For many Britons, Japanese food has long been perceived as expensive and exotic.
The first Japanese restaurant, The Ajimura, opened in London in 1972, and throughout that decade and into the 1980s there was a steady increase in the number of such establishments.
But they were largely the preserve of Japanese expatriates sent to London during Japan's boom years.
In the 1990s, as more Britons became adventurous, Japanese food grew in popularity.