Kappo Sushi Hana Aza

There has perhaps been no greater meeting of minds in sushi than at Kappo Sushi Hana Aza. If there was ever anyone destined to be a sushi chef, it is Chef Matsuhata Koji. Inspired by his parents, who ran the famous Fukuoka sushi restaurant Tatsumi Sushi, he moved to Tokyo after high school, training for several years in the legendary Tsukiji establishment Daiwa Sushi (now in Toyosu) before returning to Fukuoka to continue training in a Japanese restaurant in Yakuin. After a stint at his parents’ own Tatsumi Sushi, he started Hana Aza in Fukuoka’s upscale Akasaka district in August 2023. But he was not alone in this endeavor. Chef Matsuhata was joined by two other chefs from Tatsumi Sushi, Dai Shungo and Tamura Hikaru, both also veterans of various cuisines like French and Italian. Together, their diverse backgrounds and perspectives lead the three of them to push the envelope of traditional Japanese cuisine in a number of different ways. For instance, much of Japanese cuisine is influenced by Chinese cuisine. But Hana Aza takes this a step further: for the shari rice in its sushi, it uses only Fukuoka rice, dressed with a blend of white vinegar and Shanxi aged vinegar from Chef Dai’s hometown in China. The latter lends the rice a milder flavor than most other sushi restaurants'. In order to give Hana Aza’s guests a comprehensive taste of the season, time-limited Kyushu regional ingredients are also incorporated in the trio’s sushi and kappo offerings, such as Okinawa spinach in spring, and peaches in early summer. A modern, open kitchen design lets guests marvel at how the three chefs expertly incorporate these ingredients into a parade of beautifully plated dishes. Fluent in Chinese and Korean, with some proficiency in Cantonese as well, they welcome guests from all over the world at their counter.