Chef Hajime Sato closes Sozai in Clawson

The closure was announced Sunday night

Sozai Sushi on Live in The D

CLAWSON, Mich. – Chef Hajime Sato announced the closure of his sushi restaurant Sozai on Sunday.

A post to his Instagram and Facebook account read:

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“After an extended time of reflection, it is clear that the best thing for my family is for us to return to the Pacific Northwest. It will be extremely difficult to leave Sozai behind. I put everything I had into building something special for my customers and to further my work as a sustainable seafood advocate. Thank you to everyone who has shared wonderful times with me at Sozai. I will cherish those memories. My sincerest hope is that you will continue to try new things!”

Sato is a recent James Beard winner. In 2024, he won the Best Chef: Great Lakes category. He was the first chef with a Clawson restaurant to win a James Beard award and the first Michigan chef to win the category since 2011.

Sozai opened in 2021 in Clawson. It is known for its sushi and dedication to high-quality, sustainable seafood.

On the homepage of the Sozai website, it says “April 26, 2025 was our last night of service. We invite you to follow Hajime’s ongoing adventures on Instagram and Facebook.”


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Hannah Music is an alumna of Oakland University and has been with Local 4 since March 2024.