Fukuoka

Sushi Kazuya

鮨　かず矢

Despite his young age, Kazuya Tanaka brings a sophisticated sushi experience to Fukuoka’s fine-dining scene. Beginning his apprenticeship at age 15, he has continued to build his craft, creating masterpieces using fresh seafood caught in local bays. With dishes like marinated sardines and fluffy conger eel sushi, the omakase menu caters to the rich flavors of the season. Adored by local and visiting fans, Sushi Kazuya is a hidden gem.

Sushi Kazuya opened its doors a decade ago in a quiet residential neighborhood in central Fukuoka. As you step inside the small restaurant, a peaceful world awaits. As you sit across the wide wooden counter, you can gaze upon a beautiful Japanese garden from the large window, accented with seasonal plants, flowers and stacked stones.

"I’d like our guests to relax and enjoy their time here," Tanaka says, adding how the scenery from the window changes with the season, weather and time of day. Embracing the idea of the here and now, he pours his heart into creating a sushi experience that is unique to his home of Fukuoka.

Using the best of local catches

Using the best of local catches, the omakase meal starts with plates of appetizers followed by a sequence of nigiri. The courses allow you to savor the change of seasons with delicacies such as Japanese blue crab and grilled belt fish in the summer.

The vinegared sardines roll is one of Tanaka’s signature dishes. The cured fish is wrapped in seaweed with pickled ginger, shiso and ground sesame seeds. The different flavors come together beautifully in your mouth. The blue crab is a perfect summer dish with the flavorful meat drizzled in sweet and sour jelly.

The grilled dishes are cooked over charcoal behind the counter. The smoky heat adds a rich aroma to the ingredients. The day’s grill is tachiuo, or belt fish, served with shiitake mushrooms, pickled plums and sudachi citrus.

Steamed chawanmushi is flavored with clam broth and topped with a generous heap of sea urchin. Smooth and silky, the dish is a masterpiece that guests keep coming back for.

The nigiri are served in order from light to stronger flavors, typically beginning with squid, followed by white fish, shellfish, blue fish and conger eel. The rice is flavored just the right amount with a blend of rice vinegar and red vinegar.

The squid is aged to bring out its sweetness and stickiness and finely sliced to create that wonderful texture. The sushi falls apart on your tongue. Scallops are also sliced delicately with a knife to give it a tender texture. Tanaka’s knife work is stunning to look at.

A slice of glistening tuna drapes over the rice to bring out its full flavor. The day’s batch, including chutoro and otoro, comes from a 150-160 kg fish caught off Iki in Nagasaki Prefecture. The fish is marinated to bring out the rich umami. The nikiri sauce, made with umami of bonito and kelp, has a clean finish that brings out the flavor of the fish. The signature conger eel is soft and fluffy, flavored with a rich aged broth of the fish.

INGREDIENTS
Most of the seafood come directly from local fishmongers at the Fukuoka fish market. Conger eels come from Kanezaki Fishing Port in Fukuoka or in the Tsushima area.

For sushi rice, Tanaka uses Emi no Kizuna, grown in Myoko in Niigata Prefecture. A variety grown exclusively for sushi, it absorbs the vinegar well with the right amount of stickiness and consistency. The grains are flavored with red vinegar from Kagoshima and rice vinegar from Fukuoka. The fresh wasabi comes from Utogi in Shizuoka. The seaweed is delivered directly from the producer in Ariake.

CHEF

Kazuya Tanaka

Tanaka Kazuya was born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1987. He was only in middle school when he became fascinated with the world of sushi after watching a TV program about fishermen. He decided to pursue his passion from a young age and began his apprenticeship at Yamanaka, a sushi establishment in Fukuoka. He was only 15 years old then, and spent the next 13 years studying there.

It was when he was about 25 years old that he began thinking about going independent. Three years later, he accomplished his dream and opened his very own Sushi Kazuya in his home city. Recognized for his excellent skills, the restaurant will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2025.

Over the years, his conger eel sushi has become a guest favorite. In 2022, he decided to open Hajime, a sister restaurant dedicated to conger eel cuisine. His wife runs the restaurant with a head chef.

VISION
Tanaka hopes he will have a chance to work abroad with his experience of Japanese cuisine that he’s cultivated from a very young age. He is interested in expanding abroad to countries like Singapore. He also hopes to take on more apprentices to pass on his craft.

TABLEWARE and SAKE

“Tableware is a part of the cuisine,” Tanaka says. He is extremely particular about the selection of crockery at every meal, choosing from his fine collection of Arita and Imari ware from Kyushu. His favorites pieces include rare work from the mid-Edo period.

The chef also selects the sake menu himself. Focusing on how the sake complements the flavors of the meal, he chooses interesting vintages not just from Kyushu but from Tohoku and other regions. He also likes wines from Kenzo Estate, one of the top wineries in Napa Valley, especially their Rindo and Asatsuyu.