anthony: so, were you surprised that he became a big success in america? ishi: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: you were not a lazy kid. you had dreams, and you wanted to do masa: that s right. i can t sit long. i gotta do something. ishi: [ speaking japanese ] catherine: she s saying he probably works more here, than at the restaurant. [ laughter ] 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
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. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: japanese tiger prawn, octopus, and fluke sashimi. masa: japanese cooking, we care very much about the ki, which is fighting spirits. like this, right? anthony: mm-hmm. striped jack brushed with soy and sake. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] masa: this moment, do not miss this. then, grab it, right? you eat. see?
making sake for customers. anthony: right. masa: dishwasher. everything. anthony: for how long? masa: first two years. anthony: only in the third year, the rice. masa: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: and if you get that right, eventually, maybe, just maybe, the master will begin to teach you the next phase, how to stand next to him as a wakita, slicing the fish, eventually, eventually, creating pieces of nigiri for guests at the bar. of the dozen young men who work here, not all will make it to become a sushi shokunin. masa: oh, it s been a long time. anthony: to achieve that status of truly becoming a master chef. how many years? seven years to learn, right? masa: yeah. anthony: that s a lot of time. masa: a lot of time. anthony: a lot of work. a lot of pain. what was it like apprenticing here? hard? masa: his father was very tough. anthony: yeah?
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 designing, too. i have an image in my head, i start drawing. [ speaking japanese ] izakura: [ speaking japanese ] masa: then, i come all the way here to talk with mr. izakura. [ speaking japanese ] izakura: [ speaking japanese ] maza: [ speaking japanese ] that passion makes me change. [ speaking japanese ]