Ikuya Kobayashi was born in Niigata Prefecture in 1988. A basketball-obsessed boy growing up, he traces his culinary curiosity to his motherʼs cooking. Her refined flavors, he says, shaped his palate and laid the foundation for the clarity he seeks in his sushi.

He left Japan for Vancouver on a working-holiday visa, an experience that opened his eyes to life beyond his hometown. There, he worked at a local sushi bar known for its loyal following. The energy of the counter left a lasting impression, marking his first meaningful encounter with the spirit of sushi.

After returning to Japan, he began working at a resort in Zao Onsen in Yamagata. There, he met a French chef who became his first mentor. “Youʼd make a good chef,” the man told him. This prompted Kobayashi to enroll in cooking school, where he initially hoped to train in French cuisine. However, his request was declined, and he was sent instead to a Ginza sushi counter, a demanding environment for young chefs.

Not intimidated in the slightest, Kobayashi was drawn to the samurai-like focus and discipline of sushi masters. His career began at Sushi Kanesaka, but in 2011, he knocked on the door of Sushi Saito, home to Koji Saito who talks little, choosing instead to train with his actions. It was the worldʼs smallest three-star restaurant at the time, located in an Akasaka building that housed the Japan Cycling Federation. With a total of three staff members, two of whom could not even squeeze past each other in the tiny kitchen workspace, Kobayashi muses how amazing it is for a restaurant like that to achieve global fame before the rise of social media. The restaurant later moved to a larger space, Kobayashi used to invite family and friends on days off to make sushi for them.

His big chance arrived in 2018 when, after training under Chef Saito for ten years, Kobayashi was charged with launching Sushi Saito Hong Kong. It immediately earned two stars, an achievement repeated a year later before making a triumphant return to Japan to start something entirely new. Saito approached him with the concept of a restaurant fusing contemporary art and sushi, believing the innovative idea suited his apprentice perfectly. Kobayashi, who had long been interested in street culture and Black music, took on the challenge. In July 2020, he became the head chef of 3110NZ by LDH Kitchen, now Sushi Saito Hanare NANZUKA, a role he held for four years before leaving to prepare for his own counter. In October 2025, he realized that dream, opening Sushi Kobayashi in Ebisu.

Even on his days off, Kobayashi spends time refining his craft-preparing ingredients, visiting galleries to study ceramics, or exploring other restaurants for inspiration. “I often go to casual yakitori places or neighborhood sushi shops,” he says. “Thereʼs a lot to learn from those kinds of local places.”

Vision
Looking ahead, Kobayashi aims to expand his scope while training the next generation of sushi chefs. His eventual goal is to establish a machi-zushi‒style restaurant ̶ an approachable, neighborhood-style sushi bar where fresh ingredients are displayed in a glass case and guests can order freely. Itʼs a concept that reflects both his respect for Edomae tradition and his desire to bring sushi closer to everyday life.