The Michelin Guide Tokyo 2021 was released on Monday (Dec. 7), revealing 18 restaurants that have earned their first Michelin star.

South Korean man inspired by manga to become sushi chef

One of the 18 is Sushiya Shota, a restaurant specialising in sushi prepared using traditional Edo techniques, owned by a South Korean man.

Moon Gyonhan, a 33-year-old South Korean sushi chef, shared that he was inspired to make sushi after reading a manga named "Shota no Sushi" during his third year in middle school, according to Asahi TV via Soranews24.

"Shota no Sushi" is a story of a teenage sushi apprentice training to be a full-fledged sushi chef, which turned out to be Moon's inspiration to becoming one himself.

Despite never having tried sushi before, he decided to work towards becoming a sushi chef.

Moved to Japan at age 24 to hone his craft

In the ANN News video, he said he went to cooking school in South Korea, and subsequently worked at a high-end sushi restaurant in Seoul.

Wanting to improve his craft, Moon moved to Japan at the age of 24 even though he did not know how to speak Japanese.

After getting himself a job at a sushi restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, he trained for eight years to become a full-fledged sushi craftsman.

In November 2019, he opened Sushiya Shota in Tokyo, named after the main character of the manga that ignited his passion for sushi.

Poor business at newly-opened restaurant due to pandemic

Unfortunately, business started off shaky due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, due to restrictions in place due to Covid-19, he was not allowed inside the warehouses to choose the fish and other produce needed for his restaurant's daily operations.

While the freshness and quality of the fish is important to the restaurant's reputation, he told ANN News that he could only rely on a friend working as a third-party trader to pick the fish for him.

Earned his first Michelin star despite pandemic struggles

However, despite the early struggles, Moon and his restaurant had the support of his regulars, including Daisuke Terasawa, the author of "Shota no Sushi".

According to Moon, Terasawa was his first customer at Sushiya Shota.

"It’s all thanks to you that I managed to come this far," Moon said to Terasawa on the phone after the Tokyo Michelin Guide for 2021 was announced.

"I want to devote every day to making more delicious sushi," the craftsman said to ANN News.

Top image via @tokyo_foodstagram/IG, jpnfood.com