Tojo first learned to cook at home, due in part to the fact his mother was vegetarian and Tojo and his siblings wanted meat. In 1968, Tojo moved to
Osaka to become a chef where he apprenticed at Ohnoya, a
ryōtei restaurant. In 1971, he became a chef at an Osaka
sushi restaurant. Shortly afterwards, in August 1971, Tojo moved to Vancouver, a city with only four Japanese restaurants at the time. Tojo first found work at Maneki, at the invitation of its owner, who was Tojo's sponsor to Canada.
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,
Glutton for Punishment,
1,000 Places to See Before You Die,
Simply Ming, and
The Today Show. In 2016, the Japanese
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries appointed Tojo as a goodwill ambassador of Japanese cuisine, one of only 13 chefs to share this honour outside Japan. ==Awards and honours==