Building a Life Around What We Love

This trip to Japan reminded us why we started Roll This Way in the first place.

Of course we came back inspired by the food, the hospitality, the tiny hidden restaurants, the craftsmanship, and all the little details that make Japan so special but honestly, the biggest thing we took away from this trip was something much more personal.

How grateful we are to have built a life around something we genuinely love doing.

Over the years, Roll This Way has grown into so much more than sushi workshops. It’s become a way for us to connect with people, create experiences, travel, keep learning, and share inspiration through food.

And being in Tokyo reminded us how important it is to never stop exploring creatively.

Some of our favourite moments weren’t even planned. Wandering side streets looking for dinner. Finding tiny standing bars under train stations in Osaka. Meeting restaurant owners who have spent decades perfecting one thing. Walking through the Knife District in Tokyo picking out new knives for the team back home.

There’s something really inspiring about being around people who care deeply about their craft.

One of the most memorable experiences was meeting Yuki in Kyoto during a private dining experience at his small Italian restaurant. Before becoming a chef, he was actually an architect who decided to leave everything behind to study cooking in Italy. He’s been running his restaurant on his own for over 15 years now.

Hearing stories like that always reminds us that there’s no “right” path. Sometimes the best things happen when you follow curiosity, take risks, and build a life that feels meaningful to you.

That’s really what this trip felt like for us.

A reminder that success isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it’s simply about having the freedom to keep creating, keep growing, and keep doing work that feels exciting and inspiring.

We’re excited to start sharing more from this trip over the next little while the places we visited, the people we met, the food we loved, and the experiences that inspired us along the way.

And most importantly, just being able to spend this time together doing what we love.

More soon from Tokyo 🇯🇵🍣