Becoming Yamazushi

Premiere: 3/14/2024 | 00:14:08 |

In 1986, a small Japanese restaurant opened its doors and became the first of its kind in Durham, North Carolina. Years later, Yamazushi, operated by George and Mayumi Yamazawa, transformed into an experience that many would say is the first of its kind in the American South. Hip hop artist G Yamazawa reveals the essence of his family’s story and the art of being unapologetically authentic.

About the Episode

In 1986, a small Japanese restaurant opened its doors and became the first of its kind in Durham, North Carolina.

Years later, Yamazushi, operated by George and Mayumi Yamazawa, transformed into an experience that many would say is the first of its kind in the American South. In his 2022 directorial debut with Becoming Yamazushi, hip hop artist G Yamazawa reveals the essence of his family’s story, the source of his own courage, and the art of being unapologetically authentic.

About Durham’s Yamazushi restaurant

Over the course of 37 years, owners George and Mayumi Yamazawa transformed their Yamazushi restaurant into a cultural offering rarely found in the American South. Originally starting as a simple sushi restaurant in 1986 at a time when sushi was rarely eaten in the area, the Yamazawa’s went on to rebuild their Japanese restaurant into a traditional kaiseki house, transitioning from an a la carte sushi menu to a multi-course fine dining meal designed for just a few diners in any given night.

The eight-dish meal consisted of an appetizer, sashimi, a grilled dish, a fried dish, a seasonal dish, soup, rice and dessert. These meals could take days to prepare, with reservations booked for months at a time. Becoming Yamazushi is an exploration of the journey the family took to get here.

About the filmmakers G Yamazawa and Beau Sia

G Yamazawa is the director of Becoming Yamazushi. He is a Japanese American writer, performer, and hip hop artist born and raised in Durham, NC. With extensive touring experience in 48 states and 12 countries, G is widely regarded as one of the few spoken word artists to successfully transition into rap music. His 2022 release George reached #6 on the iTunes Top 100 Hip Hop Albums chart.

Beau Sia is the creative producer of Becoming Yamazushi. He is a Tony Award winning poet and world-renowned performer, featured on all 6 seasons of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry and the winner of two National Poetry Slam championships. He is the author of The Undisputed Greatest Writer Of All Time (2012) and Well Played (2020). Beau currently lives in Los Angeles.