The Japanese man behind the mesmerising Instagram account isn't an artist. He's not even classifying himself as anything more than an amateur cook.
Nevertheless, he's creating plates of edible art using delicately and deliberately placed slices of raw fish — and growing a sizeable online following as a result. What we could've told him from the get go: when your method to get your kid to eat dinner is this inventive, fans are expected.
Mikyoui00 says he discovered his knack for sashimi art by accident, while attempting to recreate the classic crane arrangement with fugu (pufferfish) for his family. Turning to YouTube for inspiration to instill in his son a love of food preparation, Mikyoui00 discovered a world of sashimi art available to those with good produce, sharp knives and an eye for detail.
Luckily, Mikyoi00 resides in Matsuyama, Ehime, – a prefecture known for its premium grade fish (the fish market in the Mitsuhama Old Area is a major tourist attraction). What began in 2017 as a fun way to share his newfound hobby with friends and family on Instagram, soon blossomed into a fully-fledged art project, and is currently reaching an audience of more than 61,000 on the image-sharing platform.
TOO GOOD TO EAT?
Have you tasted these cartoon-like custard buns?
"My family and I often eat sashimi, and it's really easy to get fresh seafood in Matsuyama," Mikyoui00 tells . "We're quite picky about the flavour, and as a result 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.
I'm the only one in my family who gets any enjoyment out of these creations.
"I'm the only one in my family who gets any enjoyment out of these creations," he adds, which, considering his online following, comes as a surprise.
Mikyoui00 brings characters to life on the plate, everything from dancing ladies adorned with coriander stems, edible flowers, ice skaters and fairies to dragons, Disney princesses and fish swimming in a pond. Even an 8-bit Mario makes an appearance. His works have a dreamy, fairy tale quality to them – all feathered edges and soft lines.
There's also Rapunzel from Tangled.
Ariel:
And a witch for Halloween:
All this with slices of raw salmon, sea bream, flounder, kingfish and tuna.
Has Tetsuya Wakuda even seen these?
We're expecting Mikyoui00 to make it big any day. Until then, he seems content to claim the title of amateur sashimi chef/dad of the year, and stands as a near-perfect case in point for learning a new skill on YouTube as soon as possible.
FOOD WAS MADE FOR ART
This Japanese artist makes lovely lamps from bread