Legendary sushi chef Jiro Ono celebrated his 100th birthday by revealing that his lifelong dedication to his craft is the secret to his remarkable health and continued vitality.
The globally renowned sushi master, who once held three Michelin stars for over a decade, announced his intention to continue working for approximately five more years. “Work is the best medicine, I think,” Ono stated last month, ahead of his birthday, during Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day.
When Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike congratulated him and inquired about his health secret, Ono replied simply, “Work.” He elaborated, “I can’t come to work every day, but I try to work as much as I can.”
Ono’s centenary places him among Japan’s nearly 100,000 centenarians. The country is one of the fastest-aging nations globally.
He is the founder of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a renowned 10-seat sushi restaurant located in the basement of a building in a central district of Tokyo. The restaurant was first awarded three Michelin stars in 2007, a status it maintained until 2019.
In 2019, at 93 years and 128 days old, Ono was recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest head chef of a three-Michelin-star restaurant. In recent years, due to diminishing manual dexterity, he has primarily served only special guests.
Born in Hamamatsu, central Japan, in 1925, Ono began his apprenticeship at just seven years old. He moved to Tokyo at 25 to pursue his career as a sushi chef.
He opened Sukiyabashi Jiro in 1965, 15 years after relocating to the capital. Throughout his career, he has been unwavering in his quest for sushi perfection.
His life and work were famously documented in the award-winning 2012 film “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” In the documentary, at age 85, he remarked, “I haven’t reached perfection yet,” adding, “I will continue to climb to try to reach the peak, but no one knows where that peak is.”
Ono has served many distinguished guests, including then-U.S. President Barack Obama and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2014.
In 2020, Sukiyabashi Jiro was removed from the Michelin Guide. The decision followed the restaurant’s policy of accepting reservations only from regular customers or through premier hotels.
His son, Yoshikazu, who works alongside his father and is now the head chef, recounted a recent moment. While watching news about the death of Japan’s oldest man at 113, Ono commented that “13 more years seems possible.”