LDH kitchen Inc. promotes Japanese food culture both in Japan and overseas under the concept of “Food is also entertainment”
(Head office: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hiroyuki Suzuki; hereinafter referred to as “our company”).

Yoshiteru Ikegawa, the owner of Meguro’s “TORISHIKI,” a restaurant which frequently receives MICHELIN stars, and is renowned as “Japan’s most difficult restaurants to book”, is working together with our company to enhance the value of Japanese food culture. In December 2025, “TORISHIKI ICHIMON,” which operates 14 locations in Japan and overseas, launched “TEAM Hiire,” a community website that connects people through yakitori.

Top image（https://torishiki-ichimon.jp/teamhii-re/ourprojects/1346/）

This website is based on the concept of “spreading yakitori culture throughout the world” and serves as a platform for meeting others who you can refine your craft with, as well as share your aspirations with across Japan and the world.

To mark the official launch of the site, the first featured topic is an interview article with “Sumibiyaki Arashi,” a yakitori restaurant in Vancouver Canada, which earned one MICHELIN star from “MICHELIN Guide,” just a few months after opening in March 2025. *An interview article with “Sumibiyaki Arashi,” a yakitori restaurant in Vancouver Canada, which was awarded one star by the MICHELIN Guide has been released.

Efforts to pass on, preserve, and cultivate the globally known and valuable Japanese “yakitori culture,” to the next generation will be continued.

*1: Received one star from “MICHELIN Guide” in October of the same year and was ranked 8th in “Air Canada Best New Restaurants 2025” the following month.

■ The concept behind the launch of “TEAM Hiire”
Building the future of yakitori culture, together with fellow artisans
Yakitori requires precise grilling, skewing, and careful selection of ingredients——
It is a uniquely Japanese culinary art, built upon a delicate balance of techniques.
Yet, the full value and depth of this culture have not yet been fully recognized by society.

In response to this situation and guided by the belief of “Building the future of yakitori culture, together”　TORISHIKI’s owner Yoshiteru Ikegawa oversaw the launch of “TEAM Hiire.”

A place where artisans and food practitioners can meet, resonate with one another, and learn from each other——
The desire to create such a cultural crossroads was the starting point of this initiative.

“share and expand” skills, spirit, and culture
The world of yakitori is not complete by simply honing one’s technical skills.
A sincere approach to fire, respect for ingredients, and a mindful eye toward food——
It is only when these aspects of “how a person is” come together that yakitori can exist as a form of expression.
TEAM Hiire is a place that does not keep this “skills, spirit, and culture” confined to a single artisan,
but shares it, looks in the same direction, and expands it together, cultivating the culture itself.

Here,
　• Articles that trace the journey and pursuits of artisans
　• Reports on the spread of yakitori culture both in Japan and abroad
　• Reading material to share values and experiences, and broaden horizons
　• Provision of information and announcements of events
As well as “opportunities for learning” from multiple perspectives is provided.

Skills meet, hearts connect, and cultures intersect——.
We believe that this cycle shapes the future of yakitori and becomes the force to pass it on to the next generation.

Together with everyone who is drawn to yakitori and wishes to learn more deeply as its practitioners, we will weave the path of this new culture from here.

◼︎ First Featured Topic Released | “Sumibiyaki Arashi” Making Waves Globally
“Sumibiyaki Arashi,” which opened in Vancouver in March 2025, captivated food enthusiasts and professionals alike from the very beginning, and in October of the same year, it earned one MICHELIN star from “MICHELIN Guide”.
Furthermore, in the following November, it was ranked 8th in the “Air Canada Best New Restaurants 2025,” attracting significant attention in North America and worldwide as a symbol of the “new yakitori culture.”

In the first part of the released interview article (as of February 5, 2026), the journey of Representative Peter Ho, including his passion for yakitori, his interpretation of yakitori as a culture, and the path that led him to earn a MICHELIN star in a foreign land is explored.
The article is filled with numerous perspectives that resonate with Japanese yakitori culture, including his dedication to passing on the spirit and techniques of yakitori.

At TEAM Hiire, content featuring the challenges of “artisans connected through yakitori” and the expansion of culture, while consistently sharing information that allows people to encounter diverse values and stories.

◼︎ Site structure | A framework for interactive communication
This website is designed to allow readers and those who have shared content to communicate with each other through features such as comments.
It is also possible to display information tailored to user preferences.^*2.
Rather than a one-way flow, the goal is to expand horizontal connections through two-way interaction and naturally foster relationships between artisans and practitioners, creating a thriving community.
*2: Requests for posting can be made via the website’s contact form.Content can be published after review and approval by the site administration.

◼︎ Site Overview
【TEAM Hiire】https://torishiki-ichimon.jp/teamhii-re/#page_link1
First Featured Topic | Interview with Peter Ho (Part 1)
URL：https://torishiki-ichimon.jp/teamhii-re/ourprojects/1420/
*The second part is scheduled to be released in mid-February 2026.

■ ABOUT US｜TORISHIKI ICHIMON
Since its opening in 2007, Meguro “TORISHIKI” has held a MICHELIN one-star rating for many years and is recognized as “the hardest-to-book yakitori restaurant in Japan”. Its owner Yoshiteru Ikegawa, as the representative of artisan chefs, established “TORISHIKI ICHIMON” to further develop the culture of yakitori.
“One skewer, one life”
——A once-in-a-lifetime skewer.
With this faith in mind, the chefs spend their entire life facing chicken, charcoal and themselves.
This is a brand where like-minded artisans gather together to preserve and cultivate the traditions of Japanese culinary culture and weave them into the future, all while passing on their skills and spirit.
Currently, the brand has 14 stores in Japan and abroad, with plans for further expansion.

— Weaving yakitori culture into the world, for the next generation

■ MORE INFO | For the latest updates, please visit the official website / social media
For details of the stores, information is published on TORISHIKI ICHIMON’s official site and social media below. Please take a look.
TORISHIKI ICHIMON official site : https://torishiki-ichimon.jp/
TORISHIKI ICHIMON official Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/torishiki_ichimon/