Ginza is a fascinating town, frequently linked with special moments and fond memories. Visits to department stores while holding tightly to a parent’s hand, afternoons in old-fashioned cafés run by one-of-a-kind characters, first dates in special restaurants . . . Ginza is a place like no other.

Hanatsubaki’s “Ginza Memoir” series, hosted by Yoshiyuki Morioka of the iconic Morioka Shoten bookstore, explores the multifaceted nature and universal appeal of Ginza through interviews with guests from a wide variety of fields. With Morioka as guide to Ginza’s hidden charms and diverse narratives, new discoveries await around every corner.

Our third guest for “Ginza Memoir” is Olivier Chaignon, executive chef of French restaurant and Ginza institution L’Osier. L’Osier is renowned for its pioneering role as a French restaurant in Japan, and celebrated its fiftieth anniversary last year. With Chaignon at the helm, it has maintained its three-star rating in the Tokyo Michelin Guide for six years running since 2018.

Chaignon’s ability to preserve restaurant tradition and the essence of French cuisine while constantly creating innovative and expressive new “flavours of L’Osier” is perfectly in step with the nature of Ginza. He has been executive chef of L’Osier for eleven years now, but his work extends far beyond the kitchen. In recent years, he has become an advocate for microbiome farming, working with farmers around the globe to cultivate fruits and vegetables while improving the soil through the power of microorganisms.

What drives Chaignon’s commitment to organic farming? How does Ginza look through the eyes of an executive chef who visits primary producers across Japan and around the world in search of the finest ingredients? We visited L’Osier one morning before opening time to find out, speaking to Chaignon amid the quiet, urgent hum of preparation about the role of a modern chef.

Ginza Is Japan’s “Avenue Montaigne”—With More Restaurants

Morioka: You have been executive chef of L’Osier for eleven years now. Can you describe your impressions of Ginza as a place?

Chaignon: On my first visit, I thought, This is Japan’s Avenue Montaigne. The original Avenue Montaigne is a street lined with luxury brand stores just off the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Morioka: Is the atmosphere there different from the Champs-Élysées itself?

Chaignon: The Champs-Élysées has some franchise restaurants as well, but Avenue Montaigne has only luxury stores. One area where Ginza differs is that it has restaurants, too. Ginza also struck me as very quiet for central Tokyo. There are always people on Chuo-dori Street, but if you stroll across to Namiki-dori or somewhere, things are quieter. There are also many old buildings still standing.

Morioka: Are there any restaurants in Ginza you visit regularly?

Chaignon: Not to the point that I could claim to be a “regular” at any. If anything, I prefer to keep trying different national cuisines and culinary styles. I like Japanese food, Indian food, Cambodian food—anything, really! There used to be a wonderful Korean restaurant near Ginza Six, but it closed a few years ago.

Morioka: As well as French and Italian restaurants, Ginza has many Japanese restaurants that specialize in everything from sushi to tempura. How do Japanese culinary artisans look from your perspective?

Chaignon: I am fascinated by the way they use the same ingredients to create a completely different cuisine from us. Each country or region has its own tricks and techniques for using local ingredients, right down to the way fish are cut or spices are added. I feel that variation in cuisine conveys the richness of the ingredients in that area. I also enjoy tempura on a personal level. I frequently eat at Tempura Kondo.

Morioka: As I recall, Chef Kondo says that tempura is a steamed dish, not a fried one.

Chaignon: Yes, I’ve heard that the steam inside the batter is what cooks the contents. To return to the topic of Ginza, I think that the presence of restaurants from many different countries is part of what gives the neighbourhood its appeal. An area without diversity would be rather dull for visitors, too.

Microbiome Farming: Microbes That Make Organic Farming Possible

Morioka: I’ve dined at L’Osier on many occasions, and every time I go it reminds me of a theatre. It feels like a “total art of art,” appealing to all five senses.

Chaignon: A restaurant is a total experience, yes. The guest’s experience begins when they make the reservation. Their conversation with the receptionist on the phone, the welcome they receive when they arrive, the entranceway itself, their interactions with the sommelier—there are so many steps before the food even arrives. The actual eating is over in minutes, but if we want guests to concentrate on their meal, we must help them feel at home. The time they spend anticipating their meal and the environment they spend those moments in are very important.

Morioka: Very true.

Chaignon: I remember how nervous I was visiting a starred restaurant in my youth. I was so determined to act like I belonged there, and so conscious of other people’s eyes on me, that I didn’t taste the food at all! You have to be comfortable to enjoy good food. This is what makes hospitality so important. Naturally, we try to bring seasonality to the menu, consider which combination of sauces to use, and so on, but a restaurant is a total experience, so attention must be paid to every detail. It is like a theatre, as you say. If you sat in an uncomfortable seat for three hours, you could not concentrate on the performance. The same is true of dining. Mere details, some might say—but details are everything. The accumulation of detail reveals the essence of a restaurant.

Morioka: You are an advocate for “microbiome farming,” in which fruits and vegetables are grown while microorganisms and their metabolic action improve the soil. You also work with domestic farmers on production experiments. How did you first become interested in this topic?

Chaignon: My meeting with French biologist Bejit Ideas was where it all began. He came to visit my restaurant one day to ask if he could analyse the microorganisms on my hands. It seems that the greatest sushi chefs have beneficial microorganisms on their hands, and he wanted to see if the same was true of the chef at a three-star restaurant. I found his research fascinating. For example, he discovered similarities between the microorganisms on a thousand-year-old olive tree in Alicante, Spain, and the internal biomes of long-lived human beings.

Morioka: That’s remarkable.

Chaignon: He was also researching the potential of using microorganisms to improve soil. Experiments have shown that when almond and other trees are planted around thousand-year-old olive trees, the microorganisms on the olive tree have a highly beneficial effect on the new trees via the soil. In other words, transplanting beneficial microorganisms allows a healthy microorganism ecosystem to develop, enriching the soil without the use of agrichemicals or chemical fertilizer, and strengthening the flora and fauna. This struck me as an approach that goes beyond organic farming, with important lessons for health and sustainability. That sparked my interest, and I began spreading the word about microbiome farming to producers in Japan and around the world.

Morioka: Can you tell us about any specific initiatives?

Chaignon: We began with an experiment in a carrot field in Nagasaki, where results became apparent once winter arrived: carrots grown using microbiome farming were more resistant to the cold. Similar projects are now underway at a sugarcane field in Okinawa and a cacao plantation in Miyazaki. In Saga, we are experimenting with feeding microbiomes to poultry. Research has found that including microbiomes in chicken feed can reduce mortality among the birds.

Morioka: What has the response from the producers been like?

Chaignon: Very positive. At first, we were the ones proposing projects, but now farmers are actively putting their hands up to volunteer. Many highly motivated people are involved at this point, so I hope that we will be able to effect change on a broader scale going forward.

Olivier Chaignon
Olivier Chaignon selects the finest ingredients from France and Japan and combines them in new ways to create delicate flavours and textures that expressing his unique sensibility through sublime harmony. After working at Taillevent and Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, Chaignon came to Japan in 2005 as executive chef of Pierre Gagnaire a Tokyo. In 2013, he joined L’Osier as executive chef. From 2015 to 2018, L’Osier received two stars in the Tokyo Michelin Guide. In Gault & Millau Tokyo 2017, Chaignon won the Chef of the Year award. In the 2019 edition of the Tokyo Michelin Guide, L’Osier received three stars, and it has retained that rating for six years running—so far.
https://losier.shiseido.co.jp/

Yoshiyuki Morioka
Born 1974 in Yamagata. Head of the Morioka Shoten bookstore. Writer. Published books include Around Ginza in 800 Days (Bunshun Bunko) and Forgiving the Shortcake (Raichosha). Also active as an art curator, with recent shows including Children and Radiation, the second stage of an exhibition held jointly with the University of the Sacred Heart (October 30, 2003–April 22, 2024).
https://www.instagram.com/moriokashoten/?hl=ja

Sogo Hiraiwa
Editor/writer
Born 1990 in Takayama, Gifu. Freelance editor and writer contributing regularly to literary, cultural, and fashion magazines. Also involved in planning and editing books, including the Japanese edition of Octavia E. Butler’s Bloodchild and Other Stories (trans. Hikaru Fujii). Translator of Virgil Abloh’s Dialogues (Adachi Press).
https://www.instagram.com/sogohiraiwa/

Nathalie Cantacuzino
Photographer
Born in Stockholm, Sweden. Studied Japanese culture and photographic technique in Tokyo. Shoots in genres ranging from fashion to documentary and lifestyle.
https://www.instagram.com/nanorie/