20/09/2026
Some moments from a trip just stay with you. During our last trip to Japan, we ended up at a small sushi restaurant one evening. Nothing fancy. No trendy interior. Just a small sushi counter, a few seats, and a chef standing behind it.
And that chef was 80 years old.
Eighty!! 😲😵💫
I had to let that sink in for a moment, because there he was, standing behind his counter with a huge smile on his face, preparing sushi for us as if he had just started his first day on the job.
We got talking and learned that he had originally run the restaurant together with his wife. Sadly, she had passed away, and he had continued running the restaurant on his own.
At 80 years old.
Still making sushi.
Still taking care of his guests.
Still smiling.
As a sushi chef myself, I automatically watch how another chef works. How does he handle the rice? How does he cut the fish? What techniques does he use?
But with this chef, I found myself watching something else.
His face.
That smile.
That obvious love for what he was doing. ❤️
You could tell he wasn't there because he had to be. He was there because he genuinely still loved making sushi and taking care of his guests.
And somehow, sitting there in that little restaurant in Japan, that made a much bigger impression on me than many of the famous places we visited.
This is what loving your craft looks like. ❤️🍣
I hope that when I'm 80, I'm still standing behind a sushi counter with that same smile on my face.
Although by then, I think I'll let someone else cook the rice. 😂🍚
