India, July 20 -- At 18, Shota Nakajima left his home in Seattle to attend Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka. "It's like the Harvard of cooking schools in Japan," says Nakajima, who was born in Tokyo. "The teachers are brutally honest and teach you humility." The intense training set him up for success as a restaurant owner - back in Seattle, he ran Naka, a kaiseki restaurant, and a fried-chicken spot, Taku, which closed in March. He has also been a contestant on television cooking competitions, including Beat Bobby Flay and Top Chef.

Top food recommendations in Osaka by Chef Shota Nakajima Osaka, the host city for this year's World Fair, Expo 2025, is often called "the kitchen of Japan." Its historically blue-collar culinary image is bu...