At his three-star Michelin restaurant in Tokyo, Yoshihiro Murata serves elaborate 12-course meals of delicate Japanese food. But his real passion is to make sure simple, traditional food is passed on to the next generation.

Japanese food is now widely available around the world, and "washoku" — traditional cooking — was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO last year. But Murata fears that even though sushi has become universal, appreciation for Japanese food is declining in its homeland.

"Japanese cuisine is becoming extinct," Murata said, seated in a quiet tatami mat room in his Kikunoi restaurant in the Akasaka business district.