Shinichiro Takagi is proactively shaping the future of Japanese fine dining.

On Aug. 21, the second-generation owner of two-Michelin-starred in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, will take four talented high school students, winners of the , to New York, where they will stage at two of the city¡¯s top restaurants: Danny Meyer¡¯s one-starred Gramercy Tavern and two-starred Gabriel Kreuther.

It¡¯s a project Takagi believes will pay dividends for the next generation of Japan¡¯s fine-dining stars.