work at Ristorante Aso its weight. In Tokyo, Japan, the restaurant reflects a career built on discipline, restraint, and the accumulation of experience rather than noise.

    Recognition

    Italian cuisine with Japanese precision is the clearest way to describe the specialty. The foundation is Italian; the method is sharpened by exacting control. Put together, the phrase points to a kitchen approach that values balance, clarity, and clean execution. That recognition fits Taku Takashina because his work is defined by refinement rather than excess. As executive chef of Ristorante Aso, he brings the same measured standard to the restaurant’s identity: composed, exact, and focused on the food itself.

    ii

    FAQ

    Asked of Taku

    • What is Taku Takashina's current role?

      As of 2026, Taku Takashina is Executive Chef.

    • What is Taku Takashina known for?

      Italian cuisine with Japanese precision.

    The Sunday email

    Read about chefs like Taku Takashina in the Sunday email.

    Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.

    See a sample of the Sunday email

    Free. One email a week, and you can unsubscribe from any issue.