Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is attracting attention from all over the country for its comprehensive childcare support and relocation support. Aya Ukita, the young female proprietress of Kappo Sushi Yonehachi, a long-established Japanese restaurant with a store in the city that has been in business for over 90 years, is one of the people who have received such support and encouragement. Ukita is not only the young female proprietress, but also the fourth-generation owner, and will be standing in the kitchen this summer. Ukita, who married into the family from outside the prefecture, ended up aspiring to become a chef. This is the story of the misfortune that suddenly struck Ukita, the efforts she made to overcome it, and the strong solidarity of her friends in Komatsu who supported her.

He designed his own white robe to greet customers with dignity as a sushi chef.

Aya Ukita stands at the counter wearing a white coat with a slightly raised collar that at first glance makes her look like a pastry chef, and a cooking hat that indicates she is a chef.

Before the restaurant's grand opening in August, they opened the restaurant for one special day and even had the opportunity to serve sushi.

"I designed this white robe myself because I thought it would be the most dignified way for a sushi chef to greet customers."

The ingredients are cut, the rice is picked up from the rice tray, and the sushi is quickly formed and placed on the serving tray - a beautiful, streamlined process.

"There's still a lot to learn."

Ukita is humble, and it's no wonder: just two years ago she was the young proprietress of Kappo Sushi Yonehachi, standing on the other side of the counter in a kimono and serving customers.

A comprehensive support system to help raise children in an unfamiliar environment

Ukita came to Japan from Niigata Prefecture in 2015 to marry her husband. Her husband is the third-generation owner of Kappo Sushi Yonehachi, a sushi chef. The two met when Ukita visited the restaurant with her parents.

"Niigata and Komatsu aren't that far apart, but Niigata is closer to the Kanto region, while Komatsu is closer to the Kansai region. The language is different, and the seasonings are different, too."

Ukita, who started out as the young proprietress of the restaurant, was initially a little confused, but she gradually got used to it and eventually gave birth to a boy.

"It was quite difficult to raise children while running a shop. At that time, Komatsu City's comprehensive child-rearing support system was a great help."

Distributing free disposable diapers to families with children once a month

One such comprehensive child-rearing support system is the "Baby Diaper Subscription Service."

Disposable diapers are delivered free of charge once a month to families with babies between the ages of three months and one year old.

In addition, the city has a unique system in which pregnant women who have been issued a maternal and child health handbook are given a 5 yen benefit for each fetus, which can be used for preparations before the birth and has been well received. In addition, the city has established a high-level system, such as no out-of-pocket medical expenses for children.

A kind word from a salesperson saved my tense and tense heart.

However, in the fall of 2022, Ukita was hit by the sudden misfortune of her husband's sudden death.

"There was a mountain of things that had to be done, including the funeral, and I was so stressed out that I had no time to grieve; time just passed by.

About a week later, when I had finished going through the paperwork and other formalities at the city hall, the person at the counter, who had been dealing with me in a rather bureaucratic manner up until then, looked me in the eye and sincerely comforted me by saying, "You must be tired. We will do whatever we can to help you, so please come to us anytime if you need anything."

With just that one word, all the tension in my body was released, my spirits relaxed, and tears began to flow. I truly felt that a humane administration starts with just one word like that."

Ukita says that this one word was a great relief to him.

"Why don't you become a chef and make sushi?"

What should be done with Kappo Sushi Yonehachi now that its owner has passed away? That was the immediate problem.

"I tried hiring a chef to work in the kitchen, but it didn't work out. I was worried, when a fellow chef I'd always relied on gave me some advice: 'Why don't you become a chef and make the sushi yourself?' At first, I was hesitant, thinking, 'What? I'd be the one to make the sushi,' but after thinking about it, I decided that it was the best solution."

After making the decision, he moved quickly. He began training at a famous sushi restaurant in Kanazawa, working alongside apprentices in their late teens and early twenties. He also attended a vocational school to train sushi chefs.

During his training period away from Komatsu, his mother-in-law, who was the head proprietress of the inn, took the lead in looking after his children.

The new Kappo Sushi Yonehachi, where Ukita will be preparing the sushi after working tirelessly to perfect his skills, is scheduled to open in August but only for customers who make reservations in advance.

"Not only do I want to protect the flame of Yonehachi, which my late husband inherited from his predecessor and cultivated himself, but I also can't close off one of the options for my son's future, who is now in the third grade of elementary school. It is because of this feeling that I decided to become a chef.

Another thing I would like is for my mother-in-law, who has been working at the restaurant since she was 20 years old and taught me so much as a young proprietress, to return to the restaurant as the proprietress herself."

The female proprietresses of restaurants and inns in Komatsu City unite to form "Komatsu Proprietress Kotama no Wa"

The people who were a great source of support for Ukita after his misfortune were the proprietresses of restaurants and inns in Komatsu City, who would later become "Komatsu Proprietress Kotama no Wa."

Komatsu City was the retirement home of Maeda Toshitsune, the third head of the Kaga Maeda clan, and has long been a place where the tea ceremony culture has flourished, with many traditional Japanese restaurants opening their doors in the area and the "traditional Japanese restaurant culture" spreading even to the townspeople.

However, the COVID-4 pandemic forced many restaurants to close. Four female proprietresses happened to meet at a takeaway bento event that was barely held. Ukita was one of those four.

"As fellow business owners, we knew each other's names, but it was the first time for most of the proprietresses to meet face to face. The COVID-19 pandemic was a time when we needed all kinds of information, and our stores were closed, so we were able to find time to get together and exchange information."

The interaction that began with the four people, who were roughly the same generation, gradually expanded, and with an eye toward the opening of Komatsu Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line in March 4, "Komatsu Okami Kodama no Wa" was born in January 2024.

The presence of the members of "Kodama no Wa" was a great support

Ukita, who had lost her husband in November of the previous year, was busy with her own restaurant and her newly begun training as a chef, but as one of the founding members of the association, she was also actively involved in making courtesy visits to the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture and the mayor of Komatsu, and responding to interviews by local newspapers.

"Looking back now, perhaps it was a good thing that I was running around like crazy. And more than anything, I can't express how much I was encouraged by the presence of my new landlady and her encouraging words.

It was because of them that I was able to embark on a new path. And now, the owner of the restaurant, a veteran chef, has taught me how to pull fish, and I am truly grateful to him."

"If you don't participate now, you'll miss a chance to make an effort." A word from a comrade gave me the push I needed.

Around early April 2024, when news of cherry blossoms began to arrive in Komatsu City, Ukita was a little worried.

There had been talk of offering chocolate desserts when the restaurant opens in August.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the sister city partnership between Komatsu City and Vilvoorde, Belgium, the Belgian luxury chocolate brand GODIVA has teamed up with the nine female proprietresses of the restaurant and inn "Kodama no Wa" to offer an original dessert at the end of each course, under the supervision of the chef from GODIVA café, for the summer season only.

"I haven't even started as a chef yet, so it seemed like a bit of a big ask for me to come up with a dessert, especially one using chocolate, which doesn't really have much to do with Japanese cuisine..."

The person who gave the hesitant Ukita the push he needed was Aiko Kaji, the manager of Kodama no Wa and proprietress of Japanese cuisine Kajisuke.

"Kaji-san's words, 'If you don't participate now, you will miss a chance to make an effort,' blew away my doubts."

After much trial and error, "White Chocolate and Tofu Blancmange" was born.

"I combined white chocolate with silken tofu. I had a hard time adjusting the proportions to create a balance between a smooth texture and gentle sweetness."

The contrast between the vivid red Wajima lacquerware net bowl and the white of the white chocolate is beautiful, highlighting the delicacy that is unique to Japanese cuisine.

The resulting chocolate dessert became a memorable dish for Kappo Sushi Yonehachi.

"I still don't have much experience as a chef, but I hope to treasure the dishes of Yonehachi that have been passed down, and gradually add my own touch to them."

This summer, Ukita will begin a new challenge as a chef at Kappo Sushi Yonehachi.

*This initiative, named "Harmony of Kodama no Wa and Godiva's 'Musubi'," will be carried out at the nine restaurants and inns that make up Kodama no Wa until August 8st.