“Returning to your true self” is the concept behind Ain Soph. Ginza, and to diners that means handmade, innovative Western-style cuisine with a Japanese twist, served in a pleasant atmosphere.

Is this your first restaurant?

Yes.

When did it open?

December 3, 2009.

You currently have two restaurants, Ain Soph. Ginza and Ain Soph. Journey. How many do you hope to have in the future? Will you expand further?

Yes. I’m planning to own more than five restaurants within three years.

What’s your favorite dish on the menu?

I love our tomato soup. It always makes me happy and relaxed.

What’s your most popular appetizer?

I would say the Today’s Fresh Salad with fresh lettuce with cured leaves and potherb mustard as the base and seasonal vegetables. It’s served with our original dressing made from rapeseed oil, organic mustard, soy sauce, and other ingredients. The dressing has a rich taste and it draws out the delicious flavors of the fresh vegetables.

What’s the most popular entrée on the menu?

The two most popular dishes are the Hayashi Rice (a vegan take on a Westerninfluenced stewed beef dish) and the tortilla roll with fresh green leaves, hummus, avocado, paprika, and mock soy meat.

What’s your most popular dessert?

Our customers love our brownie with carob chips.

What do you feel is special about your restaurant?

Although we serve only vegan dishes, most of our customers are not vegetarians and yet they enjoy our dishes.

How often do you change your menu items? Do you have daily or weekly specials?

It depends on the item, but we change our lunch menu every day. We change the desserts every season. One of our newest and most popular offerings is our vegan pancake.

Do you have gluten-free, soy-free, and sugar-free options on your menu?

Some dishes have no gluten, soy, or sugar. We use beet sugar and agave syrup instead of refined sugar.

What do you do to reduce your environmental impact?

We do not waste gas, water, electric power, or paper. We try not to make too much garbage, and we always try to order sustainably grown vegetables and to consider the sustainability of any other product [we use].

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned as owner or chef of this restaurant?

The concept of Ain Soph. is returning to our true selves through vegan diet.

I think choosing the vegan diet is one of the most effective ways for us to be connected to the universe. I believe vegetarianism helps us to be awakened spiritually and to expand our consciousness.

Essentially, if we are connected to the energy of love, it’s easier for us to realize which direction we should take in our lives. And when we are in such a state, we are more powerful and creative. We are our true selves when we’re connected to the energy of love.

Running this restaurant encouraged me—in a natural way—to follow my own path in life.

What led you to want to open a vegan restaurant, and/or what led you to the vegan diet yourself?

In the beginning, I never thought I would run a vegan restaurant. It all started when I understood that everything is made out of love, and that we can choose and create any path in our lives. Also, I realized we have the power to restart our lives anytime at any age, whatever the circumstances are; we are the creators of our own world.

I really wanted to give to the world all the things I received, mainly, the greatness of being our true selves.

In the time since your restaurant first opened, how has the plant-based food movement changed? Do you find more demand now for vegan food?

When our restaurant opened in December 2009, there were very few vegan restaurants. In Japan, we still find such restaurants are quite limited, even in downtown Tokyo neighborhoods like Ginza and Shinjuku, where our restaurants are located. But the number of customers coming to Ain Soph. has increased in the past few years. And we’ve noticed that plant-based food has been acknowledged by more people since our restaurant first opened. Also, a wider variety of vegan ingredients have become available in recent years, like vegan cheese and vegan cream.

Since your restaurant first opened, has your view of what constitutes healthy or delicious food changed? Have you changed the types of foods you offer?

I think plant-based food has gathered more attention in the past few years. At first most of our customers were vegetarians or people who were very plant-based food focused.

But now almost all of our customers are nonvegetarians. They’re drawn in by beauty, health, and dietary concerns. We welcome this change. We’d like to suggest that everyone try a plant-based meal once or twice a week. The more people turn to this food for beauty, health, and environmental concerns, the more people will see it as healthy and delicious food.

Where do you see the plant-based food movement going in coming years?

I think the plant-based food movement will become much more popular and people will find plant-based options at any store or restaurant. It’ll no longer require a special explanation (“Do you have plant-based food?”/“What is included in this food?”), and it’ll grow in popularity.

Hayashi Rice

Serves 4

2 tablespoons rapeseed oil

⅔ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped carrot

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour

½ cup thickly sliced mushrooms (a variety)

1½ teaspoons red wine

1½ cups crushed canned tomatoes

⅓ cup water

1 tablespoon Hatcho miso (or regular miso, if not available)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon beet sugar*

1 pack of vegetable bouillon

Salt, to taste

* You can substitute regular sugar if beet sugar cannot be found.

Heat 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook and stir until they are tender. Add bay leaves and flour. Stir until thoroughly combined but not burned. Remove from heat.

In another larger pan, heat 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil over medium heat; sauté mushrooms until tender; add red wine and boil for 5 minutes over low heat.

Add the carrot and onion mixture from the first pan into the second. Add canned tomatoes, water, miso, soy sauce, beet sugar, and vegetable bullion. Boil for 20 minutes over low heat and then remove, add salt to taste, and serve.