One of the particular pleasures of dining out in Tokyo is sitting at the counter of a small, owner- chef restaurant, gazing into the kitchen and watching your meal — and others', of course — being prepared.
It's a Japanese tradition, but these days the cooking is just as likely to be French, Italian, Spanish or from even further afield.
Ask any European chef and they'll say they hate the idea of being observed. An open kitchen affords no privacy for blowing up at underlings when they screw up. No such problem for Takeshi Amano. He cooks totally solo, handling everything from prep to clean-up. He does it brilliantly, too.