Born in 1981 in Osaka, Japan, into a family of restaurateurs (his parents, grandfather, and uncle all owned restaurants), began helping in his father's kitchen at age five, developing a passion for the craft. After college, he apprenticed at the historic kaiseki restaurant Kagairo in Osaka, starting with basic tasks like washing rice, before progressing through roles at Hotel Hanshin Osaka and Ritz-Carlton Osaka. He spent six years in London at Roka and Zuma as a barbecue and sushi chef, mastering English and global techniques. Returning to Asia, he served as sous chef at Tenku Ryugin in Hong Kong. Motivated by a 2017 health scare (vision loss requiring surgery), he opened Ryota Kappou Modern in 2018 with interior designer Louie Shum, earning a Michelin star in 2020 for his "simplicity excellence" philosophy—maximizing flavors, textures, and colors of seasonal ingredients in kappo style.