masa: ishikawa prefecture. it s a very rich country. great seafood. a lot of good vegetables. i came here to learn. this place totally changed me. mr. izakura, he is my mentor. izakura: [ speaking japanese ] masa: his is an artist, great artist. izakura: [ speaking japanese ] masa: gave me a lot of idea. izakura: [ speaking japanese ] masa: more than 40 years he s doing this kind of art. izakura: [ speaking japanese ] masa: i learned that simple, clean line. izakura: [ speaking japanese ] masa: then we became great friends. izakura: [ speaking japanese ] masa: then i started
bear a heavy burden of responsibilities societal expectations, family obligations, tradition, work. but when they relax, they really do it well. they are better at it than anybody. it s good, man. soak in an outdoor onsen natural sulfur baths in the mountains, for instance. oh, awesome. masa: oh, man. so good, huh? anthony: yeah. i feel healthier already. masa: yeah. where s the beer? cheers. anthony: it is suntory time, my friend. it s time to relax.
anthony: among izukura-san s many skills, apparently, is a shocking proficiency at making soba noodles. tonight, the soba is paired up with slices of tender duck and green onion grilled over the irori. masa: nice, al dente. anthony: mhm. masa: this soba s the best soba. anthony: perfect. then topped by a warm dashi sauce made of soy, mirin, and a touch of sugar. masa: i m so glad we can share with this moment with my old friend, you know? anthony: mm. masa: [ speaking japanese ] you know what that word is? anthony: no tell me. masa: once in life, this moment, we appreciate, respect each other, enjoy this moment. anthony: [ speaking japanese ] masa: never again. anthony: never again. masa: yeah, exactly. limitless length plus volume.
anthony: oh man, nice wasabi. masa: this is great flavor, so you have to scrape first. have to scrape, then go this way. ooh! anthony: yeah, nice. wow, look at that. comfort food is one thing, and damn, it s wonderful, but masa being masa, you ll notice there s a mountain of decidedly luxurious sashimi brought up from tsukiji market in tokyo this morning. masa: this we do all the time, you know. pretty simple. easy. anthony: oh yeah. that s just a nice, big pile of incredible beautiful uni like that. i do that all the time. some sea urchin roe, or uni, and some high test otoro tuna that any new york sushi enthusiast would cheerfully cut their best friends throat for. masa: good, huh? anthony: fantastic. ishi: [ speaking japanese ]
catherine is masa s daughter. california raised, but a frequent visitor to the family home. she and her grandmother are preparing some familiar comfort foods to celebrate masa s homecoming. masa: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: motsuni is a slow simmered stew of pork tripe, konnyaku, daikon, green onions, and miso. catherine: [ speaking japanese ] masa: very different food, right? this is the country food. [ laughter ] kanpai. welcome home! ishi: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: you don t get this in new york. masa: no. mm. [ speaking japanese ] anthony: this is really good. i see why you love this. catherine, by the way, is a pastry chef at the great restaurant, the french laundry, in the napa valley. so high level cooking seems to run in the family. anthony: you grew up sitting in the sushi bar. catherine: i did, yeah,