Okuyama-san, the master Sushi chef, started his career in Tokyo and later was invited to Vienna where he developed his mastery of the art of Sushi. In recognition of his expertise, he was then invited to make Sushi at the Hilton Hotel in Budapest where he satisfied the gastronomical pallets of famous guests like George Benson and Noemi Cambell.

Okuyama-san opened his own Sushi restaurant in 2001, and has been placed among the 50 best restaurants of Budapest with good reason!

1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?
I arrived in Hungary in 1991 and have been living here ever since. When I was young boy in Japan, I once saw a television show where Hungarian cuisine was listed among the best, and so I thought it would be an interesting challenge to make Sushi in a country with one of the best cuisines in the World.

2. Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere?
Yes, I lived for 5 years in Vienna.

3. What surprises you most about Hungary?
I would have never imagined that Hungary could be this beautiful! Oh, and the Hungarian women are the beautiful too! I was really pleasantly surprised by that.

4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?
Although Budapest is very nice, I would rather take my friends outside to the so called “puszta”. I absolutely love the untouched plains of the Hungarian countryside.

5. What is your favourite Hungarian food?
Sushi of course! But, putting this joke aside, I really like Hungarian fruit such as apples, apricots, and plums, in fact every kind of fruit.

6. What is never missing from your refrigerator?
Fish, obviously!

7. What is your favourite Hungarian word?
Because of my own attitude towards work, my favourite saying is “minden munka”.

8. What do you miss most from home?
Japanese fish. There is such a large variety of fish you can buy in Japan, and unfortunately, very few of them can be found here in Hungary.

9. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
I have spent my whole life as a Sushi chef; I would never trade this job for anything else.

10. What's a job you would definitely never want?
Anything other than being a Sushi chef.

11. Where did you spend your last vacation?
I went to the Hungarian countryside and visited some nice towns such as Pécs, Vác, Hortobágy, Sümeg, and Eger. I also sampled many of the tasty foods and white wines to be found there.

12. Where do you hope to spend your next holiday?
Perhaps I will go to the countryside again. For example, I really love Vác. I have been there a couple of times already, but maybe I will go back there again once more.

13. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?
I cannot name a band in particular as I love Enka, which is based on the traditional music of Japan. This genre is still my favourite. As for hobbies, I like to visit the countryside and going on trips is also one of my favourite pastimes. When it comes to movies, Tora-san, the Matchmaker is my absolute all-time favourite.

14. What can't you resist?
Sushi. definitely!

15. Red wine or white?
Sake.

16. Book or movie?
Movie.

17. Morning person or night person?
Definitely a morning person. I always get up very early in the morning, around 5 a.m. for work.

18. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about?
Poverty.

19. Buda or Pest side?
Buda side. This is where I work, and spend most of my time. I also like to go for walks here.

20. What would you say is your personal motto?
Live beautifully! Live your life to the fullest!