Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013–2018): Season 8, Episode 6 - Japan with Masa - full transcript

[woman] I think I need

more momentum. Power.

That's why I'm creating

all the time.

I have a little bit

of a crazy side.

That's why I keep moving.

I keep doing something.

I can't sit still

in the same place.

I have to move.



And still, I am learning.

[Lanegan and Homme]

♪ I took a walk ♪

♪ Through this

beautiful world ♪

♪ Felt the cool rain ♪

♪ On my shoulder ♪

♪ Found something good ♪

♪ In this beautiful world ♪

♪ I felt the rain ♪

♪ Getting colder ♪

-[man] ♪ La, la ♪

-[man] ♪ Sha la, la, la, la ♪

-[man] ♪ Sha la, la, la ♪



-[man] ♪ Sha la, la, la, la ♪

[man]

♪ Sha la, la, la, la, la ♪

♪ Sha la, la, la, la, la ♪

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

This is the restaurant,

Masa in New York City.

Tucked away on the fourth floor

of the Time Warner Center

on Columbus Circle.

It is America's

most expensive restaurant.

Dinner here costs around

$600 per person

before sake or extra pieces

of the most outrageous

quality tuna

on the planet.

The raw ingredients

are unparalleled,

often flown in from Japan

or grown specially

to this man's specifications.

This is Masa Takayama.

To call him America's

most respected sushi chef

would be an injustice,

as he is more than that,

much more.

What was it about him

that set him apart,

took him from a rather

bleak farming community

in rural Japan

to become first,

the toast of Los Angeles

and later,

the king of New York.

It is a fascinating story.

Kanazawa is the capital

of Ishikawa Prefecture

on the west coast

of Honshu Island

along the Sea of Japan.

It's known for its

untouched-by-time

traditional districts,

one of the few cities in Japan

left relatively intact

throughout the war.

It's famous for its crafts,

for its beautiful ceramics

in particular,

but also, its artistic

sensibility.

The way it always valued

beautiful things,

traditions.

It's a city that helped Masa,

then at a crossroads,

to discover a whole new world

of grace, of aesthetics,

of style,

that affected him deeply.

For most, however,

Kanazawa is simply a place

with great sea food.

[Takayama] It is the kitchen

of the--of Kanazawa City.

-Yeah?

-This market is.

-[Bourdain] Ooh, look at that.

-[Takayama] Yes.

-[Bourdain] A lot of crab.

-[Takayama] Yeah.

Sea shrimp, sardine.

Let's go there.

[Bourdain] Okay.

Ooh, look at that, uni.

Sea urchin, one of my

absolute favorite things,

has a limited season

in Japan,

from September to April.

And it's tastiest in winter.

-Good.

-[laughs]

From here?

[speaks Japanese]

-[man] Hokkaido.

-[Takayama] Hokkado.

Hokkaido. Good deal.

Another seasonal

specialty currently at

or near its best,

kanogani,

or snow crab,

juicy, and sweet,

and delicious.

Oh, man, that is good.

[Takayama] Really good.

Sweet. Oh.

-Very.

-We need a sake, huh?

[laughs]

-Yeah.

-[both laugh]

-You want some?

-[woman speaks Japanese]

-Good.

-Good, really good.

-Thank you.

-[man] Thank you!

-Thank you.

-Very good.

♪ ♪

[Takayama] Oh,

let's eat this one.

Can we get those?

-Liver?

-Yeah.

[Bourdain] Eel livers

grilled on a stick.

-[Takayama] Unagi?

-[man] Unagi, yeah.

Yeah. Ooh, hot. [laughs]

Good, huh?

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Oysters.

These are the size

of freaking clown shoes.

[Takayama] Could you open

the big ones.

[Bourdain]

Where are these from?

[Takayama] Shimane Prefecture.

[Bourdain] Wow.

Just one oyster is a meal.

It's, like, as big as a steak.

[Takayama]

Yeah, yeah. Thank you.

Just like that,

you hold it.

French style.

[laughs]

Wow.

[laughs] Good, huh?

Right? This is the best.

[Bourdain]

Wow, that's good,

and tender for a big oyster.

[Takayama]

Uh-huh. Thank you.

That was delicious!

Arigato.

It's so good, huh?

[laughs]

[Bourdain] Whoo.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

The geisha profession,

or geiko, as it's known

in Kanazawa

gained widespread popularity

in the late 18th century.

Wearing elaborate

kimono costumes

and makeup, geikos are paid

to entertain by singing,

dancing, drinking,

basically making older men,

generally,

feel good and welcome

for an hour, maybe two.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Yaeko is the owner

of the Fujinoya tea house.

One of only 15 or so

left in Kanazawa.

♪ ♪

[sings in Japanese]

[Bourdain] These tea houses

which at one time

numbered in the hundreds,

provide a stage for the geiko,

of which there are only about

50 left working in the city.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

Yaeko is a retired geiko

and an old friend of Masa

whom he credits

with teaching him

many things

about culture, life,

and presumably about women.

[clapping]

Nice, beautiful.

-[Bourdain] This is a hard thing

to do.

-[Takayama] Oh, yeah, yeah.

A lot of--they need to learn

a lot of stuff. Thanks.

[Bourdain]

Play music, tell stories.

-[Takayama] Dance.

-Thank you for my sake.

-[Takayama] Oh, I'm sorry.

-That's okay

-A lot of work.

-[Bourdain] Lot of work.

-[woman] Arigato.

-[Takayama] Cheers.

Hmm.

So, what brought

you here first?

[Takayama] When I was young,

I didn't know

this other world,

color-wise, artists,

beautiful.

I've never seen

that kind of stuff.

Big, kind of, shark.

I was a country boy.

Here is very sophisticated.

People are sophisticated.

I learned from her culture

what the secret is,

speech-wise.

They teach me, you know?

That's why Kanazawa City,

this is my second country.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Owned and run

by four generations

within the same family,

Yamanoo is a traditional

kaiseki restaurant

that dates back to 1890.

Kaiseki is a multi-course meal

with an entirely

new menu presented

every few weeks,

in response

to the changing seasons

and the seasonality

of the products available

in the region.

Everything is considered,

the taste, of course,

how to best prepare

a particular fish or plant

at its very peak.

Presentation.

Even the ceramic dishes

on which each dish

is served changes constantly.

Leaves, flowers,

elements from nature

evoke the season.

Wow, look at the package.

Incredible.

The first of eight dishes,

preserved in a tightly

wrapped bamboo leaf,

intended to resemble

a sword,

sea bream served chimaki-style

over rice slightly sweetened

by vinegar, soy sauce,

sugar, and sesame.

-[Takayama] Beautiful, huh,

Tony?

-[Bourdain] Beautiful.

Hmm.

[Bourdain] When you first

went to the US,

-how old were you?

-[Takayama] Twenty-seven.

27? Such a young age?

-Yeah.

-Did you have a job

-when you went?

-No. For play golf.

-No way.

-[Takayama] Yeah.

But the thing is,

when I was a kid

in art class,

the teacher told me

that American kids,

they--when they

draw outside,

just flat,

straight line.

House, tree, sun,

such a huge, huge land.

So, Japanese kid, well,

just mountain first

and the house,

right? The sun.

I wanted to go to US.

to see huge land.

That's my, you know,

dream, you know?

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Grilled rockfish

made Horaku style

steamed and smoking wormwood.

-[Takayama] Good fish, right?

-[Bourdain] Very good.

[Bourdain] Bamboo shoots

and Wagyu beef

prepared table side

with soy sauce

and mirin.

[Takayama] Hmm.

Oh, that's fantastic.

That's really good.

Today's sashimi course is cod,

salted and pressed

between leaves of kelp

for two hours,

coated with sake-cured

codfish roe.

Next to it, flounder,

its skin gently rubbed

with grilled tomato

the day before.

-Interesting.

-[laughs]

[Bourdain]

Finally, a super-luxurious

clam hot pot.

Rice is steamed with clam

and a bonito broth,

then topped with plump

torigai, plum,

and Manju clams,

as well as creamy sea urchin

and a Japanese

broccolini blossom

for good measure.

Simple, perfect.

-Wow.

-[Masa speaks Japanese]

[Bourdain] Oh. Uni?

-[Takayama] Uni.

-[Bourdain] Awesome.

[Takayama] All the umami

holding to the rice, right?

[Bourdain] Right.

So, I wanna know.

The stereotypical

Japanese mentality,

the salary man.

You join the company.

You stay with the company.

[Takayama] Well, some people

just go that way.

[Bourdain] Most people

go this way, yes.

They choose security.

[Takayama] Yeah, maybe.

Yeah, yeah, maybe.

[Bourdain] It's an

unusual way of thinking,

"I have to make

my own way."

Yeah, I agree with that.

Older brother, they can take

over family business.

I got to do something.

Went to Tokyo,

then realized,

"Wow, this is

a different world."

What could I do?

Yeah.

Second brother, maybe.

Second brother syndrome.

Exactly. Maybe, yeah.

[Bourdain] This was awesome.

-It was tasty, wasn't it?

-[Yaeko speaks Japanese]

Good to see you again.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[Takayama] Ishikawa Prefecture

is very rich country.

Great seafood,

lot of good vegetable.

♪ ♪

[Takayama]

I came here to learn.

This place totally changed me.

Beautiful.

Mr. Izukura, he's my mentor.

This is called "Kiku-neri."

[Takayama] He's an artist,

great artist.

[Izukura] You hand clay hard

like this for pottery.

-Add some water.

-[Takayama] He gave me

-a lot of idea.

-[Izukura] Slowly. No rush.

[Takayama] More than 40 years,

he's doing this kind of art.

[Izukura] When the center

is off like this,

you have to correct

it again, like this.

[Takayama] I learned

that simple clean line.

[Izukura] Don't worry

about the bottom.

Just the top part is important.

[Takayama]

Then, we become great friend.

It's been a while too.

[both laugh]

[Takayama] Then,

I start designing, too.

I have an image in my head.

I start drawing.

I want to represent

roughness.

-It's all connected, right?

-Yes.

[Izukura] I see.

[Takayama] Then,

I come all the way here

to talk with Mr. Izukura.

It's a flat plate,

a long plate.

[Izukura] And dynamic.

-[Takayama] And it's not square.

-[Izukura] More diagonal.

[Takayama] Yeah.

♪ ♪

[Takayama]

I want something stronger.

That passion makes me change.

How much will it shrink?

[Izukura] About ten percent.

[Takayama] Good shape,

isn't it? Nice curve.

Yeah, that's it. Good.

Yeah, beautiful.

Concept, done.

[Bourdain] When do you make

the drawings for the ceramic

-that you want?

-[Takayama]

When you're drinking.

-[Bourdain]

While you're drinking?

-[Takayama] Yeah.

[Takayama] We go--right?

We did so many times, huh?

-[Izukura] Yeah, yeah.

-[Bourdain] Eating and drinking

-and drawing.

-[Takayama] Yeah, always.

[Takayama]

He teach me a lot of stuff.

[Bourdain] So,

when you're in New York...

And the ceramics come,

do you ever go,

"What the--

-Happened.

-[Bourdain] --I don't remember."

[Takayama] Happened.

I get pissed.

-[Bourdain] Your design, man.

-Exactly.

[Bourdain] Ninety minutes

southeast of Kanazawa

is a mountainous region

known as Yamanaka Onsen.

And it looks unlike any place

I've ever been in Japan.

Masa's good friend

and art advisor,

Haruo Konishi

has a family hideaway here.

A beautiful

hundred twenty-year-old

traditional kumiko-style home

built around an irori,

the sunken hearth

in the middle

of the living room.

It's wild getting up here,

the snow,

-the rocks in the road.

-[Konishi] Yeah, right.

-Man, it's--ooh, pretty.

Not only does the irori

heat the entire house,

it becomes the gathering place

on nights like these.

-[Takayama] Arigato. To cheers.

-[Bourdain] Kanpai.

They get together,

cook, eat,

drink large quantities

of unfiltered,

slightly chunky sake,

and enjoy the country life.

Looking good.

The boys have laid out

the makings

of a pretty amazing feast.

Iwana, or char,

were caught today

in a nearby mountain stream.

Enormous Hokkaido scallops

pulled this morning

from the Sea of Japan

sizzle and pucker

in their shells

over the fire in butter

and lime juice

and a touch of home-brewed

soy sauce.

Wild Japanese boar

hangs above the coals

radiating its sweet aroma

as it cooks.

-Look at that.

-Yeah.

[Bourdain] So, how long have

you all known each other?

-How many years?

-[Takayama] About 30 years, huh?

Right? We know each other?

I love this kind of

cooking, you know.

-That's the way I like.

-[Bourdain] Wow.

[Takayama]

Yeah, be careful, though.

-It's hot, though.

-[Bourdain] Yeah.

[Takayama]

The--ooh--hmm.

-[Bourdain] Wow.

-Yeah.

Sweet.

[Takayama] Where does

this quail come from?

[Konishi]

From a nearby mountain.

[Bourdain] Uzura,

freshly caught local quail--

is rubbed with olive oil,

sprinkled with salt,

and lightly glazed

with that homemade soy.

-[Takayama] Wonder how it is...

-[Bourdain] Yeah.

-Oh, wow.

-[Takayama] How is it?

-Good?

-That's good.

Uh-hmm.

[Takayama] This kind of

charcoal slow cooking

gives this

kind of flavor,

soft, juicy.

[Takayama speaks Japanese]

How's the fish?

[Konishi speaks Japanese]

[laughter]

[Takayama]

You know what he said?

Before fish,

I'm gonna burn out.

[laughter]

So, him first? Right.

[laughter]

[Takayama] Don't hurry.

Good food takes long time.

[Bourdain] So, this big

argument with the Spanish,

big argument.

Is umami a flavor

or a sensation?

[Takayama]

Umami is essence,

strong essence.

[Bourdain] So,

it's a mysterious force?

[Takayama] Yeah.

Much bigger than the universe.

-Bigger than flavor.

-Of course.

This vegetable

is called fukinoto.

Under the ground,

covered with snow, cold.

Then, little by little bit,

it opens up like that.

This is first sign

of the spring.

We appreciate that.

How do you cook this?

Grill, fried,

or braise it.

-I'm gonna grill it.

-Hmm.

Little bit oil,

then little bit salt.

This gets so happy,

the phases,

so happy.

They want to be

cooked this way.

Their blood

is bitterness,

very bitter.

Need bitterness

to grow.

[Bourdain]

This is Italian.

This--amaro dolce,

at the end

of an Italian meal.

-Exactly.

-Sweet, fat, sweet, fat.

At the end of the meal,

something bitter

to remind you

of the sadness.

This is the umami, too.

That kind of sensibility,

I didn't know that.

He taught me this

kind of delicacy.

He's my maestro,

teacher, you know?

Tony, try this.

Strong herb, right?

But you're right, umami,

it's deep.

There's umami.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Among Izukura-san's

many skills apparently

is a shocking proficiency

at making soba noodles.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Tonight,

the soba is paired up

with slices of tender duck

and green onion

grilled over the irori.

-[Takayama] Nice, al dente.

-[Bourdain] Uh-hmm.

-His soba is best soba.

-[Bourdain] Perfect.

Then, topped by a warm

dashi sauce

made of soy, mirin,

and a touch of sugar.

[Takayama] I'm so glad

we can share with this moment

with my old friend,

you know?

-[Bourdain] Hmm.

-Called ichi-go ichi-e.

-You know that word is?

-[Bourdain] No, tell me.

[Takayama]

Once in life this moment.

We appreciate,

respect each other,

enjoying this moment.

-[Bourdain] Ichi-go ichi-e.

-[Takayama] Never again.

-[Bourdain] Never again.

-[Takayama] Yeah. Exactly.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Sushi--

and not just sushi.

Sushi made one of the oldest,

most iconic, respected,

best establishments

in the world.

The place where it all began,

not just for Masa Takayama,

but generations of young,

predominantly male

sushi apprentices or deshis,

who went on to open

their own places

all over the world.

This is Ginza Sushi-ko

in Tokyo.

The original.

A hundred thirty years old.

And for all that time,

this, in one form or the other,

is how the day started,

scaling and gutting the fish,

prepping the kitchen.

-[Takayama] Cleaning bathroom.

-[Bourdain] Uh-hmm.

-Making sake for customer.

-Right.

-Dishwasher.

-[Bourdain] Uh-hmm.

-Everything.

-For how long?

First two years.

[Bourdain] Only in the third

year, the rice.

[Takayama]

The rice is very important.

[Bourdain]

And if you get that right,

eventually, maybe, just maybe,

the master will begin

to teach you

the next phase,

how to stand next to him

as a wakita,

slicing the fish,

eventually--eventually--

creating pieces of nigiri

for guests at the bar.

Of the dozen young men

who work here,

not all will make it

to become a sushi shokunin.

Oh, it's long time.

[Bourdain]

To achieve that status

of truly becoming

a master chef.

How many years?

Seven years to learn, right?

-[Takayama] Yeah.

-[Bourdain] That's a lot

of time.

-[Takayama] A lot of time.

-[Bourdain] A lot of work,

-a lot of pain.

-[Takayama] Exactly.

[Bourdain] What was it like

apprenticing here? Hard?

[Takayama]

His father was pretty tough.

-Yeah.

-Very tough. At that time,

his grandfather

was here, too,

very tough.

[Bourdain] Young Masa

was first hired here

as an apprentice

by shokunin Toshiaki Sugiyama.

This is his son,

Mamoru Sugiyama,

who runs Sushiko today.

The fourth generation

to uphold the standards

and family tradition.

[Sugiyama] Nothing much

has changed about what we do.

Nothing much.

[Bourdain]

Things should stay the same.

[Takayama] Yes.

This is aji.

-[Takayama] Aji.

-This is topped with ginger,

so please mix.

[Bourdain]

Seared horse mackerel

over green onion and ginger,

drizzled with house made soy.

[Takayama] You got to love

this kind of stuff, very simple,

-right?

-[Bourdain] Yeah,

it's fantastic.

-[Bourdain] Hmm.

-[Takayama] Delicious.

Love it.

I feel nostalgic.

See, he's going to marinate it

in soy sauce.

It's very old style.

[Bourdain]

Yeah, looks good. Yeah.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

Maguro--bluefin tuna,

prepared in classic zuke style.

That's so beautiful.

What happen if you do

a bad job?

He didn't slap,

but, you know,

the thing is,

louder punishment.

Yeah. You don't go home

feeling good.

Yelling, you know, yelling.

-[Bourdain] Yelling.

-Yelling.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] How does he remember

you? Good guy, bad guy,

pain in the ass?

[Takayama]

Can you to tell them stories

from when I used to work

with you?

[laughter]

[Sugiyama] He used to play

the saxophone back in the day.

-[Bourdain] Saxophone?

-[Sugiyama] And he'd start

playing in the middle

of the night.

No one sleeps in Ginza,

so being loud is usually

not a problem.

But us, we were sleeping.

He was being loud

when we were trying to sleep.

Wait, is he any good

at saxophone?

-Good.

-[Takayama laughs]

I love jazz.

I didn't watch

anything about it

till I started working here.

When there's Sunday,

day off,

taking class a little bit.

I play in here

in the bathroom.

-Here?

-[Takayama] At work.

Yeah, I put the cloth in

the bell, then play like that.

My God. They probably

wanted to kill you.

You're a very

unusual man.

[laughter]

♪ ♪

[Takayama]

Sushi is the best meal.

We can enjoy every single

small piece,

different fish.

We can see the chef

right there.

He's slicing--

watch while

he makes it from right here.

-And eat.

-[Bourdain] Right.

[Sugiyama]

This is hirame.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

Japanese tiger prawn,

octopus,

and fluke sashimi.

[Takayama] Japanese cooking,

we care very much on the ki,

which is fighting spirits.

-Like this, right?

-Uh-hmm.

Striped jack

brushed with soy and sake.

[Sugiyami] It is indeed

about this, this moment.

[Takayama] This moment.

Do not miss this.

Then, grab it, right?

Then, eat. See?

-Hmm.

-[Takayama] That's why

you got to eat quickly.

If thirty second,

one minute--

-It's dying.

-Ki is leaving somewhere.

[laughs]

♪ ♪

[Takayama]

Almost like the fish,

the sushis arrive moving,

swimming.

Very fast.

Done.

Amazing.

This moment almost

ended right there.

It's very important.

[Bourdain] Anago or sea eel,

a hand roll in fresh

crackling seaweed.

[crunching]

Hmm, oh, man.

[both crunching]

Wow.

This is our famous tamago-yaki.

The recipe is exactly the same

as it was 100 years ago.

[Takayama]

His father told me that--

-[Bourdain] Right.

-[Takayama] --I did a great job

-for this.

-This is very difficult.

Yeah.

[Sugiyama] I learn

to make this from him.

[Takayama] Please teach

my son what he said.

Ah.

Wow, look at that.

♪ ♪

[Takayama]

This has lots of shrimp eggs,

all those eggs,

-and fish paste season.

-[Bourdain] Really?

[Takayama] Very special stuff.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

Did he ever think back then

that you would be

a success in America?

Or did he think,

"Bad move."?

[laughter]

You were rather...

aggressive, so to say.

-Ambitious.

-Exactly, ambitious.

[Sugiyama]

For example, I was going at it

with the mission to preserve...

and carry on the craft

of my father, right?

But in your case,

you've had to change the menu

and constantly

show your creativity.

And that's how you got to

where you are today.

You haven't changed much at all.

[Sugiyama] No, that's not true.

I'm getting old.

Life starts here.

From now on

is the good part.

From here on

you've got to have fun.

You and me both.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

Nasushiobara is a town

like many others

in rural Japan.

The kind of Japanese town

we don't see much of

in movies or television.

A once-traditional

farming community,

slow-paced,

inward-looking,

the opposite end

of the universe,

culturally,

from New York and Tokyo,

even from Kanazawa.

[Ishi] It was rice fields

all around

and there were farmlands

in the back.

Though there was not even

trace of that anymore.

Since the bullet trained

started coming,

I became so lively.

[Bourdain] It used to be

a five-hour trip from Tokyo,

now reduced to two

by the Shinkansen bullet train.

Why don't we have these

in America, by the way?

Ask your congressman.

This rather drab,

featureless place

is where Masa

was born and raised

and could well have stayed.

But then, everything

would've been different.

Masa's dad,

Yoshio, recently passed.

But his mom, Ishi,

is still going strong,

the center of the family.

[Ishi] It's been while,

wasn't it?

Welcome home.

[Bourdain]

Nice to meet you.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

Catherine is Masa's daughter,

California-raised,

but a frequent visitor

to the family home.

She and her grandmother

are preparing

some familiar comfort foods

to celebrate

Masa's homecoming.

[Ishi and Takayama

speaks Japanese]

[Bourdain] Motsuni

is a slow-simmered stew

of pork tripe, konnyaku,

daikon, green onions,

and miso.

Ooh.

-What's that?

-[Bourdain] Lot of food, right?

[Takayama] This is

the country food. [laughs]

Kanpai.

Welcome home. [laughs]

Thank you very much,

it's a pleasure to meet you.

[Bourdain] Kanpai.

You don't get this

in New York.

[Takayama] No.

Hmm, hmm.

[Takayama speaks

in Japanese]

This is really good.

-I see why you love this.

-Uh-hmm.

[Bourdain] Catherine,

by the way, is a pastry chef

at the great restaurant

The French Laundry

in the Napa Valley.

So, high-level cooking seems

to run in the family.

So, you grew up sitting

in the sushi bar.

[Catherin] I did, yeah,

sitting on the milk crate

with a cheeseburger

in front.

And I'd watch my dad

prepping.

-Uh-hmm.

-And I'd call out, "Dad!"

And he'd be like,

"I'm not your Dad here."

-I was like... [gasps]

-Oh, that's funny.

What did you do

for fun back there?

-I was eating.

-[laughter]

[Bourdain] Your father was in

the fish business, wholesale?

[Takayama] Fisherman,

yeah. Oh, retail.

-He made sashimi, right?

-Uh-hmm.

♪ ♪

[Ishi] The way we started

the fish shop

was because of my parents

had a business.

When you had a lot of children

you needed to take care

of them...

at home while somehow

making a living.

Fish and dried goods,

and vegetables.

We also did catering.

[Bourdain] Masa, his brother,

and three sisters

all work for the family

business

every day after school

and on weekends.

[Takayama]

Nine, ten years old,

we carried the sashimi dish

in the special kind

of container.

We'd go all the neighbors.

-Yeah.

-To deliver.

[Bourdain] You learned

how to clean fish very early,

-how to cut it.

-[Takayama] Uh-hmm. Ten, elven,

twelve, that time already

I started to grill

the fish.

♪ ♪

[Ishi] Back then,

the children were small,

and then it was really tough.

But now all of them bring me

so many delicious things to eat.

So I'm very grateful these days.

[Bourdain]

In her opinion,

were you

a good student?

-I was, right?

-[Bourdain] A good one?

[laughter]

[Takayama] Was I a naughty kid?

[Ishi] Yes, troublesome.

[Bourdain] So, were you

surprised that he became

a big success in America?

[Ishi] Yes, I was.

Of course, it's because

Grandpa was strict

with the children,

I thinks that's why

your dad

worked for a sushi

restaurant.

There, he was a very

organized sushi master.

I think he tried

very hard,

You were not a lazy kid.

You had and dreams--

-And you wanted to--

-That's right.

I can't sit long,

you know?

I got to do something.

He seems to work

harder here than at work.

[Catherine] She's saying

he probably works more here

than he does abroad.

[laughter]

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Oh, man, nice wasabi.

-[Takayama] See this?

-[Bourdain] Yeah.

[Takayama] That's a great

flavor. So, just scrape first,

start to scrape,

then go this way.

Whoo, ho-ho.

Yeah, nice.

Wow, look at that.

Comfort food is one thing,

and damn, it's wonderful.

But Masa being Masa,

you'll notice

there's a mountain

of decidedly

luxurious sashimi

brought up

from Tsukiji Market

in Tokyo this morning.

[Takayama] This we do all

the time, you know?

Very simple, easy.

[Bourdain] Oh, yeah,

that's just a nice big

pile of incredible,

beautiful uni

like that.

-I do that all the time.

-[laughter]

[Bourdain]

Some sea urchin roe, or uni,

and some high-test otoro tuna

that any New York

sushi enthusiast

would cheerfully cut their

best friend's throat for.

-[Bourdain] Hmm, hmm.

-[Takayama] Hmm.

-[Takayama] Good?

-Fantastic.

[Ishi] This is better than

Masa's sushi.

[laughter]

[Bourdain] Ooh, bold words.

[Takayama] Maybe better, huh?

[Bourdain]

Typical Japanese meal,

champagne, Sancerre.

[Takayama]

That's why we do it. [laughs]

[Bourdain] Country cooking

at its best, right?

[laughter]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

High school, rah-rah-rah,

high school, sis bomba

as the MC5 so notably sang.

[yelling]

[Bourdain] But school

in Japan is different.

They didn't give up

on physical education

as we seem to have.

The thousand-year-old

martial art of kendo,

or "the way of the sword,"

is still widely taught.

[both yell]

[Bourdain] Boys and girls alike

compete with bamboo swords--

sensible stand-ins

for actual samurai swords,

but the same thing, man.

♪ ♪

[shouting]

Oh, ho.

[Bourdain] Kendo is scored

by strikes against the wrist,

head, torso, or throat,

each representing a blow

that would be bad news

if handling an actual blade.

Ha, ha.

They're fast, huh?

[Bourdain]

The concept of kaizen,

improvement,

central to the study

of any martial art,

it could be said also applies

to cooking at a high level.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] So, it's no surprise

that young Masa once suited up

for the same team

at the same

junior high school.

♪ ♪

I think he's trying

to psych the kid,

but I don't think

it's gonna work frankly.

♪ ♪

Yeah, on the other hand.

[man]

Please step in.

Start.

[both shouting]

One point on the face!

[applause]

[man] Second hit!

♪ ♪

[man] One point for the wrist!

Game!

[Bourdain]

You still got it, man.

Looking good.

[Takayama]

Thanks. Oh.

Whoo.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

[all speaks in Japanese]

Thank you very much.

Awesome, man. Fast.

Inspiration.

[Takayama] When I was 12 years

old, I started Kendo

I'm in the lowest rank of Kendo.

But for three years,

in this junior high school,

I practiced.

I used a bamboo sword...

for the first time

in 50 years.

I really enjoyed it.

Thank you very much.

Everyone,

please study hard.

Have a wonderful future.

Thank you.

[all speaks in Japanese]

[Takayama speaks in Japanese]

-Yeah!

-[all] Yeah!

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Masa Takayama

left Nasushiobara.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain]

His oldest brother, Kazuo,

stayed.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] He's been

the chef proprietor

of local restaurant Sugimura

for the last 30 years.

Kimoyaki, eel liver

dipped in a sauce of sake,

soy, and mirin,

then grilled low and slow

over charcoal.

[Bourdain] Say, they could serve

this at The French Laundry,

-right?

-[laughs]

I think we do.

[Bourdain] So, back in the

days of the family catering

-business...

-[Catherine] Uh-huh.

[Bourdain] When he looked

at his younger brother,

did he think,

"This guy's gonna make

something of himself?"

Not particularly.

[Catherine] He's like, "No."

[Bourdain] 'Cause your dad

said he was a bad--

he was not a good student.

When he started going

to high school.

[Catherine] It's when

he went to high school,

-[Kazuo] He stopped studying.

-[Catherine] And then

he stopped studying.

[Bourdain] Right. What was

he doing instead of studying?

I wonder Mahjong?

Mahjong. Mahjong is probably...

[laughter]

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] Next, this insanely

delicious custard of eel

and egg jacked with bean curd,

bonito broth, and kelp.

-[Catherine] Oh, wow.

-[Bourdain] Wow,

that is beautiful.

[Kazuo] This is called

umishi-tamago,

Hmm, really good.

Of everyone in the family,

why'd your dad

end up the weirdo?

[Catherine] So, after

he graduated high school,

he didn't have any idea

what he wanted to do.

My uncle, at the time,

he was already in Tokyo.

And he was like,

"Look, come out to Tokyo.

Work at Ginza Sushi-ko."

And he went to go

check it out, and he loved it.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

That was a tremendous break

for an aimless young man

from the provinces.

You know, my father,

being the second son,

he kind of had free range

to do whatever he wanted.

Uncle, did you always know that

you wanted to be a chef,

since you were a little?

[Kazuo] No, I didn't.

In Japan, the oldest son

has to be

the head of the household.

[Catherine] So, traditionally,

it's the oldest son

stays to take care

of the parents.

-If he could live

his life over again.

-Yeah.

I wanted to be

a designer originally.

-A designer of--

-Fashion designer.

-[Bourdain] Fashion designer.

-[Catherine] Fashion. Really?

[Kazuo] I figured

that in order to play

with a lot of colors.

Japanese cuisine

is perfect because

Japanese cooking

would let me present

different colors

inside each dish.

[Bourdain]

Then, hitsumabushi,

eel steamed, dressed,

and grilled over rice.

-[Bourdain] Oh, look at this.

-[Catherine]Oh, wow.

There are a lot

of components here.

♪ ♪

Amazing.

[Bourdain] Wow, that's good.

-[speaks Japanese]

-Thank you.

[Catherine] I've never had unagi

other than my uncle's unagi.

[Bourdain] Uh-hmm. Really?

Yeah. Oh.

-[Bourdain] Good sake.

Good food.

-Yeah.

-This is delicious, uncle.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] The Japanese

often bear a heavy burden

of responsibilities.

Societal expectations,

family obligations,

tradition,

work.

But when they relax,

they really do it well.

They are better at it

than anybody.

[Takayama] Whoa-ho! Whoo.

[Bourdain]

It's good, man.

Soak in an outdoor onsen,

natural sulfur baths

in the mountains, for instance.

[Takayama]

Oh, man, so good, huh?

[Bourdain] Yeah.

I feel healthier already.

[Takayama]

Yeah. Where's the beer?

So to speak.

Thank you.

-It is Suntory time, my friend.

-Cheers. Kanpai.

-Suntory time.

-It's time to relax.

[laughs]

♪ ♪

-[Takayama] Beautiful color,

huh?

-[Bourdain] Looking good.

-[Takayama] Right?

[-Bourdain] Get together

with some friends

and cook off some al fresco

mountain-style

sukiyaki, bitches.

Maybe a little tempura

made from

foraged wild

asparagus and fukinoto.

[Takayama]

That's the way I like.

Hmm.

-Yeah.

-[Takayama] Beautiful.

[Bourdain]

And when it's sukiyaki time

after a whole lot of,

shall we say,

home-brewed sake...

Kanpai, Kanpai.

[Bourdain]

You just kick back,

stir in the maitakes

and the shitakes,

then some Tochigi beef,

and enjoy the day.

[Takayama] This is what I like.

-[Bourdain] Oh, yeah.

-[Takayama] Beautiful, right?

-This is gonna be good.

-[Takayama] Yeah, more, more,

more, more, more, more,

more, more, more, more,

more, more,

more, more, more.

Yeah, good,

good, good.

-[Bourdain] Nice eggs.

-[Takayama] Beautiful eggs.

♪ ♪

Hmm.

[Takayama] So good.

See, that's what

I like.

Outside, especially.

Outside it tastes better,

-much better than--

-[Bourdain] Everything

-tastes better outside.

-[Takayama] Exactly, exactly.

[Bourdain] So, how long

have you known these guys?

[Takayama] Oh, since--

since high school. Which is--

-[Bourdain] High school?

-[Takayama] High school, yeah,

-Which is, what, 44 years?

-[Bourdain] Forty four years?

Yeah, it's a long time,

huh? [laughs]

How does he remember you

in high school?

Who was the best student,

who was the worst

student here?

-This is the best student.

-[Bourdain] Best student?

These guys--the three guys,

the three of us is the worst.

[Bourdain] The three of you

were the bad students?

[Takayama] Ah, very good.

So, you do this

when you were kids?

Build a fire,

cook something?

Yeah, always.

Always we did that.

[Bourdain] Drink sake?

[Takayama] Smoke cigarette

outside.

[Bourdain] Back then,

did everybody know

that you were not

gonna stay?

Like, when you were

in high school,

did you talk about,

"When I get old enough,

I'm going to America.

-I'm not--I'm not staying here."

-Yeah, we did that.

I told you that I might

go to America

when we were in

high school, eh?

Yeah, yeah, yeah,

I told them.

[Bourdain] Now, you weren't

dressed up like John Wayne

or anything?

When you went to school?

No cowboy boots?

No, no, no, no, no.

♪ ♪

[Bourdain] They say you can

take the boy out of the country

but you can't take

the country out of the boy.

I don't know if that's true.

We all come from some place,

that's for sure.

But New York City,

in Masa Takayama's case,

seems far, far away

from the little town

he grew up in.

♪ ♪