“I think there are a few (female) chefs but it’s rare. But I wanted to challenge things because of that,” the 33-year-old apprentice told AFP.

“I thought: this is my mission.”

And at Onodera, she’s not totally alone, there was one other woman among the 10 apprentices training at the restaurant before it closed temporarily in April over the coronavirus outbreak. All 10 of the restaurant’s chefs are men.

The work can be grueling and requires years to master. Apprentices must learn everything from the names of different types of fish to removing scales and slicing properly.

They are even instructed on how to correctly enter through the traditional drapes inside Onodera, by lifting and parting them with an elbow.

“My colleagues have accepted me,” said Iwai, who decided to become a sushi chef after cooking in small Japanese restaurants.

“They don’t treat me especially just because I’m a woman,” she added, after learning how to slice Japanese horse mackerel.

“They teach me as a person.”