STORY
A decade full of blessings
Tonkatsu Sun, located in the Kanda district, where a myriad of eateries compete for the heart and stomach of hungry Tokyoites, is a restaurant from Chef Takahisa Suzuki. Tonkatsu Sun is the culmination of Chef’s career, the place where he combines, in a way that is quintessentially Japanese, all the culinary strands of his career - the classical “kabayaki” eel and beloved pork cutlets of his training – along with the rustic sensibilities that underscore his upbringing as an artist. Having celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023, Chef Suzuki often finds himself filled with an immense sense of gratitude as Tonkatsu Sun has been forever blessed by the continuous patronage of Kanda locals.
It’s the tonkatsu calling
You would not find Tonkatsu Sun simply by strolling the main streets. It is tucked away deep in the back alley of Tokyo capillaries. Your best chance to the tonkatsu hideout then, is through some sort of word of mouth. This seems like an apt analogy to describe how Suzuki himself found his culinary career.
Similar to many of us, he did not find his passion simply by attending school. He just knew he was skilled at drawing; He used to win small awards here and there too. His friends even thought he would pursue a career in visual art. But the grand scheme of life didn’t want him to be a painter. He was meant to become a Chef.
When he graduated from high school without a plan, his aunt in Kawasaki who happened to own a restaurant asked if he was interested in helping her out.
It was a tonkatsu restaurant.
The apprenticeship
Fast forward for 3 years. Suzuki has begun his apprenticeship at Kanda Kikukawa, a traditional restaurant renowned for its eel delicacies. As with the last time, it was his aunt who inspired him to follow his passion.
Historically, Kanda hosted various wholesale districts for multiple industries since the Edo era. At the time, Suzuki’s uncle used to frequent textile wholesaler districts to sell shirts, and by tugging along, he got to know many popular restaurants in the area. One of them was the Kikukawa. And that was the place where he gained much of his traditional Japanese chef training.
Some years later, his aunt expanded her restaurant operation to the Yomiuri Land (an amusement park on the outskirts of Tokyo). Suzuki took the helm of its Japanese restaurant on the first floor as the main chef and took charge of the cafe on the second floor. Its business was booming. The regular customers included nearby mahjong parlors and dormitories of a baseball team. He remembers delivering 200 pork cutlet bento boxes to a TV studio every Saturday.
Sun rises
In 1979, Suzuki finally opened his restaurant in Chiba where he is originally from. True to his training, eel delicacies and tonkatsu were the signature dishes of the place. He named it “Taiyo” meaning “sun” in Japanese as it symbolizes shining strength.
(A quick Japanese lesson for folks interested in nuances of the Japanese writing system. Normally, “taiyo” is written as 太陽 but the Chef’s restaurant is written as 大陽 without the dot in the middle of the first character. Why? The 大 is written with 3 strokes and so considered to be more auspicious than 太 which is written with 4 strokes. This is the advice Chef has gotten from his father.)
While successfully growing the business with his wife, whom he married in the same year, Taiyo increased its customer base and became a well-known restaurant in the area.
Eleven years of steady success followed, but, he felt something was missing. Being true to his heart, he decided to close his restaurant in Chiba. In other words, he wanted to live in the good spirit of YOLO (You Only Live Once!). He wanted to open his restaurant in the big Tokyo where he could put his entire career as a chef to the test.
Rolling the dice
Suzuki got what he wished for.
The ordeal started before he could even open his new restaurant. He was hunting for a property in areas like Kagurazaka where it’s sometimes known as Tokyo’s “Little Paris,” but that was not an easy ask. One year and over 30 viewings have gone by. He finally found the current location in Kanda, but it was far from ideal. As it was located in the backstreets, there was no expectation of having any casual customers walking in. It had previously been a silk fabric factory, so he had to make a sizable investment to renovate the entire property to install cooking facilities. The condition was so onerous that all three parties who were considering the property at the same time backed out.
Suzuki went ahead and signed the deal anyway.
But once the restaurant opened, the fortune sided on his side. The local community of Kanda was extremely supportive. People from the Kanda neighborhood association and Kanda craftsmen who pride themselves as born and raised “Kanda-native” as opposed to the traditional “Tokyoite” label have been constant sources of referrals from the beginning of Tonkatsu Sun. And to much of Suzuki’s surprise, he has been welcoming an increasing number of guests from overseas as well in recent years.
Tonkatsu behind the scene
When Suzuki decided to open a restaurant in Tokyo, he also began to search for a new pork supplier. There, too, he had struck a good fortune as he was introduced to a high-end pork grower from a northeastern region of Japan.
A typical tonkatsu restaurant sources its pork from a wholesaler which is convenient but has a limited range of offerings. Suzuki goes directly to the grower in the meat market. He can then select the best pork coming from the pig with “the best face” which is the pork jargon Suzuki uses time after time to describe his demanding criteria to choose the one that he is proud of serving to the palate of his customers and himself.
Sometimes he grumbles that his pursuit of perfection or simply a philosophy on pork does not communicate well in the forms of words and pictures. But once tasted, it does appear to transcend linguistic and geographic barriers. Tonkatsu Sun didn’t even have a menu and signage in English, but it seems Suzuki’s restaurant has become a French expat’s favorite place to bring his guests. Also, Suzuki’s son, Norio recollects with joy about their old customer who makes the pilgrimage to Tonkatsu Sun from distant Chiba.
Full circle of tonkatsu
So, what makes Tonkatsu Sun so special? A gourd-shaped box used for “katsu-ju” and “hire-ju” often captures tonkatsu nerds’ fancy, for example. The classic bento box is a piece that Suzuki ordered more than a half-century ago when he was still working at his aunt’s restaurant. It has since been discontinued and you can’t buy it anywhere. Even Kappabashi, which boasts one of the widest selections of tableware in all of Japan, does not carry it anymore. The same with the 30-tonkatsu plates which are stacked nonchalantly on the bar counter. “Those old-timers are tough as nails,” Suzuki noted.
But for most of us who could be far casual about the art of tonkatsu, you should be fine ordering any dishes. We can just relax and listen to the cutting and shimmering from the Suzuki's kitchen as we wait for the perfect tonkatsu. “Tonkatsu should be a treat," smiled Suzuki. "It should be enjoyed to your taste. Don’t let anyone tell you what you eat and how you eat it.”
Enjoy tonkatsu!
P.S. May we suggest trying it with a sprinkle of powdered salt?
Updated December 2023
とんかつ三
〒101-0046 東京都千代田区神田多町２−１−９（神田駅から２２２m）
営業時間 昼 １１：００ − １４：３０、夜 １７：００ − ２１：００
定休 毎週日曜日
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