SEATTLE (September 15, 2019)—Ichiro Suzuki delivered one last time for the SeattleMariners fans. This time, it wasn’t a game-winning hit, a stolen base, or a wall-crashing catch. This time, Ichiro delivered a speech in English. And it was good. As Ichiro approached the podium in front of the pitcher’s mound a few minutes before the Mariners played the Chicago White Sox, the crowd at...
Chef Taichi Kitamura’s popular Sushi Kappo Tamura restaurant in Eastlake was the only restaurant in Washington state to make Open Table’s 100 Best Restaurants in America list for 2018. The list is compiled based on enthusiastic feedback from diners who use the Open Table reservation system, not reviews by professional food critics. The award is in part a tribute to Kitamura’s affable style. “It’s...
Chef Shiro Kashiba, more than anyone else, embodies the Seattle sushi scene. From his early days making sushi at Maneki in the late 1960s to his current job serving sushi at the swanky Sushi Kashiba across from the Inn at the Market, Chef Shiro has helped guide Seattle’s sushi history. At 77, he’s still innovating. Of course, former boss Jiro Ono (of Jiro Dreams...
Celebrate 90 years of business Former Uwajimaya CEO TOMIO MORIGUCHI remembers the day his dad found a spot for the family grocery store in the 1940s. Fujimatsu was incarcerated at Tule Lake during World War II and he had to rebuild the Uwajimaya business from scratch. While walking up Main Street in the International District with 10-year-old Tomio, he came across a dilapidated store...
THE PORTLAND JAPANESE GARDEN had a fascinating exhibit spring 2018 and early summer about the craftspeople of Japan entitled “Shokunin: Five Kyoto Artisans Look to the Future.” The term “shokunin” translates to “artisan” or “craftsperson,” but the nuances are a little different. Being a shokunin is a way of life. As the Portland Japanese Garden put it on its website: “A shokunin who works...
