Remembering Onishi Yuki, Founder of the First Michelin-starred Ramen Shop

The cause of death was acute heart failure, but Onishi’s sudden and unexpected passing has caused some bizarre rumors to circulate among speculators in an attempt to make sense of his death. Many have pointed toward a series of informal tweets Onishi made a few days prior to his death where he shared that he was “bitten by his cat” as the real cause of his demise. A representative from Tsuta Japan has confirmed that these rumors are “completely unfounded.”

Onishi’s death comes at a time when many smaller ramen shops in Japan are struggling to pass along their businesses

Early Life

Born in 1979 in Kanagawa prefecture, Onishi grew up in a family of ramen chefs. At age 18, he began apprenticeship at his father’s ramen shop, Nanae no Aji no Mise, Mejiro. However, like many other successors to family ramen, the unglamorous life of a chef at a small ramen shop wasn’t enough to satisfy his desire for a more global personal influence. This led him to leave the shop behind to work as a fashion merchandiser.

During his travels, Onishi became fascinated with the contrast between Japanese and other foreign food cultures. Foreign dishes often featured foods paired with sauces, while the ramen he knew so well focused more on using soup stock to create a strong umami flavor. Through his exploration of other cultures’ foods, Onishi began to realize the potential for ramen as a culinary art form.

Back to the Ramen Shop

Onishi returned to the kitchen with his newfound inspiration, ready to reinvent the dish he knew so well. Despite his new desire to push the boundaries of ramen, he continued to follow the philosophies of his predecessors. This meant using only natural ingredients.

“With meticulous culinary techniques and premium sourced ingredients, he creates savoury, inventive flavours that need no MSG or artificial flavouring.”

Tsuta Japan

In 2012, he opened his own shop in Sugamo, Tokyo, “Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta.” Though there was enough space for exactly 9 customers to sit, the small shop had nowhere near enough room to contain Onishi’s huge dreams.

Onishi’s Mission

Ramen is well-loved for its reliability, convenience, and cheap price. Though Tsuta’s menu has old standbys like Tonkotsu or Shio ramen, Onishi’s meticulous curation of flavor and texture made his interpretations of these well-loved comfort dishes feel like one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Throughout his life, he was dedicated to showing the world that ramen is more than just a quick and easy meal, but a legitimate cultural delicacy.

“The taste and texture of each dish are constantly fine-tuned and revised by the chef himself.

There is no perfect bowl of ramen. Only a delicacy that’s constantly more delicious than before.”

Tsuta Japan

Since the opening of his original shop, Onishi’s tireless work has resulted in the growth of Tsuta Japan into 3 locations, two of them overseas in Singapore.

Most impressive of all, in 2015, the restaurant was given a One-Star Michelin award from the 2016 Michelin Guide Japan. This made Tsuta the first ramen shop to ever receive a Michelin star, launching Onishi into international recognition.

In 2019, he moved to Tsuta’s location Yoyogi Uehara and began exploring more overseas opportunities, as well as providing in-flight meals for JAL International flights. It seems that his focus, as always, was to bring ramen to greater heights, literally and figuratively.

Onishi Yuki is survived by his friends, family, and staff at his beloved Tsuta Japan. Management is determined to keep business as usual at the shop, but it is uncertain when the Yoyogi location will reopen without Onishi as the chef.