Executive Chef
Yoshiharu Kakinuma
Executive Chef, Sushi Shikon
- Discipline
- Executive Chef
i. Biography
In Tokyo sushi, scale can be reduced to one piece: rice held at the right warmth, seafood cut for texture, and a finish that leaves the palate clean. At Ningyocho Sushi Kaki, Kyoto uni is used for depth and purity rather than display, placing Yoshiharu Kakinuma’s work inside a register where selection and handling matter more than abundance. Classic counter work depends on attention rather than flourish: rice grain, seafood softness, timing, and the way a bite resolves. In Kakinuma’s case, that discipline has moved from Japan into dining rooms beyond Tokyo while keeping the grammar close to the sushi counter: restraint, precision, and hospitality measured through exact service.
The Path
Professional sushi training began with the basic pressure of repeated service: Yoshiharu Kakinuma worked as a trainee / cook at small Japanese restaurant in Kyoto, Japan. The setting matters to the craft because Kyoto cooking is often read through season, subtlety, and balance; before reputation or international rooms, the work was repetition and learning by doing. Ginza apprenticeship places technique under close scrutiny, with every movement visible across the counter and every decision judged immediately in the bite. Kakinuma undertook that apprenticeship at Sushi Yoshitake in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan, a passage that formed part of his discipline in restrained sushi service. Sushi technique changes when it is served to new audiences, but the base requirements do not: rice, cut, temperature, pacing, and clarity. The craft carried Yoshiharu to the United States, where Yoshiharu worked as sushi chef at restaurants / sushi counters in New York City and Atlanta, United States. Those rooms required fidelity to method while adapting a Ginza-inflected experience outside Tokyo. International counter service became central to the work when Yoshiharu became executive chef of Sushi Shikon (since 2012). That role connected his Japanese background with a Hong Kong restaurant known for disciplined sushi service.
The Work Today
Two counters define the current frame: Master Chef at Ningyocho Sushi Kaki in Tokyo, and executive chef of Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong. Through Kakinuma, they place Tokyo selection and Hong Kong sushi service in the same working vocabulary: close handling, measured pacing, and decisions made piece by piece. Kyoto uni at the Tokyo restaurant is selected for depth and purity rather than display. The craft decision is clarity over excess: sweetness, softness, and sea depth handled so richness does not turn heavy. In this context, luxury is judgment. The Hong Kong table is marked by three must-try dishes: steamed abalone with abalone liver sauce, Japanese-style tender octopus, and nigiri sushi. Each tests a different control point. Steamed abalone with abalone liver sauce works through concentration and savor; Japanese-style tender octopus depends on texture brought into softness; nigiri sushi compresses the chef’s decisions into the meeting of rice and topping. The shared discipline is texture, temperature, and a clean seafood finish. The counter at Ningyocho Sushi Kaki and Sushi Shikon is not a stage for excess; it is a close working distance between maker and guest. Kakinuma’s work asks attention to small calibrations: rice warmth, seafood surface, and depth delivered without drama.
In Their Words “I am a third-generation sushi chef, so I have been around food, cooking, and specifically sushi, my entire life, but I began cooking professionally 17 years ago.” “I was excited for the challenge of successfully recreating an authentic Ginza style sushi experience outside of Tokyo.”
Career - Executive chef — Sushi Shikon, Hong Kong (2012–present) - Trainee / cook — small Japanese restaurant, Kyoto, Japan - Apprentice — Sushi Yoshitake, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan - Sushi chef — restaurants / sushi counters, New York City and Atlanta, United States
Acclaim
Recognition for this sushi work includes Two Michelin stars for Sushi Shikon in its fi
