Tokyo Sushi Academy

Culinary Vocational Educationsushiacademy.co.jp

Tokyo Sushi Academy, founded in 2002, is Japan's first sushi chef training school. It offers four course tiers (968,000–1,485,000 JPY), operates five Tokyo sushi restaurants, and runs SUSHI JOB recruitment and SUSHI Connect alumni platforms, graduating 300+ students annually from 50+ countries.

Company typePrivate
Founded2002
HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Tokyo Sushi Academy does

Tokyo Sushi Academy (東京すしアカデミー株式会社), founded in 2002 by Fukue Makoto, is Japan's first dedicated sushi chef training school. It operates four structured course formats — a two-month intensive, a six-month weekday track, a one-year weekend track, and a six-month chef training course — priced from 968,000 to 1,485,000 JPY tax-inclusive. The school serves career changers, working professionals taking sushi as a weekend pursuit, and international students (via an English International Course), graduating 300+ students annually across cohorts drawn from 50+ countries since inception; cumulative enrollment exceeds 5,800 graduates.

The educational stack is delivered through instructor-led practice supported by a video-based lesson system available 24 hours and a learning management system that issues digital skill badges under the Open Badges standard. Beyond the academy, the group operates five directly-operated sushi restaurants in Tokyo that function simultaneously as training venues, employer of graduates, and consumer-facing revenue sources. Adjacent business lines include the SUSHI JOB recruitment platform placing graduates with sushi operators, the SUSHI Connect alumni networking platform launched in 2025, catering, and consulting engagements with sushi restaurants and food-service operators. The operating group comprises four legal entities covering the academy, restaurants, recruitment, and alumni platform businesses, with total group headcount of 101 employees as of 2016.

Revenue is generated primarily through course tuition, restaurant operations across five Tokyo locations, catering contracts, recruitment-related fees via SUSHI JOB, and consulting income. The customer base is broadly distributed across individual learners and restaurant operators, with no single enterprise account disclosed. The business is privately held and founder-controlled, with no external funding rounds disclosed.

Tokyo Sushi Academy firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Tokyo Sushi Academy
Legal name: 東京すしアカデミー株式会社
Website: https://sushiacademy.co.jp
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2002
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Tokyo Sushi Academy, founded in 2002, is Japan's first sushi chef training school. It offers four course tiers (968,000–1,485,000 JPY), operates five Tokyo sushi restaurants, and runs SUSHI JOB recruitment and SUSHI Connect alumni platforms, graduating 300+ students annually from 50+ countries.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Tokyo Sushi Academy industry classification

Industry

Product category: Culinary Vocational Education
NAICS: Technical and Trade Schools (6115)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry: Professional Culinary Arts (Chef Training) (EDAOAKAA)
akta.pro secondary industries: Institutional & Commercial Kitchen Training (Schools/Healthcare/Corporate) (EDAOAKAL), Culinary Arts & Cooking (Baking, Pastry, Global Cuisines) (EDAAAGAG)

Keywords

Sushi chef training
Culinary vocational education
Japanese cuisine courses
Professional sushi instruction
Chef certification programs

Where Tokyo Sushi Academy is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Tokyo
HQ country: Japan
HQ region: Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

Tokyo Sushi Academy business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Tuition Fees - Training Courses: Primary revenue from course tuition fees. Four main course tiers ranging from 968,000 JPY (2-month intensive, weekday, weekend) to 1,485,000 JPY (6-month sushi chef training course). Fees are all-inclusive of ingredients used during lessons. Payment plans available up to 60 installments via academy loan.
Restaurant Operations: The school operates 5 directly-owned sushi restaurants in Tokyo (Makoto Shinjuku, Sushi Lab Shinjuku-gyoenmae, Sushi Lab Shibuya, Sushi Takahiro, Sushi Academy Ginza). These provide practical training venues for current students and employment for graduates.
Catering & Event Services: Catering planning, operation, and intermediation services. The school's catering services support the training ecosystem and generate additional revenue.
SUSHI JOB Recruitment Platform: Sushi job listing and recruitment matching service connecting restaurant employers with sushi chef candidates including graduates and experienced professionals.
Business Consulting: Consulting services for sushi restaurant business management, leveraging founder Fukue's 20+ years of industry consulting experience.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	集中特訓コース (2ヶ月集中 course) - 968,000 JPY (tax included)
Subscription	Annual	平日特訓コース (Weekday course, 木金, 6 months) - 968,000 JPY (tax included)
Subscription	Annual	週末特訓コース (Weekend course, 1 year) - 968,000 JPY (tax included)
Subscription	Multi-year contract	寿司職人養成コース (6 months, full program) - 1,485,000 JPY (tax included)

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Tokyo Sushi Academy product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Tokyo Sushi Academy is a private culinary vocational school that trains aspiring sushi chefs through four structured courses (Intensive, Weekday, Weekend, and Sushi Chef Training) delivered at dedicated training kitchens in Shinjuku and Tsukiji, Tokyo. It also operates five directly-operated sushi restaurants that serve as practical training venues and runs the SUSHI Connect alumni platform and SUSHI JOB recruitment platform to support graduates careers.

Product overview

Tokyo Sushi Academy offers a portfolio of four distinct sushi chef training courses: the 2-month Intensive Course for rapid skill acquisition, the 6-month Weekday Course for steady learning, the 1-year Weekend Course for working professionals, and the 6-month Sushi Chef Training Course combining school attendance with part-time work. The academy also provides supplementary platforms including SUSHI Connect (a graduate career support system launched in 2025 offering job matching, skill development, and business consulting) and SUSHI JOB (a dedicated job portal for sushi industry employment). Video lessons provide 24-hour learning accessibility. The school operates five directly managed sushi restaurants in Tokyo where graduates and current students work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

Graduates can reach job-ready level in 2 months equivalent to 3 years of traditional apprenticeship
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use Tokyo Sushi Academy

Customer profile

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Tokyo Sushi Academy technology and API

Technology

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Tokyo Sushi Academy partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

SUSHI JOBcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSushi-specific recruitment platform operated by the school group. Connects graduates with sushi restaurant employers domestically and internationally. The school recommends employers use SUSHI JOB to recruit from the alumni pool, and graduates use it for job placement. Both novice and experienced sushi chefs are registered on the platform.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Tokyo Sushi Academy competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Tokyo Sushi Academy financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Tokyo Sushi Academy leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Tokyo Sushi Academy subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries1 record

Tokyo Sushi Academy funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Tokyo Sushi Academy M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tokyo Sushi Academy

What does Tokyo Sushi Academy do?

Is Tokyo Sushi Academy a public or private company?

Tokyo Sushi Academy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Tokyo Sushi Academy founded?

Tokyo Sushi Academy was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Tokyo Sushi Academy based?

Tokyo Sushi Academy is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.

How does Tokyo Sushi Academy make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. Tuition Fees - Training Courses are the primary driver. The others are restaurant Operations, catering & Event Services, SUSHI JOB Recruitment Platform and business Consulting.

Does Tokyo Sushi Academy have an API?

No public API is recorded for Tokyo Sushi Academy.

What industry is Tokyo Sushi Academy in?

Tokyo Sushi Academy's product category is Culinary Vocational Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAOAKAA, Professional Culinary Arts (Chef Training), with a secondary code of EDAOAKAL, Institutional & Commercial Kitchen Training (Schools/Healthcare/Corporate). Its NAICS code is 6115 and its SIC code is 8200.