FARO, the innovative Italian restaurant on the 10th floor of the Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building, joined the first installment of "Regenerative Gastronomy" on July 14, 2026 (Tuesday), a project led by Kitasanriku Factory. For the occasion, FARO teamed up with the globally minded sake brand IWA, which values its connection to the natural environment, and with Kitasanriku Factory itself for a special dinner event centered on regenerating the natural world. Speakers working to restore marine and farmland environments introduced their respective activities and philosophies, while FARO chef Mizuki Yamaguchi collaborated with sympathetic chefs to offer a one-night-only special course paired with IWA sake.
What "Regenerative Gastronomy" Aims For
In recent years, the global conversation around food has been shifting from "sustainable" — maintaining a state that limits environmental impact — toward "regenerative," which actively restores and renews the natural environment itself. Amid challenges such as climate change and shifting ecosystems, a new set of values is drawing attention: connecting the act of eating to the regeneration of nature. Kitasanriku Factory works to restore the marine environment through a new technique called "regenerative aquaculture," raising delicious sea urchin, while IWA promotes coexistence with nature through rice cultivation. Since 2026, FARO has built its cooking around the concept of the "cycle of food," expressing its connection to producers and nature through its dishes.
This event was held as an opportunity to share each partner's efforts and philosophy through a shared food experience.
Event Overview
Event name: Regenerative Gastronomy, First Installment
Theme: "Assemblage in Harmony With the Regeneration of the Sea"
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday), 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Venue: FARO (Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building 10F, 8-8-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
Sample menu: Sea urchin and hazelnut (amuse-bouche) / Linguine with sea urchin and smoked ricotta (pasta) / Miyazaki wagyu, sea urchin, and corn (main course)
On the night, 33 guests gathered under the theme "Assemblage in Harmony With the Regeneration of the Sea." During a talk session, Kitasanriku Factory representative director Yukinori Shitautsubo and IWA CEO Charles-Antoine Picart took the stage to discuss the environmental challenges and regeneration efforts they have encountered through their respective work. Shitautsubo spoke about restoring the sea through regenerative sea urchin farming, and, drawing on the idea that "a rich sea is nurtured by rich mountains," introduced the importance of the cycle connecting sea, mountain, and food. He said the collaboration — bringing together IWA, which works to regenerate mountains through sake brewing, and FARO, which pursues the cycle of food — became an opportunity to consider regenerating the natural environment together. Picart, meanwhile, introduced his brewery based in Toyama and its sake-making rooted in the local region, along with the organic rice farming the brand began in 2025. He said the philosophy of "brewing sake together with the land" resonates deeply with Kitasanriku Factory's approach to environmental regeneration. For the food, FARO chef Mizuki Yamaguchi and fellow chefs devised a special course for the event, featuring Kitasanriku Factory's regeneratively farmed sea urchin alongside other ingredients that convey a connection to producers and nature, paired with four types of IWA sake. Through the pairing, guests deepened their understanding of the close relationship between food and the environment and had a chance to reflect on regenerating the natural world.
Guests shared comments such as, "I got to experience sea urchin and sake in a new way through Italian cuisine," "the way IWA's flavor changed with temperature harmonized impressively with the food," and "pairing beef with sea urchin let me rediscover the appeal of both ingredients." Others said, "it was a chance to think about our connection to nature and producers while enjoying the food," and "I'd love to join again." For guests, the evening offered a fine-dining experience alongside a chance to feel the cycle of food and environment up close.
Chef Comment: Mizuki Yamaguchi (FARO)
"For this event, I built the course around how to express, through cooking, the philosophy shared by Kitasanriku Factory and IWA — their commitment to regenerating the natural environment. At FARO, we cook around the concept of the 'cycle of food.' There are mountains, rivers, and the sea, and cooking isn't a one-way street — it exists within the earth's larger cycle. By listening to what our ingredients tell us, sensing nature, preparing the food, and sharing that experience with our guests, I hope it becomes a chance for them to connect with the producers' passion and the richness of nature behind each dish, and to think about the future of food."
About Kitasanriku Factory
Based in Hirono, Iwate Prefecture, Kitasanriku Factory raises high-quality sea urchin while working to restore the marine environment through its "regenerative aquaculture" technique. Its mission is described as bringing richness back to the world's oceans, starting from Kitasanriku.
Official website: https://kitasanrikufactory.co.jp/
About IWA
IWA is a sake brand that brings assemblage, a technique traditionally used in winemaking, into sake production. It was founded by Richard Geoffroy, who spent 28 years as chef de cave of Dom Pérignon, and began brewing in Toyama Prefecture in 2019. By blending dozens of base sakes made from different rice varieties and yeasts, IWA pursues the harmony and complexity that assemblage can bring, while also valuing its connection to the natural environment and agriculture that underpin sake brewing.
Official website: https://iwa-sake.jp/
Going forward, FARO plans to continue valuing its connection to producers and the local community, offering gastronomy experiences centered on the "cycle of food" and sharing its commitment to carrying a rich natural environment and food culture into the future.
Chef Profile: Mizuki Yamaguchi
Raised amid the natural richness of Niigata, Yamaguchi grew close to cooking from an early age, developing his sensibility through the local landscape and climate. After graduating from a culinary school in Niigata, he moved to Tokyo and spent five years training at an Italian restaurant. Visits to a French restaurant on his days off drew him to French technique, and he went on to deepen his understanding of regional culture and ingredients as sous chef at Otowa Restaurant in Tochigi Prefecture. Guided by the belief that his cooking grows out of the nature and experiences he has encountered throughout his life, he explores Japanese food culture — including wild mountain vegetables and herbs — and works to translate it into flavors that resonate today. He won the Silver Egg award at RED U-35 in both 2022 and 2024. Since becoming chef of FARO in January 2026, he has centered his cooking on Italian cuisine while placing importance on respect for the environment and producers, actively pursuing and sharing plant-based cooking with the aim of creating a table that anyone, regardless of background, can share.
About FARO
Located on the 10th floor of the Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building, FARO layers Japan's rich ingredients and culture onto the tradition and forward-thinking spirit of modern Italian cuisine, offering original creations that go beyond the boundaries of Italian cooking.
The restaurant engages with the vitality found in ingredients from across Japan, respecting the gifts of nature and placing particular focus on plant-based cooking that draws out the aroma, texture, and seasonality of vegetables, wild herbs, and native plants — reconstructing "food that lives alongside nature" as gastronomy. FARO also shares the values of its producers, pursuing dishes that reflect the scenery of the fields and mountains directly on the plate, and uses traditional Japanese crafts for its tableware to create a world where food and culture resonate together.
This approach has earned FARO one Michelin star for six consecutive years and a Green Star for five consecutive years in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2026. It has also been named a "Top Italian Restaurant" by Gambero Rosso for four consecutive years, receiving the "Due Forchette" (Two Forks) rating for four consecutive years as well.
Store Information
Address: 8-8-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building, 10F)
Phone: 0120-862-150 (domestic calls only) / 03-3572-3911
Hours: Lunch 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM (Last Order 1:00 PM), except Tuesdays / Dinner 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Last Order 7:30 PM)
Closed: Sundays, Mondays, summer holiday (mid-August), and New Year holidays
Seating: 28 seats (dining room)
Official website: https://faro.shiseido.co.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiseido_faro/
Note: Images are for illustration purposes. Information is current as of July 16, 2026, and is subject to change without notice.
