Seaweed as the Foundation of a Sushi Chef’s Craft

ー Why did you focus on seaweed when you joined Sea Vegetable as a partner chef in 2021?

I’ve always loved fishing and scuba diving, but after becoming involved with Sea Vegetable, I realized how integral seaweed is to these activities—and to my life as a chef. Today, I call myself a seaweed cuisine researcher, but at first, I knew almost nothing about it. I’d only worked with the basics—wakame, kombu, nori, and hijiki.

What drew me in was curiosity. I wanted to learn what I didn’t know. Then, it hit me: isn’t seaweed the reason sushi chefs can even exist? That realization left a huge impact on me.

Now, I can quickly create seaweed-based dishes, whether it’s at home or visiting someone. Just give me some seaweed and whatever’s in the fridge, and I’ll whip something up in no time!

ー How is seaweed the foundation for activities like fishing and scuba diving?

Seaweed plays a crucial role in the marine ecosystem—it provides a habitat where marine life can spawn and grow. For me, fishing, scuba diving, and sushi-making are all ways for me to connect with fish.

Seaweed is integral to this cycle. Without it, fish wouldn’t develop, activities like fishing and scuba diving wouldn’t be possible, and ultimately, sushi wouldn’t exist. Realizing this completely changed how I view seaweed. It’s not just a food—it’s fundamental to the environment and to human life.

This realization grows stronger every day, and I feel a responsibility to share this perspective with others. Back when I worked solely as a sushi chef, I used to feel frustrated when the conversation ended with, ‘It’s delicious.’ I wanted people to think deeper about sushi—what is it really made of? Every ingredient in sushi, from the fish to the seaweed, owes its existence to the natural cycles of the sea. The answer always circles back to the ocean. Without the ocean, sushi simply wouldn’t exist.

ー As a partner chef of Sea Vegetable, how do you engage with the company?

When I first joined Sea Vegetable, I started by introducing seaweed to chefs I knew—a sort of grassroots marketing effort. Over time, I naturally began developing seaweed-based recipes on my own. At first, I was having fun including seaweed in every dish I prepare. When a dish turns out delicious, I share it with the Sea Vegetable team on Slack. It became a natural part of my routine—experimenting with seaweed, discovering its potential, and then sharing those discoveries with the team.

Unlike the typical image of recipe development being a formal, request-driven process, my contributions started more organically. I simply shared my creations with the team, and before I knew it, I was actively developing recipes for Sea Vegetable.

I’ve also been involved in product development using Sea Vegetable’s seaweed. Unlike fresh seaweed, creating processed products requires a different perspective. We need to ensure long shelf life, maintain vibrant color and texture, and preserve the rich flavors of the seaweed. It’s a collaborative and creative challenge, and I enjoy tackling it alongside external partners.

Seaweed: A Culinary Treasure Yet to Be Discovered by Top Chefs

ーWhat do you think is most appealing about seaweed?

As a chef, I’ve worked with countless ingredients, but seaweed stands out because it’s still largely unexplored—even among top chefs. Every month, I host tastings for companies and culinary professionals using Sea Vegetable’s seaweed products. What strikes me is how consistently surprised they are by the pure, unadulterated flavor of the seaweed itself.

In cooking, you can amaze people with elaborate techniques or innovative plating. But with seaweed, the magic lies in its simplicity. Even a basic preparation can delight and surprise people. That’s what makes it so fascinating—it has this inherent ability to captivate through its natural qualities alone.

ー You once mentioned that you want people to use seaweed like vegetables. Could you elaborate on that?

Cooking with seaweed is not difficult at all. I’d like people to know that there are many uses for seaweed beyond the traditional dishes, like hijiki simmered with soy sauce or wakame in miso soup. For example, if I asked someone to make three dishes using cabbage, a person familiar with the characteristics of cabbage would easily be able to create those dishes. It’s the same with seaweed. If you understand the unique qualities of each type of seaweed, cooking with it becomes just as easy.

ー What do you mean when you talk about the characteristics of seaweed?

 Let’s think about kombu, a common seaweed, as an example. If someone is used to cooking with kombu and I ask them to create three dishes using it, they might end up making something like curry or mixing chopped kombu into natto. The reason they can do this is that they understand the characteristics of kombu. They might think, “Adding it to curry would help thicken the dish,” or “Its texture would pair well with the stickiness of natto.” These ideas come from knowing the ingredient well.

On the other hand, the seaweeds that Sea Vegetable works with, which are less familiar, don’t have their characteristics widely known yet. For example, "tosakanori," a type of seaweed, is known for being three-dimensional and easy to stand on its own, which makes it perfect for salads. Explaining these qualities helps people understand how to use them. When you know the characteristics of a seaweed, it opens up new possibilities for how you can use it in dishes. In that sense, I believe seaweed is just like vegetables.

What do you see in the world of Seaweed?

ー On your blog at Sumeshiya, you talk about the ocean and seaweed dishes with incredible passion.

The more I learn about seaweed, the stronger my desire to share that knowledge grows. I believe that everyone, not just chefs, who benefits from the ocean’s bounty, must understand seaweed. As someone who serves others, I realized it was essential to deepen my knowledge of seaweed, break it down, and share that understanding with the world. What began as a curiosity about seaweed as an ingredient has evolved into a passion to educate others, so they, too, can embrace and incorporate seaweed into their meals.

Sumeshiya Blog：Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi x Sea Vegetable 「EAT & MEET SEA VEGETABLE」

ー What drives your passion to share this ?

Vegetables, meat, and fish are ingredients that many people love, and I personally adore rice. Seaweed is also an essential food for building our bodies, but it seems that people don’t pay much attention to it. I think the main reason for this is that seaweed comes from the ocean. Unless you live by the sea, you’re not really concerned with what’s happening in the ocean. But if you think about it, 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans. In that sense, Earth could be called a "sea planet." Isn’t it strange that we don’t know much about the ocean? I believe that not knowing about the sea means not fully knowing about the Earth itself. Whether or not people eat seaweed, I hope we can gradually develop an everyday awareness of the ocean.

Returning to the Origin of 'How Living Things Become Food

ー Congradulations on the opening of "Moba-tei," (a restaurant using seaweed from Sea Vegetable). How do you think it will evolve in the future?

I've supervised dishes like seaweed ramen and seaweed tempura using Sea Vegetable’s seaweed. The ramen, for example, is designed so that the flavor of the seaweed-infused broth deepens as you continue eating it. Seaweed pairs really well with oil, which is why tempura was something I definitely wanted to do. Moving forward, I want to introduce seaweed in various culinary genres. Ultimately, we need places where people can enjoy seaweed dishes to help spread the word about its benefits. Right now, the concept of "seaweed cuisine" hasn’t fully established itself, so anything we create feels fresh and new. I want to incorporate seaweed into familiar dishes across Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisines, giving people an introduction to seaweed cuisine. My hope is that after tasting it, people will think, "Maybe I could use seaweed this way at home." That would be incredibly rewarding for me.

ー You have various channels of influence, such as sushi, the sea, fish, seaweed, fishing, and writing. What would you like to focus on moving forward with Sea Vegetable?

When it comes to sushi, I always aim to present seaweed alongside the fish and rice, as they are inseparable in my view. In the future, I would like to increase the offerings of seaweed sushi. Previously, I wrote a picture book titled "Welcome to the Sushi Shop! ".It's a photo storybook that shows the process of a fish being caught, cut into slices, and gradually transformed into sushi—almost like a video in still frames. The concept of "living things becoming food" is at the heart of what I do, and I want to convey that seaweed is also a living organism. Not only will I continue to work with the new types of seaweed that Sea Vegetable, but I also want to propose dishes using all kinds of seaweed, expanding the idea of seaweed cuisine.

ー Finally, could you tell us about your favorite type of seaweed?

My favorite seaweed from Sea Vegetable is Tosakanori. It’s easy to use and allows you to fully experience the charm of seaweed through all your senses. It works perfectly in salads—just mix it, and it goes well with any other ingredients. For a quick dish, you can simply pickle it along with other ingredients, like pickles or gari (pickled ginger).

There’s another seaweed I love, although it’s not from Sea Vegetable. It’s called Shiramo (白藻), which is eaten in some parts of Nagasaki. In Matsura City, Nagasaki, it’s called Shiromo (しろも). I first tried it in 2023. Shiramo is a red alga, similar to Tengusa, but it undergoes a process of washing and sun-drying that causes it to lose its color and turn white.

It’s very versatile. When you quickly rehydrate the dried Shiramo, it gives you a unique crunch, like a blend of both seaweed and vegetables. The texture is really distinctive and enjoyable. The locals eat it as a matter of course. I’d love for Sea Vegetable to cultivate it as well (laughs)!

Shiramo and Cucumber Pickled Salad（Sumeshiya Blog）