Latest news with #Kimura
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Meet Chizuko Kimura, the first female sushi chef to earn a Michelin star—and the woman who honored her husband's legacy
Image: In the world of sushi, tradition runs deep, and for the longest time, that tradition didn't include women behind the counter. But Chizuko Kimura wasn't having it. She quietly (and skillfully) carved her way into one of the most male-dominated culinary spaces and came out with one of the world's top honors: a Michelin star. That's right—Kimura is the first female sushi chef to earn a Michelin star, and her story is every bit as bold as her sushi. While sushi chefs are often portrayed as stern-faced men wielding knives like samurai, Kimura brings a calm presence and razor-sharp technique that's just as commanding. Her journey wasn't easy. For years, women in Japan were told they couldn't be sushi chefs because of outdated beliefs. Some claimed women's hands were 'too warm' and would ruin the fish. Others cited superstition or tradition as reasons to keep women out of the sushi world entirely. But Kimura didn't just challenge that, thinking she destroyed it with every perfectly formed piece of nigiri she served. She trained relentlessly, worked quietly, and let her food speak louder than any stereotype. Kimura's dedication to her craft caught the attention of the Michelin Guide, which awarded her restaurant a star making her the first woman in the sushi world to reach such a height. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Unsold And Never Used SUV Is Almost Given Away (See Price) Luxury SUV Deals | Search Ads Search Now Undo It wasn't just a win for her, but for every aspiring female chef who has been told 'no' because of tradition or gender. Kimura proved that talent has no gender and that great sushi is about skill, not who's holding the knife. Chizuko Kimura grew up near the ocean in Odawara, Japan, where seafood wasn't just dinner it was a way of life. While she didn't grow up cooking, her family meals were filled with the aroma of soy sauce and fresh fish vivid memories she says still linger in her nose and taste buds In 2004, she moved to Paris as a tour guide. One fateful evening, she wandered into a sushi bar and met her future husband, Shunei Kimura, who was working behind the counter. They married a year later and dreamed of sharing traditional Edomae-style sushi with the world Shunei spent decades honing his craft in Paris before opening Sushi Shunei in 2021 on Montmartre. Unfortunately, he was battling liver cancer during the final stretch. As Shunei's health declined, Chizuko stepped in learning sushi-making, rice seasoning, and running the restaurant while caring for him. She did all this with zero formal training, just observing and absorbing every detail he taught her In 2022, Sushi Shunei earned its first Michelin star—Shunei's dream came true. Just three months later, he passed away. Chizuko vowed to keep the restaurant going to honor his legacy—and ultimately re-earned the Michelin star in 2025, becoming the first female sushi chef in history to do so Chizuko Kimura isn't just a trailblazer—she's a reminder that tradition can evolve, that excellence isn't bound by gender, and that sometimes the most powerful statements are made one bite at a time.
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
She made a promise to her dying husband. Now, Chizuko Kimura is the first female sushi chef to earn a Michelin star.
Before he died, sushi chef Shunei Kimura had one last wish for his wife. Sushi Shunei, his namesake Paris restaurant, had just earned a Michelin star three months prior. He wanted its legacy to live on. Chizuko Kimura had only begun cooking a year before, helping her husband in the kitchen as he underwent cancer treatment. But she honored his dying wish. Three years later, Kimura became the first woman to receive a Michelin star as a sushi chef. Kimura told Business Insider she "couldn't believe it" when she first heard the news. Now, she's sharing her story in the hopes it will show women that anything is possible. Love with a side of sushi Kimura grew up in Odawara, about an hour from Tokyo. The ocean was nearby, so fresh seafood was always on her family's dinner table. "I still remember the smell of soy sauce that always filled the kitchen, so familiar and comforting," Kimura said. "I wasn't cooking yet, but those memories stayed with me — in my nose and on my tongue." "I grew up in an environment where food had an important place," she added. "Even though I never imagined I would work in that field one day." Kimura moved to Paris to begin working as a travel agent. One fateful day in 2004, she went to a sushi restaurant and met her future husband, who was working at the counter. A year later, they were married. Shunei Kimura spent three decades working at sushi restaurants before he decided to open his own at the age of 63. "He ended up fulfilling his two dreams: to open an edomae sushi restaurant under his name in Paris, and to earn a Michelin star," Kimura said about her husband. A new career Sushi Shunei was scheduled to open in 2020, but was delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kimura had been a tour guide but lost her job when much of the world went into lockdown, so she helped her husband open the restaurant. "He never said to me, 'Learn how to make sushi,'" Kimura recalled. "But he showed me everything, and I observed everything. I learned to prepare the fish, to cook the rice, to follow every detail." It was a crash course for a craft that typically takes a decade or more to perfect. But Kimura's husband had been diagnosed with liver cancer in 2015 and was getting sicker. "Normally, it takes many years to become a sushi chef, but I had to do it because Shunei couldn't use his hands sometimes," Kimura said. "Every day by his side was a learning experience. Even while sick, he never stopped teaching." Sushi Shunei opened on June 9, 2021, on Montmartre's hill in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Nine months later, the traditional sushiya received its first Michelin star in the 2022 Michelin Guide. "He never complained, and no customer ever knew he was sick," Kimura said. "He received that star at the age of 65, three months before his passing." One last promise Kimura told BI that before her husband died, he asked her to keep his legacy alive with the restaurant. "He said to me, 'Could you keep this restaurant forever?'" Kimura recalled. "I have to continue. It's my duty." She even kept the restaurant open on the day he died. "I continued, because I knew that's what he wanted," Kimura said. "It wasn't a matter of strength. It was for him." However, it wasn't an easy transition, and Sushi Shunei lost its Michelin star in 2023. "It was a shock. I felt as if I had lost Shunei a second time," Kimura said. "I thought there might be no chance of getting the star back, but I didn't give up." "I turned that pain into obsession," she added. "I had to get it back. Not for me — for him." A star is born Kimura hired sushi chef Takeshi Morooka to help as she continued to hone her skills, even training at Michelin-starred restaurants in Japan. "Every morning, I got up to work. I continued day after day, without pause, I never stopped," Kimura said. "I told myself, 'I must give it my all. I must go all the way.' There was no alternative." "The customers were a great support," she added. "Some came several times just to encourage me. They told me they believed in me. Those words gave me courage." All that hard work paid off. When the 2025 Michelin Guide came out in March, the star was next to Sushi Shunei's name once again. Kimura was now not only a Michelin-starred chef but also the first female sushi chef in the world to earn such a distinction. "I thought of him, of Shunei," Kimura said. "I felt, deep inside, that I had not betrayed his memory. For me, this is not a new star — it's Shunei's star that I managed to win back. I only continued what we had started together." Kimura is committed to keeping that star next to Sushi Shunei's name. She hopes it will inspire women and anyone who has been told "that it was too late, or impossible." "Talent has no gender — only work and courage," Kimura said. "Maybe it seemed unthinkable that at age 50, I would begin a career as a sushi chef without ever having cooked before. But what Shunei passed on to me is faith in work and in determination." "If you hold on, if you believe in what you're doing, anything becomes possible," she added. "That is the greatest lesson."
Time Out
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
One of Shibuya's funkiest bars is leaving the neighbourhood
Get ready to say farewell – but fortunately not goodbye – to one of Shibuya's most reliable purveyors of smooth tunes and spicy bar bites. Diminutive DJ bar Zubar has been a fixture of the area's underground scene since 2009, but will be shuttering its current space at the end of August and reopening in Magome down in Ota-ku the following month. Renowned for its eclectic programming, where everything from electronica to Showa pop is fair game, the enduringly popular Zubar celebrated its 16th anniversary this year. But owner Kenji Kimura reveals that he's been looking to get out of Shibuya for a while already. 'Our rent has been rising, and it's gotten to the point where we've had to give up on a lot of things,' he says. 'Economic concerns have gotten in the way of our creative pursuits.' Originally located in a tiny building between Ebisu and Shibuya, Zubar moved to its current spot just south of Shibuya Station in 2018. With a line-up of resident DJs as comfortable with hip hop as they are with noise and proficient in even the most obscure of genres, plus the occasional surprise appearance by luminaries like UK dub legend Adrian Sherwood and DJ Spinna, the venue has established itself as an essential stop on the Tokyo underground circuit. Zubar's regular parties have also been big – and long-lasting – draws. Wednesday's Kaidan Club features freestyle rap by a reliably solid cast of MCs, while the signature AOP night has welcomed well over 100 guests over the years, entertaining a generation of local heads with techno and house as well as hip hop, reggae, juke, noise and gabber. The programming has even included poetry readings and hands-on DJ classes for beginners. That spirit of experimentation will live on at the new Zubar, says Kimura, despite the surroundings being rather different. Set to open in a largely residential area, within walking distance from Magome and Nakanobu stations on the Toei Asakusa line as well as Ebaramachi Station on the Tokyu Oimachi line, the bar should fit right in in an area known for its high concentration of old-school shops and other indie businesses. 'It might not be the most convenient location,' says Kimura, 'but we trust people to come seek us out.' In its new incarnation, the venue will be open from 10am to late at night and take on roles including brunch and lunch spot, casual café and listening bar. And while being surrounded by private dwellings can make organising all-night parties challenging, Kimura and his team are hoping to turn the restrictions into an advantage by leaning into smaller-scale shows and acoustic gigs instead. Thankfully the Taiwanese flavours on the food menu will also be retained, so you can look forward to Zubar's famous minced pork rice, boiled gyoza dumplings and other delicacies in Magome too. These familiar favourites will be complemented by breakfast sets, curry, homemade sweets and more. Most importantly, Kimura promises to stay true to Zubar's ethos of equality in its new digs. 'We've been blessed to host so many people who truly love music [over the past 16 years],' he says. 'I think that's because we've let everyone express themselves freely in the DJ booth, not caring about genre restrictions, credentials or technique. We've treated all people, all DJs, as equals – no judgment – and that's something we won't be changing.' Zubar will be reopening in Magome this September. Stay tuned for the details. The Fuji Rock timetable for 2025 is here
12-07-2025
Osaka Police Crack Down on Tokuryu Ring over Underage Prostitution
News from Japan Society Jul 12, 2025 19:21 (JST) Osaka, July 12 (Jiji Press)--The police department of Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, has cracked down on a "tokuryu" loosely organized crime ring comprised of anonymous members for allegedly forcing about 130 underage girls into prostitution around the country under harsh conditions. The group, made up of roughly 70 members, are suspected of recruiting minor girls for prostitution through social media. The police department's juvenile division has arrested ring leader Yusuke Kimura, 34, and four other members for allegations including violations of the antiprostitution law, and all of them have been indicted. Kimura allegedly forced a female high school student to engage in prostitution with two men in the Osaka city of Kishiwada around mid-June last year. Soon after that, the girl was believed to have been taken to the Tohoku northeastern region and other areas by another ring member, where she was apparently forced to have sex with a total of about 100 people over 10 days, according to the division. She told the police that she was given only one meal a day and that she wanted to go home badly. There are believed to be many groups in Osaka that recruit women on social media for prostitution. The Osaka police believe that Kimura and other members of the tokuryu group conducted their operations outside of the prefecture in order to avoid issues with other groups and secure profits. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Tokyo Reported
30-06-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Osaka police widen investigation into group preying on young women for prostitution
OSAKA（TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested two men for forcing girls who frequent a gathering spot for young people in Osaka City's downtown Minami area into prostitution, reports the Asahi Shimbun (June 20). According to police, Yusuke Kimura, 34, and Koki Hideshima, 24, are a part of a group that preys on young women and girls in downtown Osaka. On June 13 last year, Kimura and Hideshima are suspected of conspiring to have a teenage high school girl engage in prostitution with two men in their 50s at a hotel in Kishiwada City. Kimura is also suspected of meeting with the high school girl the day before at a cafe in Osaka and promising to share the proceeds from prostitution. The high school girl was recruited through social media. Police said that June 13 and 14 she engaged in prostitution with a total of five men, including two in their 50s. She told police that she 'earned a total of 75,000 yen, and my share was 27,000 yen.' Police have not revealed whether the suspects admit to violating the Anti-prostitution Law and the Child Welfare Law. Yusuke Kimura (X) 'Gurishita' The girls were recruited from the 'Gurishita' area, whose name is a reference to the popular meeting place under ( shita ) the popular Glico advertisement in downtown Osaka City. Law enforcement considers the operation to be an anonymous, mobile crime group ( tokuryu ) that forces many young women, including girls, into prostitution. During the investigation, evidence emerged showing that Kimura was in charge of a staff of around 70 people who recruited prostitutes through dating sites and transported girls to prostitution venues. In a separate case, Kaito Takimoto, a 26-year-old resident of Sakai City, is currently on trial for forcing one high school girl to have sex with at least 109 men over a 10-day period while traveling by car around Tohoku and other areas. He also coerced another girl to have sex with at least 28 men over a 5-day period in Hokuriku. Takimoto is an associate of Kimura and Hideshima. Based on the investigation into Takimoto, police learned about the involvement of Kimura and Hideshima in the group. Police are currently investigating the true nature of the group.
