About Chef Mika

This journey was born from a simple desire: to share with you the beauty of Japan as I have come to know and feel it over my lifetime. It is a story told through food, through meaningful connection, through places close to my heart, and through those quiet, unforgettable moments that stay with you long after the trip has ended.

My story begins in Onomichi, Hiroshima—a nostalgic coastal town overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. Growing up surrounded by calm waters, winding slopes, and small, family-run eateries loved for generations, I naturally came to feel that food is far more than mere sustenance. It carries people’s thoughts, memories, and the invisible threads that weave us together.

My family has long been deeply intertwined with Japan’s culinary heritage. My grandfather dedicated his entire life to the culinary arts, a lifelong devotion recognized by the Japanese government with the Order of the Rising Sun. My father was entrusted with managing a key branch of the family restaurant, and my mother worked right alongside him, welcoming guests day after day. Growing up by my mother’s side and watching her receive visitors, I learned that true hospitality (Omotenashi) is not found in titles, prestige, or rigid formality. Rather, it lives quietly in the gentle warmth of daily life and the subtle, unspoken kindness exchanged between people.

This philosophy became the anchor for my professional journey, which began in Japan at an upscale French restaurant within a premier international hotel, where I learned the art of front-of-house service. Yet long before I stepped into a professional career, I had harbored a strong fascination with America from a very young age, dreaming that I might one day experience life there for myself.

While studying hotel and restaurant management in Japan, I was fortunate to participate in a short-term summer study abroad program—my very first time traveling abroad. My destination was a resort in Colorado, where I lived and worked alongside young Americans my age who were there for summer jobs. Daily life was filled with things quite different from what I had taken for granted in Japan: how people interacted with guests, served meals, communicated, viewed etiquette, and expressed their feelings and thoughts.

What stayed with me, however, was not a judgment of which way was right or wrong. Instead, I began to see that people raised in different cultures simply approach the same situations in distinct ways, guided by their own values, experiences, and ways of perceiving the world.

After graduating from college in Japan, I was blessed with another opportunity to return to Colorado, where I continued working in resort hospitality for several years. What had started as a first trip overseas grew into something much deeper as time unfolded. Through daily life and work, I was continuously exposed to new ways of thinking, communicating, and connecting. No one formally taught me how to navigate these cultural differences; I learned gradually through the experience itself—working together, sharing meals, listening, making mistakes, and living alongside people whose backgrounds were different from my own.

Those years in Colorado taught me to look at cultural differences not through the lens of better or worse, but with genuine curiosity, flexibility, and respect. And they taught me something else that I would come to appreciate even more deeply later on: experiencing a different culture changes the way you see your own.

Upon returning to Japan, I resumed my career at a traditional Kaiseki restaurant within a distinguished hotel. There, I learned the true essence of Omotenashi—the art of anticipating a guest’s needs before they are spoken, creating an atmosphere of quiet, seamless grace and heartfelt care.

Later, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where my path took a wonderful turn from the dining room into the kitchen. I had the privilege of becoming a co-founder, co-owner, and chef of a Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant. Yet even in such a refined setting, accolades were never what mattered most to me. Above all else, I cherished the genuine human connection that unfolds when people gather around a table.

Today, as a personal chef in the Napa Valley, I curate bespoke dining experiences for private estates, boutique wineries, and intimate gatherings. For me, the true magic of these moments lies in bringing together culinary precision, natural warmth, humor, and an atmosphere that gently connects people.

The places we will visit on this journey were not chosen because they are famous. They are places I have revisited over decades, places I hold in deep regard, and relationships I have nurtured over many years.

On one morning, we might enjoy breakfast over a beer and sake at a sushi counter in Tokyo’s fish market. On another, we might skip hotel dining to savor a classic morning set at a neighborhood coffee shop, or bite into a unique local burger found nowhere else. One afternoon, we might stand shoulder-to-shoulder with locals at an unpretentious neighborhood bar in Kobe. On one evening, we might quietly savor the flavors of the season at a renowned establishment in Kyoto, and on another, spend a peaceful hour at a humble, hidden spot in Onomichi.

What binds these varied experiences together is not luxury, but the quiet integrity of the people behind them. Through this journey, my hope is that you will not only taste "delicious Japan," but also feel the rhythm of its streets, the poetry in its everyday moments, and the gentle warmth born around the table.

To me, this is not merely a "tour." It is an invitation to share time over food, to pause, and to truly meet one another as human beings.

It is my deepest honor to share this unforgettable journey with you.