Dads are known for their ability to make a quick fix out of the materials at hand. One Japanese father of two has taken that concept to a whole other level. His name is Mikyou. He lives in Japan, in the port city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture. Living in a city on the water offers easy access to fresh fish.
Seafood is already pretty integral to a Japanese diet, so Mikyou decided to get creative with how he made meals for this family. He turned nightly sashimi into a work of art, and now he's sharing his creations with the internet.
Mikyou began his Instagram account in the summer of 2017. That was the same summer he began making the sashimi arrangements, as he explained to BuzzFeed News. He tried using different types of fish to make an arrangement he was familiar with. In researching how to accomplish this, he discovered sashimi art and taught himself.
A Japanese family in the port city of Matsuyama is enjoying meals that are as beautiful as they are delicious. It's all thanks to Mikyou, a father of two.
Mikyou's family eats quite a bit of seafood since it's readily available and fresh. He decided to step up these dinners by stylizing them.
He also saw the designed dinners as a teaching moment. He hoped to instill a love for preparing meals in his son.
One day, when trying to re-create a familiar arrangement — a crane — with different types of fish, Mikyou realized the arrangement looked like a woman's silhouette from behind. That gave him the idea to dress up the meals a bit.
Mikyou surprisingly has never had formal training in preparing and arranging fish. He considers himself a "total amateur," according to BuzzFeed News.
He learned how to master the art by watching YouTube videos on the subject. Because he prepares seafood so often, he has plenty of opportunities to practice.
A lot of prep work goes into getting the flavors and the presentation right. "I usually do a lot of preparation before I make the sashimi art so that I can arrange it as quickly as possible after slicing," Mikyou explained to BuzzFeed News.
He often uses very thinly sliced fish, or usuzukuri, in his creations. He then combines them with other elements, from thicker cuts of fish to sides of vegetables and sauce.
Mikyou's art has improved since he began. He's mastered some of the more traditional arrangements.
He's also created some beautiful, unique arrangements. His family doesn't always see the need, but he enjoys sharing it with them nonetheless.
"I’m the only one in my family who gets any enjoyment out of these creations," he told BuzzFeed News.
In typical kid fashion, his younger son used to get flustered by his dad's work.
"I used to enjoy watching my younger son get embarrassed and upset when I would create something too pretty," Mikyou joked.
Now that he shares his creations on Instagram, he gets a lot more support. Many believe he's a chef at a high-scale restaurant and want to experience his creations when traveling to the area.
Mikyou's work has certainly paid off. He's gotten a lot of recognition for his one-of-a-kind art.
Mikyou has over 50,000 followers on Instagram. Parents all over the world know that making a meal for your kids isn't easy, so making it a work of art is worth celebrating.
