At a special event held recently, H.E. Mr. Mizukoshi Hideaki, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, conferred “The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays” on Chef Dharshan Munidasa, Founder of Nihonbashi and Ministry of Crab, in recognition of his notable contributions towards the promotion of Japanese cuisine and food culture in Sri Lanka.

“The Order of the Rising Sun” is awarded by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan to foreign nationals who have made distinguished contributions to enhancing friendly relations with Japan.

Drawing on his dual Sri Lankan Japanese heritage, Dharshan’s culinary journey began with the introduction of his renowned Japanese restaurant Nihonbashi in 1995, and he has been a trailblazer in introducing inspired fine Japanese cuisine to Sri Lanka, familiarizing the Sri Lankan palate with the intricacies of Japanese gastronomy. Due to Chef Munidasa’s dedication towards sourcing the highest quality Japanese ingredients and his commitment to upholding traditional Japanese culinary techniques, Nihonbashi became the first restaurant from Sri Lanka to be listed on the prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. In 2011, his visionary creation, Ministry of Crab, further deepened the Sri Lankan community’s appreciation for Japanese food culture as the restaurant incorporates Japanese culinary philosophies such as the use of dashi when creating the signature mud crab and freshwater prawn dishes.

Ambassador Mizukoshi commended Mr. Munidasa not only for managing a Japanese restaurant but also for his longstanding contributions to the understanding, promotion, and dissemination of Japanese cuisine, “Washoku,” recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, both within and outside Sri Lanka.

Beyond his culinary endeavours, Chef Munidasa has actively contributed to the facilitation of Japanese-Sri Lankan relations through his unwavering commitment to cultural exchange, which further solidified the bond between the two nations.

Chef Munidasa also took this opportunity to reveal exciting new plans for his 29-year old restaurant, “This year Nihonbashi will move to a brand new location at Port City, Colombo. The evolution of Nihonbashi continues as this new space will be designed and built befitting of this recognition and of the responsibility and belief placed on me”.

With this move Chef Dharshan is hopeful that Colombo will see a renaissance of Japanese Cuisine with Nihonbashi 2.0.