Yoshihiro Murata was born in Kyoto in 1951. His family has been running Kikunoi restaurant in Kyoto for 3 generations. After graduating from university, he spent some years learning in renowned Japanese restaurant Kamomen in Nogoya, returning to the family business in 1976. He is now owner chef of 3 restaurants in Kyoto and Tokyo: one 3* Michelin, and two 2*. He is very active in the field, appearing on TV and magazines and publishing books. He also uses his influence to train young Japanese chefs. Firmly believing his key role is to spread understanding and love of true Japanese cuisine around the world, he travels a great deal, and is in regular contact with top chefs worldwide. He is a deputy director of the organisation to promote Japanese Restaurants Overseas (JRO) http://jronet.org/news.html and is director of the Japanese Culinary Academy http://culinary-academy.jp/eng/index