About Melbourne’s Japanese Restaurant: Akatombo Prahran

Akira Kageyama
(Chef and founder of Akatombo Japanese Restaurants in Melbourne)

Akira was born in February 1962 in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. His family have run a fresh fish shop in Shizuoka for over 50 years, and so from a young age Akira has been working with fish. When Akira turned 18 he began working at a Ryokan (Japanese Inn) as a general Chef. At the age of 22 he trained as a Sushi chef. He worked as a Hotel Chef in both Shizuoka and Okinawa, before becoming the head chef at a Kyoto Restaurant in Japan at the age of 29, specializing in “Kyoryouri” (traditional Kyoto cuisine). It was here that Akira started to develop his skills in creating degustation menus.

He moved to Australia with his wife Keiko, when he was 36 years old, and has worked at several Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, before opening his own Melbourne Japanese Restaurant – Akatombo at the age of 41. Akatombo - Prahran opened in 2003 and has built a solid reputation as one of the best Japanese Restaurants in Melbourne based on the Akira’s careful menu selections, his attention to seasonal ingredients and his passion for cooking. Akira and his wife Keiko (who is also an accomplished chef) opened his second restaurant Akatombo City, which specializes in Sake and Japanese Tapas.

Akira is the only Japanese Chef in Melbourne to create a degustation menu for the “Autumnal Tea Gathering” a yearly Japanese Tea Ceremony hosted in Melbourne. Akira’s passion is the Japanese cooking style Kaiseki (degustation), where each dish is designed to complement the next. It is based on the principle that cooking is an art form and involves engaging the senses; sight, taste and smell, to create a traditional and truly exquisite dining experience. Each degustation menu is specifically tailored to suit the palate of the diner, the seasonal variety, and availability, of the freshest ingredients.