Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Any kind of vision needs people.
I'm not perfect. I am not Iron Man.
My cooking is simply ingredients plus umami.
It's still my happiest time when I'm eating.
Eating a lot on the plane is not good for jet lag.
I like to keep healthy physically and mentally, too.
Making sushi is an art, and experience is everything.
A different spice is the most interesting thing to me.
Peru was the Incas; it has 3,000 to 4,000 years of history.
I can live without a computer. My assistant checks my e-mails.
A sushi chef has to spot the best-quality fresh fish instantly.
In the morning and the end of every day, I thank that I'm alive.
In Tokyo, we have more three-star Michelin restaurants than Paris.
I grew up in the countryside in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo.
When I'm in L.A., I go to Spago because the chef is a friend of mine.
The fine art of preparing sushi is something that you watch and learn.
I feel like I owe something to America, as it is where I found success.
I was a bit of a wild boy - always swimming and exploring the mountains.
Los Angeles is my home - I have my wife and two daughters growing up there.
I used to watch my mother cooking when I was a child; she influenced me a lot.
Napa cabbage is very beautiful, all those long, pale leaves with ruffled edges.
People eat the chicken, people eat the beef, they still say, 'Don't kill the fish.'
My favorite knife is from Miyakoya in Japan - I have one in each of my restaurants.
I started cooking when I was 18 years old, and now I have restaurants all over the world.
Once I fell out of a tree and was hit by a motorbike. I still have the scar on my head now.
I'm a lucky person because the company keeps growing, and that means my team keeps growing.
Many chefs are either technically or artistically better than me, but I know my food has soul.
Whenever possible, buy a fish whole. With tuna, this isn't practical; with smaller fish, it is.
When I'm dining out privately, I tend to avoid fine-dining venues; I like things to feel casual.
Chefs are artists, and I couldn't be happy with my art if I was forced to use cheap ingredients.
In Japan, I have my own line of dinnerware, but I'm not aggressive about pursuing those projects.
You know how kids dream of being soccer players or actors? Well, my dream was to be a sushi chef.
Cooking and film are completely different - but I'd rather stay in the kitchen than be in movies.
In my generation, there was no sushi school, no cooking school, so people have to learn from working.
Swimming keeps me fit and flexible, and it helps that I have a large pool at my house in Beverly Hills.
I always eat a meal at home before I leave for the airport, so I only eat the soup and salad on the plane.
My business partner Robert De Niro knows a lot about hotels; he opened the Greenwich Hotel in New York City.
Businesses that run well are almost like marriages. Everything has to be up for discussion, or there will be real problems.
If I am at home in L.A. on a Saturday or Sunday, I like to start the day with a hot bath and then do an hour of stretching.
Of course the Japanese and Peruvian fish are different, but it's the same Pacific Ocean. They are different, but I know fish.
I like Mercedes because my wife has been in two big accidents and emerged without a scratch, thanks to the safety of these cars.
My cooking is very simple, so I don't really use machines at all. A knife, cutting board, frying pan and strainer are my essentials.
I am very lucky to consider many of my business associates friends. Some are closer than others, but I respect and value all of them.
Some hotels have a lot of mirrors, chairs, you can't find the plugs, the music is complicated. But the Nobu concept is beautiful, simple.
When I'm home in L.A., I go to La Brea, a bakery which does artisan breads, excellent sourdoughs primarily, but also patisserie and cakes.
People who make mistakes but try their best, other people will support. But people who make mistakes because they're lazy, nobody supports.
I learned from my first restaurant: Make customers happy, make sure the customer comes back again. And automatically, success has followed me.
Sushi is something very exclusive. It is not like a McDonald's, not like a hot dog, not like a French fry. It's very high-class cooking in Japan.
I cannot bring myself to wear the Nobu hats, or the Nobu T-shirts. But the chef's jacket, that is mine. And when I wear it, I am very proud of myself.
My flight time is important to me; I actually prefer a longer flight to a short one. That way I have time to read a book, watch movies, and think about new dishes.