Japanese women fight to become sushi chefs
Print Edition
Women have warm hands, their periods alter their sense of taste, they can鈥檛 work long hours 鈥 just some of the claims from those in Japan who believe women can鈥檛 be sushi chefs.
But a growing number of women in the country determined to shatter those myths are training and working as sushi chefs in some of Japan鈥檚 most revered restaurants.
Mizuho Iwai is a trainee at the upscale Onodera restaurant in Tokyo鈥檚 Ginza, a neighborhood home to some of the world鈥檚 top-ranked sushi restaurants.
In an industry where women are still rarely seen, she knew she would be an anomaly.
鈥淚 think there are a few female chefs but it鈥檚 rare. But I wanted to challenge things because of that,鈥 the 33-year-old apprentice said.
And at Onodera, she鈥檚 not totally alone, there was one other woman among the 10 apprentices training at the restaurant before it closed temporarily in April over the coronavirus outbreak. All 10 of the restaurant鈥檚 chefs are men.
The work can be gruelling and requires years to master. Apprentices must learn everything from the names of different types of fish to removing scales and slicing properly.
They are even instructed on how to correctly enter through the traditional drapes inside Onodera, by lifting and parting them with an elbow.
The world of washoku, or Japanese cuisine, has long been dominated by men, more so than Italian or French cuisine, according to Fumimasa Murakami, a 54-year-old teacher at Tokyo Sushi Academy.
There is no official data on the gender breakdown of sushi chefs in Japan, but Murakami estimates women make up 鈥渓ess than 10 percent.鈥
鈥淩esistance against female chefs remains strong in Japanese cuisine, including sushi. Customers who don鈥檛 want a female chef at the counter do exist,鈥 he added, 鈥淥lder customers in particular have difficulty accepting it.鈥
Even sushi chefs have been known to repeat claims that women鈥檚 hands are too warm to keep raw fish fresh, or that their periods alter their sense of taste. Others say the job is unsuitable for women because of the long and late hours.
鈥淚n Japan, it is still commonly agreed that women鈥檚 main role is in family, but sushi chefs need to work in the evening, which is difficult for women,鈥 said Yuki Noguchi, a 32-year-old former teacher who finished her eight-month sushi chef training at the Academy in December.
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