International programs

Between the 1st and 12th of April 2013, a unique internship program called «The restaurant business of Japan» was organized by RMA business school for the students of «Restaurant and club industry management» program. As part of the internship, students visited renowned culinary venues of Japanese cuisine, spoke with restaurant owners and managers, and took part in numerous master classes and traditional ceremonies.

1st day. The internship participants visited the traditional Japanese restaurant Isakaya, which is known for its democratic atmosphere and its set dinners, typically prepared for a group of several customers.

 

2nd day. The internship participants visited a renowned food market Tsukiji, the home of Maguro tuna auctions, which start every morning at 5 am, and draw hundreds of locals and tourists who often come long before the market's opening hours.

The program's next destination was the headquarters of KIYOMURA Corporation, which manages one of the largest Japanese restaurant chains, Sushi Zanmai. Here, the general manager for the Tokyo branch Hiroshi Umehara shared some of the success secrets with the students.

The final activity of the day was a meeting with the vice president of the International Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Japan, Mr Asamura Rioshi, during which he presented an overview analysis of the conditions and the developments of the regional restaurant business.

 

3rd day. The third day of the internship began with a visit to the international culinary fair Wine & Gourmet JAPAN 2013. As part of the fair, the RMA group took part in food sampling, as well as other culinary and wine master classes.

Next the participants went straight to the hot springs park Oedo Onsen Monogatari, where they met with the general manager Mrs. Dyaka Akiyama who discussed organizing the food network across the park's facilities.

 

4th day. The exploration of the Ginza neighborhood began with a visit to the food-court Matsuya, where over 150 producers demonstrate their traditional as well as modern Japanese culinary recipes.

Next, the participants visited the 10th floor of the Chanel building, which is the home of the Beige restaurant, a 3 Michelin star winner. The restaurant belongs to the Chanel brand and to chief-cook Alain Ducasse. Here the participants met with the restaurant's general manager Dominico Poti.

The group's dinner, which coincided with a lecture by general manager Tora Osamu, was conducted in classical conveyer-sushi restaurant Revolving Sushi RMAWARU.

After a walk through the lush Yoyogi park, the participants went to another Michelin winning restaurant, Shofukuro. Here they were able to enjoy the traditional Japanese lunch Kaiseki, and learn about its history from the manager of the restaurant Kyoko Manami.

 

5th day. The group had visited culinary college Edo Tokyo Soba, where they received a master class on how to cook Soba, traditional Japanese buckwheat noodles. The session culminated with sampling of the self-made Soba.

For the lunch, the participants headed to Soul Village Station restaurant, where they met with the vice president of Slow Food Japan, Toshiya Sasaki. The dinner took place at restaurant Gonpachi Nishiazabu, famous for its cult following, exquisite cuisine, pleasant atmosphere, and appearance in popular film Kill Bill.

 

6th day. The RMA group traveled to Osaka, the culinary capital of Japan. The first destination was one of the oldest Japanese restaurants, Hamanako SA UNAGI, which has been operating for over 400 years out of an ancient hotel that lies on the Tokaido road.

Upon arrival in Osaka, the participants were met by Oboro-an, manager of a well-known Shabu Shabu restaurant.

 

7th day. The participants visited Tsuji Culinary Institute, where they enjoyed an exclusively tailored tour through kitchens and classrooms of the institution, and received a traditional Japanese cuisine master class.

The day's second destination was Boteju restaurant, where all interested participants could watch the process of making Japanese pizza. After the dinner the participants went on a tour across Dotonbori, a restaurant neighborhood, visited cafe Izakaya, and sampled various Osaka specialty foods.

 

8th day. The participants visited Kyoto, where they toured the city's key sightseeing locations, and concluded the day with a visit to Tempura Endo Yasaka, a restaurant that specializes in tempura.

 

9th day. The day began with a dessert-making master class. By lunch the participants relocated to the Buddhist temple Seigen-in, where they sampled the best in Japanese tofu.

The remainder of the day was spent in the geisha neighborhood, Gion. During the dinner the participants were exposed to the atmosphere of Kaiseki Ryori ceremony, which dates back to the origins of traditional tea ceremonies.

 

10th day. During the last day the RMA group found time to take part in a traditional tea ceremony in Biko-en. Afterwards, they conversed with the manager of Mishima-tei restaurant, which specializes in marbled meat.