sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: saxophone. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: wait. is he any good at saxophone? [ laughter ] sugyiyama: good. good. very good. masa: i love jazz. i didn t know anything about it til i started working here. on a sunday, day off, taking classes a little bit, then playing here in the bathroom. anthony: here? masa: after work. i put the cloth in the bell, then play it like that. anthony: oh my god, they wanted to kill you. you re a very unusual man. masa: sushi is the best meal. we can enjoy every single small piece, different fish. we can see the chef, right there, he s slicing, wasabi, make it, put it right here, eat. anthony: right.
masa: yeah, right. so many times, huh? izakura: yeah, yeah. anthony: eating and drinking. and drawing. masa: yeah, always. he teaches me a lot of stuff. anthony: so, when you re in new york, and the ceramics come, do you ever go, what the masa: what happened. anthony: i don t remember. masa: i get pissed. anthony: your design, man. masa: exactly. anthony: 90 minutes southeast of kanazawa is a mountainous region known as yamanaka onsen, and it looks unlike any place i ve ever been in japan. masa s good friend and art advisor haruo konishi has a family hideaway here. a beautiful 120-year-old traditional kominka style home built around an irori a sunken hearth in the middle of the living room. it s wild getting up here, the snow, the rocks in the road. masa: yeah, right? anthony: man, it s masa: yeah. anthony: ooh, pretty. not only does the irori heat the entire house, it becomes the gathering place on nights like these. masa: arigato, cheers. ant
we appreciate that. anthony: how do you cook this? masa: grill, fried, or braise it. i m gonna grill it, little bit of oil, then a little bit of salt. this is so happy, the phases. so happy. they re going to be cooked this way. their blood is bitterness, very bitter. you need bitterness to grow. anthony: this is italian. agro dolce, at the end of an italian meal. masa: exactly. anthony: sweet, fat, sweet, fat, at the end of the meal, something bitter to remind you of the sadness. masa: this is the umami, too. that kind of sense building, i didn t know that. he taught me this kind of delicacy. he s my maestro. teacher, so. tony, try this. strong, very, right? anthony: but you re right, umami. it s deep. masa: this is umami.
sitting on a milk crate with a cheeseburger in front, and i d watch my dad prepping, and i d call out, dad! and he d be like, i m not your dad here! i was like [ gasps ]. anthony: oh, that s funny. what did you do for fun back there? catherine: i was eating. [ laughter ] anthony: well, your father was in the fish business. wholesale masa: fish business, yeah. no, no. retail. he d make sashimi, right? anthony: mm-hmm. ishi: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: masa, his brother, and three sisters all worked for the family business every day after school and on weekends. masa: nine, ten years old, we carried the sashimi dish and the special kind of container. and go to all the neighbors. anthony: yeah? masa: to deliver. anthony: you learned how to clean fish very early.
unfiltered, slightly chunky sake, and enjoy the country life. lookin good. the boys have laid out the makings of a pretty amazing feast iwana, or char, were caught today in a nearby mountain stream. enormous hokkaido scallops, pulled this morning from the sea of japan, sizzle and pucker in their shells over the fire in butter and lime juice and a touch of home-brewed soy sauce. wild japanese boar hangs above the coals, radiating its sweet aroma as it cooks. look at that. masa: yeah. anthony: so how long have you all known each other? how many years? masa: 30 years. right? we know each other. i love this kind of cooking, you know? it s the way i like. anthony: wow. masa: be careful, though. it s hot, though. anthony: oh, yeah. masa: mm! anthony: wow, it s sweet. masa: [ speaking japanese ] konishi: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: izura, freshly caught local quail, is rubbed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and lightly glazed with that homemade soy.