The Kakinuma Brothers: Moving Forward Without Erasing the Past
Edouard Amoiel
18 juillet 2026
Yoss and Kohei Kakinuma are building a future without turning their backs on what their parents have built. At the helm of the family-run Kakinuma restaurant, as well as Temaki Bar, Sando, Saoko, and Namura, the two brothers share a different approach to carrying on the legacy: one rooted in passing on the torch, responsibility… and patience.
In the Kakinuma family, passing on traditions isn’t a slogan they proclaim loudly and proudly. It’s lived out in everyday actions, in the quiet moments of service, in the decisions made with a long-term perspective, and in those that take more time.
Japanese Roots
Yoss and Kohei Kakinuma are part of this new generation of Geneva restaurateurs who carry a dual responsibility: to honor the legacy passed down to them while embracing change. The family-run restaurant on Rue Henri-Blanvalet—one of Geneva’s first Japanese restaurants—remains the foundation. It is a foundation that is not altered without good reason—one that their parents built with patience and discipline, staying true to a certain vision of Japan.
“We want to preserve our roots,” they say. The phrase might sound like a cliché. It isn’t. Because it implies a genuine business decision: not to modernize just for the sake of modernizing, not to erase the traces of the past under the pretext that a new generation is taking over. The decor, the way the food is served, the authenticity, the simplicity—all of this remains. Not out of nostalgia, but out of respect.
Gaining legitimacy
Around this core, however, branches have sprouted: Temaki Bar, Sando, Saoko, and now Namura. Different concepts—sometimes faster-paced, more contemporary—but always bound by the same commitment: to preserve the Kakinuma name. Because that’s where the story gets interesting. The two brothers could have opened more locations, capitalized on their name, and moved faster. They chose the opposite. Or almost.
After a year—2025—that they themselves describe as intense, difficult, and at times emotionally draining, Yoss and Kohei decided to focus on consolidation. They revisited the fundamentals, reassigned roles, and restructured a business that had grown too large to operate as a simple family restaurant. Working alongside his brother, with parents still involved, and alongside older, deeply respected Japanese chefs is no easy task. You have to find your place without being overbearing. Lead without crushing others. Transform without breaking ties. In Japanese culture, hierarchy, age, and experience matter. Taking up the torch, therefore, doesn’t just mean making decisions. It involves earning legitimacy.
Adapt without compromising
Kohei now focuses more on the Temaki Bar, Namura, and the Kakinuma restaurant—the most traditional part of the family business. Yoss concentrates on Sando and Saoko, alongside his business partner, Ivalu Acurio, while keeping an eye on overall management. Their areas of responsibility are defined, but never completely compartmentalized. Everyone has their own perspective. Everyone has a say. And that’s probably where the balance lies.
Temaki Bar perfectly embodies this commitment to adapting without compromising. Launched in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept stemmed from a simple desire: to make certain specialties more accessible, faster, and better suited to a clientele in a hurry—without compromising on recipes or quality. Growth was rapid—perhaps too rapid at times. Mistakes were made, decisions were reconsidered, and a production facility was abandoned in favor of preparing dishes directly in-store to ensure maximum freshness.
Natural Recovery
What the customer doesn’t see, the two brothers have nevertheless experienced firsthand: reorganization, costs, staff, and internal operations. Behind the scenes, in short. With Namura, the story takes on a whole new dimension. “The takeover happened almost naturally,” they say. It was love at first sight—for the venue, the atmosphere, the owner, Suphawadee ‘Na’ KÖSTENBAUM, who was looking to retire, and the existing team. The Kakinuma brothers didn’t want to change everything. They kept the name, the spirit, the menu, and the Japanese chef, who has been there since the restaurant opened. They added their energy, their perspective, and their family touch.
Sando and Saoko, on the other hand, are blazing a different trail—one that’s freer, more hybrid, and more in tune with the times. But even here, Yoss emphasizes a key point: for them, concepts don’t arise from a simple idea but from the vision of the people behind them. With Ivalu Acurio, whom they met in Tokyo, the goal was not just to launch a brand, but to create spaces centered around a certain energy, personality, and sense of confidence.
Perhaps, in the end, this is the common thread running through this new generation of Kakinuma. An approach that rejects the simplistic dichotomy between tradition and modernity. On one hand, a historic restaurant worth preserving. On the other, more flexible, more urban concepts capable of appealing to a different clientele. In between lies a conviction: the future must not erase the past.
The challenge… to hold on!
So, will 2026 be a year of taking a break? Of consolidation? Of new projects? Probably a little bit of everything. A Sando location in Bern, another in western Lausanne, and perhaps new opportunities for the Temaki Bars. But the two brothers keep saying: it’s not just about opening new locations. It’s about making them last.
And that’s probably what makes their journey so endearing. Yoss and Kohei Kakinuma don’t speak like impatient heirs. They speak like two brothers who know what they owe to their parents, their teams, their customers, and the name they now carry with quiet dignity. For them, taking up the torch isn’t about turning up the lights. It’s about learning not to let it go out.
