“109.” That’s the number on the front cover of “Sushi Master.” It’s Nick Sakagami’s osakana maisutā (fish master) number. Think of it as an accreditation similar to a master sommelier. Currently, Sakagami is the only certified fish master living outside Japan.
Originally from Tokyo, Sakagami is a longtime resident of the U.S. where, from his base in California, he runs a fish consultancy and import-export business. Fish is his life: from trading in the labyrinth fish markets in LA and Tokyo, to checking in on sustainable fish farms in Tahiti and Wakayama Prefecture, or easing into a seat at the counter of a sushi restaurant on either side of the Pacific.
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