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" I was a bit of a wild boy - always swimming and exploring the mountains. "

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" When I was 11 or 12 - a young boy in Japan - one of my older brothers took me to a sushi restaurant. I had never been to one, and it was very memorable. Back then, sushi was expensive and hard to come by, not like today, when there's a sushi restaurant on every street corner and you can buy it in supermarkets. "

" Whenever possible, buy a fish whole. With tuna, this isn't practical; with smaller fish, it is. "

" Los Angeles is my home - I have my wife and two daughters growing up there. "

" My business partner Robert De Niro knows a lot about hotels; he opened the Greenwich Hotel in New York City. "

" It's true that cilantro has a strange, strong flavor. People seem to love it or not like it at all. Even I didn't like it at first when I had it in Peru. But I got used to it - it's hard not to in South America - and now I can't live without it. "

" One of my great loves is golf. When I am in L.A., I like to play with a few close friends: no phones, no distractions, the great outdoors and the chance to bet some money to keep it interesting. "

" My cooking is simply ingredients plus umami. "

" I like to keep healthy physically and mentally, too. "

" Shellfish is better to buy live. In the U.S., because we eat oysters and clams raw, it is very important that they are alive before we prepare them. It's important to look for a closed shell. If a clam is alive, the shell will be closed. Never buy clams if the shell is open. "

" When I set up my first restaurant, I was so inspired by Wolfgang Puck, who is also based in L.A. and is now a good friend of mine, and the way he would engage with his customers and greet them personally. "

" I cannot bring myself to wear the Nobu hats, or the Nobu T-shirts. But the chef's jacket, that is mine. And when I wear it, I am very proud of myself. "

" Once I fell out of a tree and was hit by a motorbike. I still have the scar on my head now. "

" In Tokyo, we have more three-star Michelin restaurants than Paris. "

" I have a restaurant in Milan, and Paper Moon is five minutes away from my hotel, so I always go there for lunch. It's a casual place that serves good salad, pizza and pasta; the space is tight with tables close together, and it feels buzzy. Food comes out fast, too. "

" I feel like I owe something to America, as it is where I found success. "

" Businesses that run well are almost like marriages. Everything has to be up for discussion, or there will be real problems. "

" I can't imagine Japanese food without dashi, a broth made with kelp and dried bonito flakes. It has the aroma of the sea, tinged with a subtle smokiness, and adds a very important, distinct flavor. "

" In the morning and the end of every day, I thank that I'm alive. "

" I want to always keep going. I don't want to ever stop. "

" Sushi is something very exclusive. It is not like a McDonald's, not like a hot dog, not like a French fry. It's very high-class cooking in Japan. "

" I enjoy people who have passion, whether it is as a musician or whatever they do. All people who have success keep it very basic. Try your best. But without passion, you will not have success. "

" One of my favorite ways to use cilantro is in a beautiful clear soup with monkfish and lime. It's a great dish for cooler weather, especially because monkfish is very good in fall and winter. Also, I like the meatiness and rich texture of monkfish. "

" My favorite knife is from Miyakoya in Japan - I have one in each of my restaurants. "

" I travel all over the world, usually 10 months out of the year. I stay at a lot of hotels, and the ones I like best are clean and not complicated. You go to bed and say, 'Wow, I feel comfortable.' "

" In Japan, I have my own line of dinnerware, but I'm not aggressive about pursuing those projects. "

" People who make mistakes but try their best, other people will support. But people who make mistakes because they're lazy, nobody supports. "

" Dashi remains unfamiliar to most French and American cooks, who tend to reach for a bouillon cube to do many of the same things. But dashi is worth preparing and using the way the Japanese do: for poaching fish, as a soup base, and in simmered dishes. "

" I am very lucky to consider many of my business associates friends. Some are closer than others, but I respect and value all of them. "

" Swimming keeps me fit and flexible, and it helps that I have a large pool at my house in Beverly Hills. "

" I learned from my first restaurant: Make customers happy, make sure the customer comes back again. And automatically, success has followed me. "