Why We Started AKAMARU SCOTTSDALE – Our Story

Some restaurants are born from strategy.

Ours was born from longing.

We moved to the U.S. over a decade ago. Like many immigrants, our early years were about survival—adapting, working, building a life from scratch. But through all of it, one thing remained constant: our love for good food.

My husband is a chef. But calling him just a chef doesn’t quite capture it. He’s a true food lover. The kind of person who lights up—truly lights up—when he tastes something incredible. Travel plans always revolved around where to eat. Museums? Maybe later. The restaurant reservation came first.

This obsession with flavor didn’t come out of nowhere.

In Japan, he worked at izakayas. He didn’t start with a knife in hand—he started with dishes, with cleaning, with watching. Eventually, he earned his way into the kitchen. There were no written recipes. No shortcuts. Just quiet observation, trial and error, repetition. He learned cooking the old-fashioned way, through years of apprenticeship. What he gained wasn’t just technique—it was craftsmanship, pride, and a deep respect for ingredients.

After immigrating to New York, he joined a small cooking class to keep his passion alive. The instructor? A retired Japanese master chef. It was this teacher who opened a new door: teaching not just “how to cook,” but why certain techniques matter. He passed down the kind of knowledge that isn’t written in books—the secrets behind sauces, the importance of timing, and the rhythm of a real kitchen.

Eventually, my husband worked as a sushi chef at high-end omakase restaurants in NYC.

But when a friend offered him a chance to co-launch a ramen shop in Arizona, we thought: why not? A fresh start. A new pace. A new challenge.

But reality didn’t match the dream. Visions clashed. The partnership fell apart.

The restaurant didn’t happen.

But something else happend: We fell in love with Arizona.

There was just one problem—we couldn’t find the Japanese food we loved.

To get truly good Japanese food, we had to spend hundreds of dollars.

And the more affordable places? They just didn’t feel… right. Something was always missing.

That’s when we started to dream.

What if we opened a small, independent restaurant—just the two of us?

What if we could serve the kind of food we actually love, made from scratch, with no shortcuts?

What if we could create a space that’s authentic, but also warm and casual?

Not luxury. Not fast food. Just honest, high-quality without the price tag?

That’s how AKAMARU SCOTTSDALE was born.

We’re not a big chain. We don’t have investors or franchises. Just one couple, one kitchen, and a lot of love for Japanese food.

Because we run this place ourselves, we can work with premium ingredients, trusted vendors, and invest where it matters—flavor, freshness, quality.

And because we don’t have the overhead of a big restaurant, we can keep prices reasonable—so more people can enjoy what we do.

Of course we want the business to do well. But for us, AKAMARU is more than a restaurant. It’s a personal rebellion. A love letter. A return to something we lost.

☀️By day, we serve warm, comforting Japanese lunches—Onigirazu, Donburi, Poke bowls, and yes—our favorite: creamy Matcha Latte. Simple food, made with care.

🌙But by night, AKAMARU transforms into an izakaya. The lights dim. The mood shifts. And the menu opens up—offering a variety of small plates: from delicate sashimi and miso-glazed Gindara, to grilled Wagyu steak and stuffed baby squid.

Every dish on our menu is something we personally crave. Nothing is there just to fill space. If it’s on the plate, it’s because we love it—and we think you might too.

Whether you're just discovering Japanese flavors, or you grew up eating them like we did—we hope you find something that feels both new and familiar.

We open this October in Scottsdale, AZ at:

📍 15689 N Hayden Rd Ste 126.

We hope to meet you soon. Until then, thank you for reading our story.