Chiba Takaoka

When most people think of sushi, Chiba is probably not the first place that springs to mind. Chef Takaoka Chiharu aims to change that. Though he trained for eight years in a famous Ginza sushi restaurant before starting his own, so dedicated is he to his home prefecture that he almost exclusively uses ingredients from the Chiba locality. His rice is sourced from farmers in the Minamiboso area, and he eschews Toyosu Market for his fish and seafood in favor of the freshest catch from Chiba’s most famous fishing ports, such as Katsuura, Choshi and Futtsu. He even goes so far as to personally fetch spring water from Chiba on his days off, because of his unshakeable belief that Chiba rice should only be cooked in the purest Chiba water. And it has certainly produced results. The original Sushi Takaoka received a Tabelog Bronze Award every year since 2018 (with a single Silver Award in 2021), and was consistently named among the Tabelog Top 100 restaurants. Sushi Takaoka has since shifted from its original location in Chiba to its current location in Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, where the absence of his beloved hometown has only seemed to make Chef Takaoka’s heart grow fonder. He has since amended his restaurant’s name to Chiba Takaoka, to reinforce the sense of connection with the land to which he owes so much.