I was moved and inspired recently when I watched the 2012 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi about Jiro Ono, an 85 year old sushi chef with a ten seat, three Michelin star restaurant in Tokyo.
Jiro is known for his obsessive dedication to his work, techniques, and his relentless quest for improvement. The community of venders that supply Jiro share his values. From the rice dealer to the tuna dealer, they are all passionate about providing the absolute best to their customers and honing their skills.
Jiro spoke in the documentary about his child rearing philosophy, which could not be in sharper contrast to how children are raised today. Jiro has two sons. The older son, Yoshikazu, works in the restaurant with Jiro and the younger son, Takashi, opened his own restaurant after apprenticing with his father. The love and respect between father and sons was evident and touching even though Jiro talked about how he was not around much when his sons were growing up. When Takashi opened his own restaurant, Jiro told him that he had no restaurant to come back to. In the documentary, Jiro said “Nowadays, parents tell their children, “You can return if it doesn't work out." When parents say stupid things like that, the kids turn out to be failures.”
This documentary made me reflect on what it takes to be resilient. According to Jiro, it’s self-reliance, dedication to excellence and commitment to a chosen profession. Minerva, goddess of wisdom and skill, would agree.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi is available on Netflix.
DISCLAIMER: This information is not intended to provide legal or accounting advice, or to address specific situations. Please consult with your legal or tax advisor to supplement and verify what you learn here. This is presented for informational or educational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation to buy/sell any security investment or other product, nor is this an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy/sell any security investment or other product. Any opinion or estimate constitutes that of the writer only, and is subject to change without notice. The above may contain information obtained from sources believed to be reliable. No guarantees are made about the accuracy or completeness of information provided. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.