You arrived in the U.S. in Anchorage, Alaska, when you were 28 years old. It was 1977, and you had previously been running restaurants in South America. Why did you make the move?
After four years working in Peru, then Argentina, I wanted to work in another country one more time before returning to Japan. When I was introduced to a partner in Anchorage, I thought it was my last chance, so I went to Alaska. Anchorage was a pipeline for oil and gas, so business was very good.
It was a Japanese restaurant, and it was an early success. What went wrong?
I took my first day off 50 days after the restaurant opened. It was the last Thursday in November, Thanksgiving. My family and I were celebrating my opening at a friend’s house with beer and turkey when my business partner called and told me I should come back to the restaurant.
This story is from the October 21 - November 03, 2024 edition of New York magazine.
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This story is from the October 21 - November 03, 2024 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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