A circle of friends connected by gootouchi! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On October 25, Yoshiyasu Omae, a sushi chef at Sushi Daizen in Yurakucho, was introduced by Naho Okamoto, a designer and representative of the jewelry brand SIRI SIRI. In this interview, we asked him not only about how he became a sushi chef and Sushi Daizen’s business style, but also about his thoughts on his favorite radio.
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Transition from Photographer to Sushi Chef in the Family Business
Celeina (MC): After graduating from college and working as a photographer, Yoshiyasu Omae began working at Sushi Daizen, a sushi restaurant with only nine counter seats that his father, Mamoru Omae, opened under a guard in Yurakucho. Sushi Daizen has become popular for its free-flowing ideas, such as a menu structure that specializes in glistening dishes and the ability to bring your own alcohol.Mr.Omae, who stands at the counter, is also a big radio enthusiast.
Omae：Yes, I run a sushi restaurant. Pleased to meet you.
Takano (MC): So you like radio?
Omae：Radio is already a part of my life.
Celeina: What time do you listen to it?
Omae：I listen to it from the moment I leave the house, and of course I listen to it while stocking up and preparing food. I don’t play it in the store, but the conversations with customers are like radio, so the conversation is always playing in my head.
Takano: I was wondering about your profile, Omae-san. Did you work as a photographer first?
Omae： After graduating from college, I worked as a photographer. When I was a student, I really liked culture and went to culture-related schools. However, since my great-grandfather opened the restaurant in the Meiji era, it has been in the family business of sushi restaurants for generations, and I am the fourth generation in the family. There was a large traditional sushi restaurant in Aoyama, but it was closed during the bubble economy, and my father started the current restaurant in Yurakucho. I guess it was a natural progression. While helping him, I began to think that the customer business was interesting.
Celeina：I see. So it was more of a natural progression from being a photographer to a sushi chef, rather than a major catalyst?
Omae：Yes, that’s right.But I still love culture, so I listen to the radio and go to various events.
