GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN TO HONOR Mr. Nobuyoshi Kuraoka
November 2, 2009
Nobuyoshi Kuraoka, President, Wako International Corporation, and the owner of Restaurant Nippon, will be honored with The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his outstanding contributions to the promotion of Japanese culture through Japanese food.
The conferment ceremony for Nobuyoshi Kuraoka will take place at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo on November 11.
Nobuyoshi Kuraoka established a foothold in the restaurant industry when he founded Wako International Corporation in New York City in 1961. Two years later (in 1963), he opened the Japanese restaurant “Restaurant Nippon” with the first authentic sushi counter in the U.S. To serve the authentic “ni-hachi” (2:8) soba (made of 20% wheat and 80% buckwheat flour), Mr. Kuraoka looked for guidance from the well-known soba master, Dr. Dai Nagatomo, and now owns a buckwheat farm in Canada. His passion to serve authentic Japanese food also encouraged him to develop a “momen-goshi” tofu-making machine, which presses soybeans and drains the soy extract using 100% cotton cloth. Mr. Kuraoka also imports fresh wasabi roots grown in the mountains of Japan. His efforts have contributed to the popularization of Japanese cuisine in New York.
Among his most notable achievements, Mr. Kuraoka was the first person to import the delicacy “tora-fugu” (blowfish) into the U.S. from Japan at a time when the fish was not recognized in the U.S. He obtained an import permit from the Food and Drug Administration after a five-year effort in 1989. His work has not only promoted Japanese food, but also contributed to New York City’s wider food culture. He was recognized by New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins in 1991, receiving an official letter praising his effort to bring tora-fugu to New York City restaurants and his role in maintaining the city’s unique culinary scene.
In addition to managing his restaurant, Mr. Kuraoka has long been involved in education for young people in Japan. Since 1967, he has taught several times a year at Toyo University Junior College and other schools.
Nobuyoshi Kuraoka’s achievements have been previously recognized by the Japanese government. He received the first Minister’s Award for Overseas Promotion of Japanese Food from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2006.
