An Interview with Osu No Sushi School – Master the Art of Sushi Making

Have you always wanted to learn how to be a proper sushi chef? Widen your experience and turn from the big city lights to discover Osu No Sushi School, located in the breathtaking coastal town of Aoshima, Miyazaki, Japan. This amazing school offers an enveloping experience, taught entirely in English, that goes beyond just learning to roll rice and slice fish. With classes led by a Michelin-starred chef, Osu No Sushi School presents a mixture of both traditional and modern styles, fostering a love for Japanese food culture and personal growth with a lovely team, particularly the owner, Ryo san, and the sushi chef, Kaz san. So, let’s have a chat with the team of Osu No Sushi School and learn more about their amazing story!

Can you please introduce yourself?

I am Ryoichi Kuroki, Director and owner of Osu No Sushi. I opened the school in 2023 as a way to connect people from different countries and cultures through food. The name “Osu No Sushi” seemed unique to us. Almost like we are asking our guests, “What does it mean to you?” After all, the word Osu has a double meaning; the first is osu, meaning vinegar, which is essential to making delicious sushi rice.  The second meaning is how, for those who practice karate, instead of saying hai (yes), they say osu!

We are eager to learn about the head chef, Chef Kaz. Was it always his dream to operate a sushi school, or did his journey lead him to this?

Chef Kaz joined the sushi school almost by chance. While I was building the school and renovating the house, we were introduced by a mutual friend. Chef Kaz was a Michelin star chef in Hawaii and Los Angeles for over 20 years and had just moved to Miyazaki in 2020. When he heard about my goals and aspirations, he was immediately intrigued. Although he spent over 20 years as a chef in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Hawaii, the idea of teaching sushi in Japan resonated with him. It wasn’t his original dream, but our visions aligned, and together we set out to create a unique sushi school that combined his expertise with deep cultural traditions.

We have heard that there is a promotion system inspired by karate belts for the participants at your school, our readers would love to know more about it!

I started studying karate when I was seven years old, it has always had a huge influence on my life. Learning karate in Japan is almost like swimming or dance lessons; it is very common, and many children learn Karate in Japan. However, I have noticed that the foreigners who learn karate abroad have a deep understanding and respect for the history and culture of this Japanese traditional martial art. And I wanted to continue this deep learning and respect into the history and culture of sushi making. The karate belts are a representation of the level of knowledge, skills, understanding, and respect for sushi that students will gain while participating in the course.

Your school has a combination of other interesting activities too. Can you tell us more about them?

Yes, as the school is based in Aoshima, Miyazaki, most famous for surfing, among other things, naturally we offer surfing experiences. Miyazaki is known as the mythical birthplace of Japan, being rich in both history and culture. Also, being far away from Tokyo and the large cities of Japan, we can offer an experience of rural Japan not offered by the bigger schools. Our most recent student has visited local festivals, played traditional Japanese instruments, made miso, gone fishing, and has even been able to participate in oil painting classes and local sports practices with the community. Because of the close-knit community, we can offer a wide range of experiences based on our students’ interests.

Can you explain the whole admission process? And the different courses you offer?

Our main course we offer is a two-month in-depth sushi-making course. First, you will have to reach out to us, and we will set up an interview. Once both parties are in agreement, we will reserve your place on the course!

We also provide one-day sushi experiences, alongside our two-month course; the contents for this one tend to vary based on the seasonality of the produce. Lastly, we also offer food tours and experiences, such as making miso, fishing excursions, and soy sauce making workshops. These are all available on request, and more details can be obtained by contacting us.

For any foreign visitors, are they able to visit the school without enrolling in the program?

Yes, of course! Visitors are more than welcome to come and visit the school. We also offer one-day programs, food experience tours and workshops, and hold sushi tasting events, featuring the sushi our students have made.

How does the program integrate traditional and cultural techniques with more modern ones?

Our chef, Kaz, trained with a traditional sushi master, so his knowledge is mostly based on traditional techniques and knowledge. However, due to his experience abroad, he has naturally acquired the skills to adapt to a modern environment. Most notably, in Japan, the typical Japanese way of learning is from Master to Student, like a top-down approach. Where the student is not able to question or make suggestions to the master. However, Chef Kaz is totally flexible and open to collaborating. In fact, our last student and Chef Kaz even hosted a Greek-Japanese infusion dinner party!

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers before we go?

Our school may just be starting out, but we have lofty ambitions, from opening a school abroad, and one day in the near future, we hope to launch our online sushi school. So people can partake in our school without having to come to Japan, sharing the culture of sushi with not only chefs, but amateur cooks and sushi lovers all over the world!

We really hope to welcome as many people as we can to share and connect through sushi. Thank you for your time. If you have any more questions or need any clarification, please do not hesitate to get in touch!

It was so lovely to have you with us and talk with you today! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day for us! We really appreciate your insights and letting us share your incredible school with all of our readers!

Follow Osu No Sushi School on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/osunosushischool/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Osu-No-Sushi-School/61555556788581/ 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@osu.no.sushi.school 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OsuNoSushiSchool 

Blog Website: www.osunosushi.com

Featured Photo Credit: Osu No Sushi School

Interested in participating in a sushi class during your trip to Japan? Make sure to let our expert travel specialists know, and they’ll add it to your personalized, hand-crafted itinerary!