Chef Jun Mishina is an extremely gentle and warm man with a soft character, much like a Buddhist monk. Born and raised in Yokohama, he has loved cooking since he was a small child. He is grateful to his mother who allowed him to join her in the kitchen from his early elementary school days, often to make pound cakes from fruits and vegetables. Suffering from kidney disease, he was constantly aware of the levels of sugar and salt in his foods, and he credits his sensitive palate to this connection with the pure flavors of foods. Year after year, his wish for the future contained one simple word: “chef”.

Straight after high school, Mishina attended Tsuji Culinary Institute. After graduation, he joined the school as a teacher, but realized his teaching had little relevance for students who hoped to understand the real workings of a restaurant kitchen. He got a part-time job at a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo with every intention to return to the classroom after five years. He quit soon after, not feeling up to the pressure and physical demands, and was seeking something more casual when an offer came that he felt he couldn’t refuse.

At age 23, Mishina joined Ishikawa in Kagurazaka, and despite being in tears almost every day, he felt it his mission to persevere for just three years. He came under the wings of the master chef Ishikawa (of Kagurazaka Ishikawa fame) and the senior chef Koizumi (now head chef at Kohaku), for whom he has the deepest admiration, despite them being very strict in their nurturing of him. It is clear from talking to all three chefs that the tight-knit Ishikawa group is bound together by ties of diligence, kindness and mutual respect.

After a year and a half, he was allowed to stand in the kitchen and witness for the first time the deep satisfaction of delighting guests with his food. He was hooked. He saw how being given a stage makes us naturally look for the way to perform and forces us to extend ourselves. He worked under Koizumi at Kohaku, and then as a chef at Ren, before being invited to take over as head chef at Ren in 2014, at the age of 30.

In charge at the counter for the first time, Mishina noticed a somewhat diluted response from customers compared to what he had seen at Ishikawa and Kohaku. The answer wasn’t in his cuisine; it was in customer interactions. He realized that guests take home the whole dining experience and the part that was lacking was the conversation with guests. Little by little, he focused more on his guests, taking cues from them and learning from other chef’s and their interactions with customers, getting the feel for true Japanese hospitality. These days, working with three other young staff, Mishina is a natural, taking great joy in communicating the cuisine of his native country to Japanese people and overseas visitors alike.

VISION
Mishina works diligently every day to polish his knowledge and skills, but still feels very much in the developing stages of his career. Learning English so that he can share his ideas with people from around the world, he also feels strongly about nurturing young chefs, and never fails to remind himself of the importance of enjoying what he does. These efforts all represent layers towards his ultimate aim of widening the circle of people who find delight in his cuisine. It is clear from a dining experience at Ren that he is gliding gracefully towards that goal.