A handmade tale at Sasaki

Workshop in Shimane Prefecture

Yu Sasaki imported almost $25,000 worth of plates and pottery from artisan workshops in Shimane. 

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Japanese ceramic vase

The shipment of ceramics from Japan took over two months. Yu Sasaki aims to tell a story with every single item in the restaurant. 

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Dishes served on a handmade tray

Sasaki’s father spent six months carving 40 wooden trays made out of local black persimmon wood. Many have natural marks resembling calligraphy brushstrokes. 

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Interior of Sasaki

The restaurant is completely fitted out in pieces imported from Japan, from the plates and hand-carved wooden cutlery to the tables. 

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Harvest of tea leaves

Chef Sasaki recently returned to Japan to observe the harvest of young tea leaves at a farm called Tosuien. The sencha tea served at the restaurant is custom-blended with fragrant yuzu, sakura and ginger. Sasaki’s hometown “has one of the biggest tea cultures that remain in daily life”.

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Ceramicist at work in Shimane

Sasaki shipped plates and pottery, which he collected from various artisan workshops in Shimane, back to Sydney. The teapots alone came from four different studios.

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Meal preparation at Sasaki

From the plates, to the cutlery, to the tables, Sasaki is full of traditional Japanese craftsmanship.

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Light fitting at Sasaki

The light fittings throughout the restaurant were part of Sasaki’s shipment of artisan interiors from Shimane Prefecture to Sydney. 

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Kaji Kobo Hiromitsu workshop

The iron candleholders and coat hooks in the restaurant were forged by blacksmith Kaji Kobo Hiromitsu. The studio dates back to the 1830s and once produced samurai swords. 

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Sasaki’s one-of-a-kind wooden tables

Included in the final shipment from Japan were one-of-a-kind restaurant tables made by Sasaki’s father’s woodwork teacher. 

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Takao Sasaki

Yu Sasaki’s father, Takao, spent six months carving 300 pieces of cutlery and 40 wooden trays for the restaurant, using black persimmon wood found in Shimane Prefecture.

Photo by: Brett Boardman

Table setting at Sasaki

Table setting at Sasaki with plates imported from Shimane, Japan.

Photo by: Brett Boardman