Bernard Lin

For the first time a leading Tokyo sushi chef will fly to Canada, bringing his whole team and fish sourced from his vaunted vendors at Toyosu Market. Before Suzuki Shintaro of Nishiazabu Sushi Shin touches down for a pop-up at Sushi Nishinokaze in Montreal next month, we joined him on his early morning journey around the market. As he picked out kohada, he told us of how things at the market had changed with climate affecting supply. Fishmongers at Toyosu are said to know the fish better than the chefs themselves and Vince, who worked at Shin leading up to Nishinokaze's opening, got to learn from them alongside his mentor. With a few phone calls to set up logistics amid the bustling din of chefs, vendors, and turret trucks barreling down the corridors, the stage is set.

白磁高台皿 鈴木大弓 White porcelain high-footed plate by Suzuki Hiroyumi @hiroyumisuzuki , who was inspired by Joseon Dynasty ceramics to study in Korea, specializes in a lot of Joseon styles as well as the yakishime style of Shigaraki and Iga, where he later established his studio. This Joseon-style porcelain plate comes from his December 2025 exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi in Tokyo. The spring confection from @kameyayoshinaga is entitled "Strawberry Picking" 「いちご摘み」 and consists of a white chocolate-filled yokan (sweet bean jelly) topped with strawberry-filled mochi yokan and a kintama jelly containing strawberries, mandarins, and white peaches. #鈴木大弓 #hiroyumisuzuki #suzukihiroyumi

Clams from Okayama, wakame from Ehime, and Tokyo tofu open a menu full of spring ingredients 1. Clam with tofu アサリ 温豆腐 2. Hirame and bamboo shoots with kinome sauce ヒラメ造り 筍 フグだし木の芽かけ Hirame arrived from Okayama that day 3. Fukinoto shinjo with taranome ふきのとう真蒸 たらの芽 煮物椀 Shinjo can be written with many different types of kanji characters. It's uncertain how or when the term was coined, but it was in use by the mid-Edo period and describes a dish made by mixing minced fish, poultry, or shrimp with grated yam or egg whites, shaping it, and then steaming, boiling, or frying it. It's then commonly used in soups or steamed dishes. 4. Managatsuo aburi with rape blossoms まながつお炙り 叩き菜花 溶き辛子 This came from a 2.7kg managatsuo sent by @uoharu1898 5. Sawara shioyaki with grilled napa cabbage and a white miso and soymilk sauce 鰆塩焼き 焼き白菜 白味噌豆乳あん 6. Char-grilled shorthorn beef with oyster and seaweed 短角牛炭焼き 牡蛎のり仕立て 7. Iriko dashi nyumen いりこだしにゅうめん 8. Nigiri with fish from Okayama: madai, konoshiro, buri 握り寿司 真鯛 コノシロ ブリ Madai and buri are common neta for sushi, but konoshiro is almost never seen. It's the adult version of kohada 9. Millet zenzai 粟ぜんざい 10. Matsukaze with white miso and Daitokuji natto 白味噌と大徳寺納豆の松風 #てのしま #tenoshima #林亮平

Finally returned to the restaurant in Tokyo I've visited most to kick off the year of the horse. 14. Strawberry soup and milk ice cream 苺スープ 柑橘求肥 ミルクアイス 1. Karasumi mochi 唐墨餅 2. Usubahagi sashimi with kimo ponzu and sunchoke ウスバハギ 肝ポン酢 菊芋 3. Fu dumpling in white miso soup 麩饅頭 日の出大根人参 白みそ仕立 煮物椀 A bowl of many New Year's traditions with fu from Fuka and shiro miso from Yamari Shoten, both esteemed Kyoto shops. The fu dumpling is stamped with hidari uma (左馬), or the kanji for "horse" facing left. There's a few theories for why this is a symbol of fortune, including that "uma" (horse) read backwards is "mau" (to dance), as well as the tradition that one always mounts a horse from the left side to avoid stumbling. The carrot and daikon are arranged in a way to symbolize the sunrise. 4. Young bluefin tuna with mustard and egg-yolk soy sauce メジマグロ 辛子 卵黄醤油 5. Shiro amadai and tofu hot pot 甘鯛鍋 豆腐 葱 せり おぼろ昆布 ポン酢 The shiro amadai came from @sasuenaoki8.12 , the famous fishmonger of Yaizu in Shizuoka prefecture. 6. Yellowtail teriyaki with kumquat 鰤 きんかん照り焼き 芋あん 7. Noodle soup with dried sardine broth いりこだしにゅうめん Since I had last visited, Hayashi-san has started making nigiri! While the Kansai style inarizushi and sabazushi are missed, it's also a very exciting development because of his constant involvement with @chefsfortheblue . With climate change and overfishing causing supply to tank, a group of top chefs have joined together to promote sustainable fishing and also make use of the less commonly seen species. 8. Mejina メジナ 9. Saba 鯖 10. Meji maguro メジマグロ The name for meji maguro in Kansai is "yokowa," and it's a treat to have both the Kansai and Edo treatment in the same meal Extra requests: 11. Kuroshibi kamasu クロシビカマス 12. Sawara サワラ 13. Kuroshibi kamasu クロシビカマス 15. Matsukaze with white miso and Daitokuji natto 白味噌と大徳寺納豆の松風 #てのしま #tenoshima #林亮平

In the middle of sakura season, a double feature weekend for @amane_kosaburo with the premiere of her shamisen concerto as well as a hanami concert at the Nakashima complex in New Hope with kei__saotome. The concerto, entitled "Garden of Becoming," is inspired by the zen garden of Daisen-in (大仙院) of Daitokuji in Kyoto. "This piece marks my first concerto and for my own instrument, the Nagauta shamisen. While many contemporary pieces highlight the instrument's percussive qualities, I was drawn instead to its clarity of pitch and luminous resonance. Having grown up in a family of Nagauta shamisen players for over two centuries, I have long experienced the instrument as profoundly lyrical rather than primarily percussive. In particular, I wrote a lot of shamisen's harmonics—rare, technically demanding, and exceptionally fragile in sound. These delicate tones function as droplets within the orchestral texture, suggesting both the granular surface of the dry garden and the quiet shimmer of flowing water. Throughout the concerto, the shamisen does not struggle against the orchestra; rather, it moves within and through it—sometimes resisting, sometimes yielding—much like the current of the garden's river. Ultimately, Garden of Becoming is a meditation on endurance, transformation, and hope: the belief that beyond turbulence and resistance lies a wider horizon of stillness, and that the journey itself shapes the serenity to which we return."

I've always visited @sakai_kenya ever since my first visit to Japan. The restaurant has become successful enough to relocate to a newer, larger location and the existing space is now a new concept, Shoukon, run by its former staff with Tabuchi Kanako (@kanako_tabuchi ) in charge. A former professional boxer, she has long been the talented sous at the counter and has preserved some of the old restaurant's traditions with her own touch. The ceremonial opening of the donabe for the rice course is now accompanied by the theme to "Rocky," and even the way she poses with donabe lid resembles a boxer at the ready. With plans to rotate featured chefs every few months, it will be a fascinating place to watch the next generation of Kyoto chefs interpret its culinary heritage. 2. Mibuna, shiitake, rikyufu shiraae Tai kinome sushi Shioyaki moroko from Lake Biwa 壬生菜 椎茸 利休麩 白和え 鯛 木の芽 寿司 琵琶湖のもろこ 塩焼き 1. Hotaru ika chawamushi with aonori ほたるいか茶碗蒸し 青海苔あん 3. Yokowa and kinmedai aburi ヨコワ 金目鯛の炙り 4. Hamaguri and fried soba dumpling soup はまぐり 揚げたそばがき 潮仕立て 5. "Elevator" 「エレベーター」 An old Kyoto izakaya dish, the name comes from a play on words. "Age" can mean "fried tofu" but also "going up," while "oroshi" can mean "grated daikon" or "going down." This dish, with a slice of saba sandwiched between the "age" and "oroshi" is a homage to a classic. 6. Spring vegetable soba with nanohana, taranome, and urui 手打ち蕎麦 春の山菜 菜の花、たらの芽、うるい 7. Spring roll with usui peas and fava beans 春巻き うすい豆 そら豆 8. Bamboo shoot, wakame, butterbur, kinome 若竹煮 ふき 木の芽 9. Anago and snap pea rice 穴子 スナップえんどう 10. Hassaku jelly, strawberry mochi with chocolate filling, dried persimmon butter cake はっさくのゼリー いちごもち 干し柿バターケーキ

弥七田織部丸皿 澤克典 Yashichida oribe maruzara by Katsunori Sawa This plate comes from his January 2024 exhibition at @at_hiro_osaka in Osaka, where he is also currently holding an exhibition until April 16. It captures the essence of his work, blending modern and traditional aesthetics. The whimsical landscape caught my eye and I've always wondered if there was a way to plate food on it while preserving the landscape. The back, though not regularly seen, receives as much attention to detail. The car motif is inspired by Suzuki Goro (鈴木五郎) under whom he apprenticed in the early 2000s. On it is a baumkuchen mini (バームクーヘンmini) from Club Harie, a noted dessert maker in Shiga prefecture that began as the western confectionary division of Taneya. Baumkuchen tend to dry out easily after baking so they revamped their recipe so that the cake remains fluffy and moist. The fondant is applied by hand and its texture is adjusted to match each season. #澤克典

Visiting our friends in Miyazu with its unbeatable access to seafood and produce is always a highlight. This time, we also had the company of @akihiroiio , who graciously gave us a tour of @fujisu1893 's sake and vinegar breweries the day before, and whose vinegar would figure prominently in both halves of the night. Iio Jozo beniimo vinegar with honey soda はちみつ入り紅芋酢 For New Yorkers, this vinegar is recognizable from Momofuku Ko's egg dish. Throughout Kyotango, the version with honey can be found on menus everywhere as a refreshing beverage. 1. Hotaru ika, fukinoto miso, ayame yuki turnips from chef's garden ホタルイカ ふきのとう味噌 あやめ雪カブ 2. Anko from Ine, shiitake アンコウ 椎茸 3. Yokowa yamakake ヨコワの山掛け 4. Muso sawara, daikon, rakkyo 無双サワラ 大根 らっきょう Muso is a brand for sawara caught in Miyazu that meet specific weight, fat content, and handling standards 5. Hokkaido sakuramasu with maple syrup サクラマス メープルシロップ Probably the crowd favorite of the night, made with @hamnett_hill 's Ferncliff Maple Syrup. Iio-san's immediate reaction, "wow, you're good at cooking!" spurred roars of laughter. 6. Cod croquette with ebi imo バカリャウのコロッケ、海老芋を使って This signature pays homage to both his Portuguese heritage and Japanese training. A dried cod croquette recalls pasteis de bacalhau while its combination with ebiimo references imobo, created in Kyoto centuries ago when the yam transplant from Kyushu was cooked with the dried cod offering from Hokkaido to the Imperial Palace. 7. Monkfish egg, skin, and liver アンコウの卵、皮、肝 8. Taiza gani with murasaki daikon from chef's garden, Iio Jozo tosazu 間人蟹 紫大根 9. Umi unagi from Miyazu Freshwater eels caught in the sea are quite rare. This one is grilled and served with burdock, referencing Yawata-maki (八幡巻) 海ウナギ Gari ガリ 10. Tai 鯛 11. Kobudai コブダイ 12. Aori ika アオリイカ

23. Pão de Ló パン・デ・ロー Pão de Ló was brought to Japan through the port of Nagasaki by the Portuguese in the 16th century, eventually developing into the now familiar castella. It's fittingly served here on an azulejo tile, doing double duty as tamago and dessert. 13. Steamed abalone 蒸し鮑 14. Hirame ヒラメ 15. Kamasu カマス 16. Meji maguro メジマグロ 17. Muso sawara 無双サワラ Shoyuzuke and smoked 18. Anago 穴子 19. Kanpyo maki 干瓢巻き 20. Saba bozushi 鯖棒寿司 21. Miso soup 味噌汁 22. Yokan with cherry leaves 羊羹 A taste of @hamnett_hill 's Ferncliff Maple Syrup

Rice is the soul of sushi as well as the vinegar produced at Iio Jozo in Miyazu, the small town in Kyoto by the sea. Though most of its pesticide-free rice comes from local contract farmers, they also grow and harvest some of their own by hand for the sake of keeping the tradition alive. This rice is polished, washed, steamed, inoculated with koji spores, and turned to sake. Though they may be the only vinegar maker with a license to make sake, none of it reaches the market. Instead, all of it is dedicated to making their signature Fujisu, fermented for 240 to 300 days, with 5-8 times the legally mandated amount of rice per liter of vinegar. Akasu, the base of Nishinokaze's shari recipe, is made from sake lees aged over a decade (the darkest sake kazu in this set is from 2013) and has its own waitlist. There are a million places to take shortcuts, whether to shorten the process or boost profit, but Fujisu embodies Iio-san's sole dedication to craft.

A meal I had been looking forward to for years ever since @jd.514 put us in touch while I was in Italy hunting for bollito misto. @donlardo does one in the winter, a jaw-dropping tomato pie in the summer, and always has me looking north with envy year round. 3. matane shrimp and tomato capellini 1. potato knish and osetra caviar 2. montadito of mackerel with sesame, salted butter, and horseradish 4. sherried "drunken" guinea fowl, foie blond, pickled spring white asparagus channeling some @woke_wok 5. beef tongue with succotash of corn, summer squash and borlotti beans 6. Triperade 7. Matsutake and sweetbread paella, using @sushi_nishinokaze 's rice 8. dates stuffed with foie gras, pistachios, and olive oil 9. flan with strawberries in rhubarb syrup 10. somerset grapes

From Kyoto’s 430-year-old Zen temple to leading academic institutions abroad. Rev. Takafumi Kawakami was honored to guide Zen meditation workshops for students and scholars at Brown University, sharing living Zen tradition beyond Japan. These exchanges continue a centuries-old dialogue—bringing stillness, clarity, and awareness into modern intellectual life. #mindfulnessmatters #Meditation #GlobalCommunity #brownuniversity #GlobalSpeaker @brown_contemplativestudies