Sustainable seafood restaurant Sincere Blue opens in Harajuku, Tokyo

Japan is famous for its centuries-old seafood culture. Sadly, sealife and small coastal fisheries are disappearing at an increasingly rapid rate and on the edge of collapse. In order to address this, restaurant owners are working together with other organizations to provide more sustainable options.

On September 11, a new sustainable seafood restaurant Sincere Blue will open in Harajuku, Tokyo, as a sister store of Shibuya-based Michelin-starred restaurant Sincere. Sincere Blue was born from a collaboration between Sincere owner Shinsuke Ishii and Chefs for the Blue, a project that connects some of Tokyo’s top chefs with marine scientists, food experts, restaurant journalists, NGOs and sustainable seafood consultants. The buffet-style restaurant will open in the brand-new restaurant arcade Jingumae Comichi opening this month opposite JR Harajuku Station.

Japan remains one of the top five consumers of seafood globally. However, the county’s previously-abundant supply of fish has been declining for decades due to overfishing, habitat loss and increased industry competition. According to the Japan Fisheries Agency, the total amount of fish caught in Japan waters has plummeted from a peak of 12.82 million tons in 1984 to 4.16 million tons in 2019, a drop of just under a third.

To help stop this critical trend and change society together, Ishii, as the lead chef of Chefs for the Blue, has been involved in a variety of educational activities. The new restaurant, Sincere Blue, will offer an unprecedented style of cooking using sustainable seafood in an effort to protect the future of the oceans while providing a delicious and enjoyable dining experience.

With the help of Tokyo-based seafood-sustainability consultancy company Seafood Legacy, the restaurant will use mainly seafood sourced from fisheries that have acquired MSC, ASC, BAP, and other reliable international certifications, as well as from domestic and international producers who are working to acquire these certifications through fishery and sustainability improvement projects.

But, what exactly is sustainable seafood? Sustainable seafood is seafood that is caught and farmed at a rate that protects the environment and ecosystems and keeps the pace of reproduction so that fish are not lost. The concept is already widely known and widely distributed in the United States, Scandinavia and Europe. However, despite government discussions about reforming the industry and introducing new regulations, current fishery and resource management in Japan is still weak in comparison.

Chefs for the Blue argue that lack of media attention and consumer awareness is fueling the problem, but believe that unless more action is taken, it might be the last chance to save Japan’s food culture and pass a healthy ocean to future generations. Through opening restaurants like Sincere Blue, the collaborative group is working hard to raise awareness, change public opinion, and push the government to instill new sustainable measures before it is too late.