Why iRASSHAi?

iRASSHAi means “welcome” in Japanese. A welcoming word that became, in August 2023, a destination in the heart of Paris.

Unique in the capital, iRASSHAi offers a complete experience: two restaurants, a takeaway counter and a temaki café-bar… but the venue stands out above all for its large grocery store, packed with more than 1,000 products imported straight from Japan.

Connoisseurs come in search of distinctive products, while the curious make a thousand discoveries. You can shop there throughout the day, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., as well as online for home delivery.

Carefully selected products, simple explanations right on the packaging, recipe cards available on the walls, passionate teams ready to share their knowledge… Everything is designed to make Japanese cuisine, which can often seem intimidating, more accessible.

Carefully selected products, recipe cards on the walls, passionate teams ready to share their knowledge… The idea is simple: to demystify Japanese cuisine. No more language barrier when it comes to labels! Everything is designed so that everyone can finally get hands-on.

Contemporary, playful and authentic, the welcoming, laid-back Japan we love, in the heart of Paris.

Irasshaimase!

The founders at the heart of the project

Co-founder

THIERRY MAINCENT 

A seasoned traveler and passionate admirer of Japan for decades, Thierry Maincent first honed his culinary skills at Le Cordon Bleu school in Tokyo and at a distributor specializing in fine wines, before taking the helm of the tour operator Japan Experience, of which he is now president. Together with Xavier Marchand, he envisioned iRASSHAi, a modern and welcoming place to rediscover the Japan he cherishes in Paris. 

His favorite Japanese ingredient: amazake

His favorite Japanese recipe: sukiyaki

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Co-founder and President

XAVIER MARCHAND

Xavier discovered Japan in 2001 when he went to study architecture at the University of Tokyo. He spent a total of six years there in various professional roles, including as marketing director of Hearst Magazines’ Japanese subsidiary. Passionate about Japanese food, he was committed to making iRASSHAi a place where people can discover and enjoy authentic cuisine in a setting that evokes Japan, while presenting a contemporary and playful vision of the country, far removed from folkloric or ceremonial clichés.

His favorite Japanese ingredient : yuzu kosho

His favorite Japanese recipe: shabu shabu

Chefs bringing Japanese cuisine to life in Paris

  • Ippei · the BIWAN chef

    Ippei Kato has a unique background, shaped by direct contact with the land, the sea, and the seasons. Vegetable farming, flower cultivation, tea harvesting and processing, tuna fishing, hunting, black sugar production: these are just some of the experiences of a man who wanted to understand food at its source, before it even became a dish.

    He then entered the professional culinary world and spent eight years in Germany working at several Japanese restaurants, including three years at Masa, which held a Michelin star during that period. Eventually, Paris drew him in, along with the kitchens of BIWAN, where the menu changes every month so that each meal reflects a specific moment of the year.

  • Yuji · the temaki bar chef

    Every evening, Yuji Misu conducts the ballet behind the KISSABA counter.

    With more than 30 years of experience in Japanese cuisine, he underwent intensive training in Japan—the shugyō—then spent years immersed in the world of washoku, the traditional cuisine inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, which places the seasons, ingredients, and balance at the heart of everything. Based in France for 14 years, he also worked there as a sushi chef for eight years.

    Behind the temaki bar, he respects Japanese fundamentals without being afraid to shake them up a little.

  • Yasuhiro · the SHOKUDO chef

    Yasuhiro Hamasaki trained at the prestigious Tsuji Culinary Institute, then honed his talent in the traditional restaurants of Japan, his home country. Several years followed in Paris’s finest establishments—the Plaza Athénée and Taillevent—before he returned to the cuisine that shaped his childhood and took charge of the SHOKUDO kitchen brigade.

    His cuisine is home-style yet precise, traditional and comforting—the kind enjoyed every day in Japan, now available on rue du Louvre.

And teams passionate about Japan

Behind iRASSHAi are more than 90 people: the kitchen teams, sales staff, servers, baristas, and all our support functions. A team spread between France and Japan, which comes in handy when you decide to make Japan your full-time focus.

On the shop floor, we give you genuine advice. No recited product descriptions—just people passionate about Japan and its cuisine who know what they’re talking about.

In the office, our purchasing, communications, e-commerce, and product teams are working to grow iRASSHAi, just a few minutes from 40 rue du Louvre—which means the 10,000-step challenge is usually completed before noon. So it’s not unusual to find the team leaning against the KISSABA counter, testing the drink of the moment or enjoying an onigiri between emails. The field nourishes the office, and the office nourishes the field: bringing business and pleasure together has never been more aptly named.

Japanese cuisine with an iRASSHAi twist

At iRASSHAi, we talk about Japan morning, noon, and night. We have no desire to spread ourselves across a thousand specialties: just one subject—the gastronomy of Japan—and the ambition to do it justice.

Three guiding principles for bringing Japanese ingredients into the daily lives of people in France.

Authentic
From the plate to the GROCERY STORE, and through our attentive Franco-Japanese team, we serve you the real culture of Japan, just as it is.

Contemporary
Today’s Japan: cool and stylish, in tune with current trends and Paris.

Playful
Cooking should remain a pleasure. We want to see you try, experiment, and have fun with our products to liven up your everyday dishes and create some iconic Japanese recipes!

When it comes to food, each space tells a different side of Japan:

  • SHOKUDO: the canteen-style version, quick and casual, with a street-food spirit
  • BIWAN: more premium, centered around traditional cuisine
  • KISSABA · temaki bar: live cooking prepared before your eyes, proof that Japan goes far beyond sushi
  • KISSABA · the café: pastries and coffee, combining Japanese flavors with French expertise

In every case, it is our chefs’ love of the product that guides them: putting Japan at the heart of our kitchens, through small or bold touches.

Sourcing, the iRASSHAi way

During the two years leading up to the opening, a dedicated team set about tasting a (very) large number of products to build the selection—the one that now includes more than 1,000 items.

Since then, the Purchasing team, with one foot in Paris and the other in Tokyo, has continued seeking out new products, while Xavier, our co-founder, also travels throughout Japan’s prefectures several times a year to meet producers. This teamwork has brought us many products that cannot be found anywhere else.

Next comes the stage everyone eagerly awaits: a group of very passionate food professionals gathers to scrutinize everything, from quality and price to taste and relevance. Suffice it to say that nothing reaches our shelves without first passing the taste test.

Missing a Japanese ingredient? Write to us at hello@irasshai.co,  customer suggestions are more than welcome, and the Purchasing team will look into your request very carefully.

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The iRASSHAi brand: Japan in your kitchen

The new iRASSHAi essentials range includes 10 of the ingredients most widely used in Japan, such as rice, soy sauce, and matcha, carefully selected for the authenticity of their flavor and their value for money. Japanese cuisine makes us dream at restaurants, but inviting it onto our own plates can be intimidating. That is precisely how the iRASSHAi brand was born: with the desire to make Japanese gastronomy less daunting and finally accessible to everyone.

This essentials range brings together 10 of the ingredients most widely used in Japan, from rice and soy sauce to matcha, transparently selected from our trusted producers. They have been designed in formats suited to first-time use, at fair prices, without compromising on authentic flavors.

All that remains is to bring them into your kitchen, and that is where everything comes together: each product comes with clear packaging in English, tips, and streamlined recipes that celebrate the classics, as well as simple ideas for incorporating these ingredients into your everyday dishes.

An invitation to explore, experiment, and above all, savor Japan at home with complete simplicity. Basics offered in formats and sizes suited to first-time use, with the promise of Japan’s distinctive flavors.

For each product, iRASSHAi offers streamlined recipes that celebrate the classics, as well as simple ideas for incorporating them into everyday dishes. Whether you are a flavor purist or a culinary adventurer, these suggestions invite you to explore, experiment, and above all, savor with complete simplicity. iRASSHAi transforms Japanese cooking into a smooth, quick, and intuitive experience—without ever compromising on flavor. 

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iRASSHAi essentials

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The Club

Because iRASSHAi is above all a place to live and a community of enthusiasts, we created Le Club. More than just a loyalty program, it is our way of thanking you for sharing your love of Japanese gastronomy with us.

Whether you browse the aisles of our grocery store, order our essentials online, or sit down at our canteen, we wanted to celebrate every one of your discoveries. By joining Le Club, every experience at iRASSHAi earns you points, which then give you access to exclusive rewards. It is an invitation to extend the journey and enjoy Japan every day, with exclusive benefits, discounts, and wonderful surprises designed especially for you.

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