In Japan, “kaizen” is the practice of continuous improvement.
Tomo Takahashi learned this principle while growing up in his family’s restaurant, and he brings it to guests at his new establishment, Saijo.
Takahashi considers kaizen to be the foundation of hospitality.
“One of the biggest lessons I have learned being in the restaurant business for 25 years is that it is important to constantly be improving,” Takahashi said.
“Whether in food quality, service or branding, maintaining a high standard is what keeps customers coming back. This has been our core principle since the founding of our company. We always ask ourselves how we can bring more joy to our guests. Instead of settling for ‘this is good enough,’ we strive for ‘this is the best.’”
Takahashi is the founder and CEO of JINYA Holdings, which operates more than 73 restaurants across the United States and Canada. Its brands include Robata JINYA and JINYA Ramen Bar. Saijo is a spin-off of Robata JINYA, focusing exclusively on its most popular hand rolls and robata dishes.
Saijo is a new concept that Takahashi and his team feel represents an evolution of the brand’s expertise in Japanese cuisine. It offers two traditional items: hand rolls (temaki) and grilled skewers (kushiyaki). The entire menu is a testament to the founder’s commitment to quality and flavor.
For Takahashi, those values are deeply ingrained. He grew up in Japan eating at the counter in his family’s restaurant. A frequent topic of conversation was the importance of high-quality ingredients and the art of making great food. Takahashi followed that ethos as a chef in Tokyo and, once he began opening his own restaurants, he hired people who had that same ethic. Saijo chef Kazu and manager Takeshi Kawamoto share Takahashi’s values and vision. Among Saijo’s many delicacies are its seaweed. Hatsuzumi Nori is known for its soft texture, sweet flavor and rich umami. The restaurant imports it directly from the Ariake Sea in Fukuoka. “The centerpiece of the handroll is seaweed and rice,” Takahashi explained. “We are extremely particular about the seaweed. Hatsuzumi is a premium Japanese nori, and among them, nori from the Ariake Sea is considered the highest quality. However, only 5% of Ariake’s harvest qualifies as Hatsuzumi, making it an exceptionally rare and premium product.”
The JINYA team takes great care in the selection and preparation. “Before partnering with our supplier, we personally visited Ariake to carefully select the best nori,” Takahashi said. “Every year, we conduct quality checks and continuously refine the roasting process, adjusting temperature and time, to ensure the nori brings out the best flavors in Saijo’s hand rolls. This premium nori is custom roasted to our specifications and shipped in small batches directly from Japan.”
And to go with its premium nori are a variety of premium meats: A5 Miyazaki wagyu, pork belly chashu, chicken, shrimp, unagi (grilled eel) and Chilean sea bass.
Saijo opened on April 2 in Culver City, where The Detour Bistro Bar was located. The space has been transformed into a highly stylized 24-seat countertop space with an open kitchen.
“The open kitchen is the most important aspect for me when creating a restaurant,” Takahashi said. “I designed the open kitchen as a stage for the chefs.”
He has been developing the Saijo concept for the past seven years. The team initially secured the location before COVID-19, but the project was put on hold due to the pandemic. Takahashi chose Culver City in part because it was the first city he lived in when he came to America 17 years ago.
“It holds a special place in my heart,” he shared. “With major companies like Sony Pictures and many others in the area, it is a central location where you can reach almost any part of the city in about 20 minutes. It felt like it was the perfect place to open our flagship store.”
Saijo’s second location will open in Vancouver this summer and a third is set to open in Encino in spring 2026.
