--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Nishihara Shokai image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d564de467525eaa/6a4b525b44440d8e6111a664/148A5648BACD413CB2B55E7C0042315B.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Nishihara Shokai  **PRESERVING LEGACIES, MAKING NEW ONES** Japanese cuisine is a global phenomenon, formed over centuries from a mix of indigenous nature, outside influences and changing social context. With its vast assortment of culinary offerings, there is truly something for everyone. The traditional core of Japanese food, washoku, was registered in 2013 as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognized for the unique social customs surrounding its production, preparation and consumption. Closely tied to local traditions and regional produce, washoku varies widely with the seasons—extending even to tableware, with thick earthenware pots used in winter, and glass or porcelain favored in summer to evoke a sense of “coolness.” While the historical importance of washoku cannot be understated, Japanese cuisine has also evolved through the adaptation of outside influences. Noodles and pickling methods from neighboring countries gave rise to distinctly Japanese interpretations, while more recent influences from European cuisines, particularly French and Italian, have helped elevate Japan’s culinary reputation on the world stage. Japanese pâtissiers have won the prestigious Coupe du Monde four times, and Tokyo now boasts the highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants of any city in the world, with more than 150\. Still, despite this global acclaim, Japan’s culinary world faces persistent challenges, one of the most pressing being a lack of succession in many traditional sectors. As promising young people move to major metropolitan areas in search of stable livelihoods, traditional artisans—from sake brewers to tofu makers—are struggling to sustain their craft in an increasingly modernized society. Inspired by this challenge, Kazuyuki Nishihara, president of his namesake firm Nishihara Shokai, is on a mission to bring positive change to Japan’s food industry. Founded in Japan’s southern prefecture of Kagoshima, famed for its kurobuta pork and shirokuma shaved ice, Nishihara Shokai has built a lasting legacy as a comprehensive food wholesaler, acting as a one-stop shop for a wide range of izakaya, hotels and traditional restaurants (ryotei) across the country.  Today, Nishihara Shokai handles more than 100,000 unique products, a significant portion of which are original goods developed in collaboration with partner companies and group manufacturers. Nishihara views the strengthening of this sector as essential not only for passing culinary traditions on to future generations, but also for ensuring that authentic Japanese ingredients can be supplied to the growing overseas Japanese restaurant market. By leveraging the company’s nationwide sales and logistics network, Nishihara sees a path toward preserving small-scale producers throughout Japan. Operational efficiency is crucial, as many artisanal production methods keep costs high, while Japanese consumers remain relatively sensitive to price increases. “Large companies have the technological capabilities to improve efficiency and increase production volume. However, many small regional businesses are struggling,” he explained. “They’ve been raised on traditional ways of operating, and because of their size, it’s difficult for them to expand their product lines for either retail or industrial use. Farmers and producers have maintained the same methods for a long time, so improving efficiency is not easy, and it’s hard for them to pass rising costs on to the market.”  Nishihara Shokai addresses this challenge by working at the local level, recognizing Japan’s deep regional diversity, even in dishes that may appear similar at first glance. “Take ramen, for example,” said Nishihara. “Ramen in Hakata and in Tōhoku may look alike, but they are completely different in terms of broth, color and noodle type. Japanese culinary culture is shaped by the diversity of the country itself.” He added that this philosophy underpins the company’s M&A strategy. “We recently acquired a company that produces Nagasaki champon noodles using the original recipe and a special type of lye. Only a few companies in Japan still do this, making it a powerful example of how we can preserve both great food and cultural heritage,” he said.  For Nishihara, commercial success and personal passion are inseparable. His business, he says, is a true passion project, and the approach appears to be paying off. With multiple M&A deals planned over the coming year, and growing demand from overseas clients seeking to satisfy authentic dining experiences, the company’s momentum continues to build. “One of the reasons behind our globalization is to ensure that high-quality Japanese cuisine is available overseas,” Nishihara said with characteristic candor. “That’s why we began supplying other trading companies across Asia. Our office in the UK is a little different though. We opened that simply because it was a cool idea.”  Nishihara Shokai ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/nishihara-shokai/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/nishihara-shokai/"},"headline":"Nishihara Shokai","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:27:40.214Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T07:28:03.497Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/nishihara-shokai/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/nishihara-shokai/","name":"Nishihara Shokai"}}]}] ```