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Jeremy James, a native New Yorker, went to Japan in 1979 as an exchange student to study at Seinan Gakuin University in Fukuoka, a small city in the southern island of Kyushu. A pitcher for his college baseball team in the U.S., he was invited to try out for the Seinan team. He made the team and became the first foreigner to play college baseball in Japan - and to throw a no-hitter. He went on to play professionally for a team in Tokyo and lived in Japan for over 12 years, developing a deep appreciation of Japanese food and culture.

"I fell in love with the freshness and quality of food in Japan and wanted to bring that experience to the United States," said James. "Not only the food, but the entire eating experience."

James enticed the top-ranked Tokyo-based restaurant design firm, Super Potato Co., LTD, to come to the U.S. for their first commissioned project. They have transformed the 6,000-square-foot Ozumo space into a modern-day Japanese tea garden using only the four elements of a traditional tea garden—stone, wood, paper, and metal—and adding contemporary flair. Renowned designer Noriyoshi Muramatsu has created an authentic space reflecting a distinctly Japanese consciousness.

The long, narrow interior is traversed by a strolling pathway that winds through the restaurant in traditional tea garden fashion, leading to several distinct areas. At the front of the restaurant is a separate bar and a robata grill, a charcoal grill that is a fixture in many traditional Japanese country homes. Ozumo's Kotatsu Room, available for private bookings, allows guests to experience this cozy country style of eating from a robata grill. The tradition of sitting shoeless on floor pillows has been adapted to Western tastes; there is ample depth beneath the Japanese-style tables to allow diners to sit in accustomed comfort.

Another Ozumo highlight is the glass-enclosed sake tasting room, offering over 30 Japanese sakes and several different fruit and herb tonics. The back of the restaurant, facing the Embarcadero with beautiful views of the bay, holds a 24-seat sushi counter and 60 table seats, including a private banquet area.

Sushi is served "Omakase" (trust me) style, wherein guests forego ordering from the menu in favor of the chef's choice. Ozumo sushi will feature warm rice, intriguing pairings of fish, and a variety of sauces to complement the different flavors of fish. The chef asked me what I liked, kind of like a personality profile, and then made special things for me. I loved them all. Since I was sitting at the sushi bar, I also noticed what everyone around me was eating.

At 6'2" tall and blond, Jeremy James might look out of place as the owner of an authentic Japanese restaurant. But his 12-year career in Japan as a professional baseball player-turned-investment banker provided him with unique insights into Japanese culture and cuisine. Fluent in Japanese, James recruits staff who either speak Japanese or have a personal interest in Japanese culture. He is encouraging workers to begin a Japanese language course, and daily lessons will be part of each shift, along with pre-shift calisthenics led in Japanese. "Besides introducing the Bay Area to the latest in contemporary Japanese cuisine, we want our guests to experience Japanese culture, design and language. Ozumo is ultimately about Western meeting Eastern culture," said James.

Executive Chef Koji Makiyama oversees the robata and kitchen menus with help from a crew of U.S.-based Japanese chefs, including his brother Hideki. Koji, 42, a 260-pound professional sumo wrestler, is moving to San Francisco after working for a family restaurant business in Tokyo. On a more personal note, he will have the opportunity to reunite with his brother, Hideki, 45, who owns Saji Restaurant, a popular Marina dining spot. Hideki will work part time in the kitchen while continuing to run his sushi restaurant.

Ozumo's menu, which changes daily, features fresh seasonal products from all over the world. The menu offers everything from Omakase-style sushi and sashimi, grilled seasonal vegetables, fish and meats from the robata charcoal grill to freshly made tofu, appetizers, soups, and salads.

The Sumo Lounge serves a large selection of Japan's finest Junmai, Ginjo and Dai-Ginjo sakes. Specialties include halibut carpaccio marinated in virgin olive oil spiked with lemon grass, oyster risotto served with fresh wasabi, and many ingenious tofu dishes.

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-Updated 10-05-01-

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