{"id":10,"date":"2026-04-06T14:28:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.romanfink.com\/lei\/home-5-chef\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T14:41:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:41:46","slug":"home-5-chef","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/demo.romanfink.com\/lei\/home-5-chef\/","title":{"rendered":"Home 5 \u2014 Chef"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Chef & Restaurateur \u2014 Kyoto<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food is memory, culture, and conversation on a plate.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Kai Nakamura. Two Michelin stars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I cook the way my grandmother taught me \u2014 with patience, respect for ingredients, and the understanding that a meal is never just about the food. It is about the moment you share with the people across the table.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Born in Kyoto, trained in Lyon. I spent eight years in French kitchens before returning to Japan to open Nami in 2016. My cooking is rooted in kaiseki tradition but informed by everything I have absorbed \u2014 the markets of Provence, the street food of Bangkok, the discipline of classical technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe the best restaurants are not the loudest or the most decorated. They are the ones where you forget about everything except what is in front of you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Kitchen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seasonal Kaiseki<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An eight-course tasting menu that changes every two weeks, built around what arrives each morning from Nishiki Market and our farm in Ohara.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Omakase Counter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Twelve seats. No menu. A direct conversation between chef and guest, shaped by the best ingredients of the day and the mood of the moment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Private Dining<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An intimate space for up to eight guests. Multi-course dinners designed for the occasion, from quiet celebrations to business gatherings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the most important restaurants in Japan right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 The New York Times, 2025<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Nakamura does not cook to impress. He cooks to remind you of something you did not know you had forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 The Japan Times, 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A meal at Nami is not dinner. It is a meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Eater, 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Michelin Stars<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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8<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Years in Kyoto<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Seats at the Counter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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52<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Menu Changes per Year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Space<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The entrance to Nami, hidden behind a cedar screen on a quiet Higashiyama lane.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The omakase counter, crafted from a single slab of hinoki cypress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Location<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Nami
3-14 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku
Kyoto 605-0862, Japan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Hours<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dinner: Wednesday \u2014 Sunday
First seating: 6:00 PM
Second seating: 8:30 PM
Closed Monday and Tuesday<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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From the Kitchen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recipes & Reflections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n