If you’ve ever slurped up a bowl of ramen at one of San Diego’s Tajima locations, you’ve tasted the legacy of Isamu “Sam” Morikizono, who left home at 19 with nothing more than a suitcase and a dream. The humble yet fiercely driven founder behind Tajima’s rise is a ramen renegade whose journey began in the kitchens of Amagasaki, near Osaka, and found its flavor halfway across the world.
Growing up, his world was one of simmering pots and quietly powerful lessons. “I grew up eating typical Japanese home-cooked meals made by my mother,” Morikizono tells Beyondish. “They were comforting and made with care. Those meals shaped my connection to food.” It was a connection strong enough to carry him across the Pacific.
His first step onto American soil wasn’t in a trendy food capital—it was Rockford, Illinois, where he got his start at a Japanese restaurant called J.M.K. Nippon. While it wasn’t exactly the neon-studded skyline of Tokyo or the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, it was here where Morikizono found a mentor, Masa-san, who taught him that running a restaurant meant much more than perfecting recipes. “He taught me how to care—for the people, the process, and the purpose,” he said.
From there, Morikizono’s culinary path wove through the relentless kitchens of the Midwest, a crash course in endurance and grit. But the turning point came when he landed a spot in the temple of Japanese-fusion cool: Matsuhisa, under the legendary Nobu Matsuhisa himself. “He was already a rock star. I wanted to be one too—but in my own way,” he says.
In 2001, Morikizono took over a small restaurant named Tajima in San Diego’s Convoy district. He didn’t name it, but he made it his. “Now it feels like my last name,” he jokes, a quiet nod to the identity he’s built around it. Back then, ramen in the U.S. wasn’t the cultural phenomenon it is today. “We introduced it one bowl at a time,” he says, serving Japanese expats before word-of-mouth slurped its way into the mainstream.
Through it all, the San Diego community has embraced Morikizono wholeheartedly. “Their support has been everything,” he says. And in return, he’s given them soul in a bowl—delicious, craveable ramen made with discipline and love. These days, he oversees multiple Tajima locations, all linked by a central culinary mission that ensures consistency without compromise.
“Ramen is freedom,” Morikizono says. “Great ramen is the kind that makes you crave it again and again.” That same philosophy could easily describe his career: authentic, endlessly creative, and deeply satisfying. As Tajima nears its 25th anniversary, Morikizono reflects not with ego, but with gratitude. “It’s been 25 years of learning, growth, and passion,” he says. “I’ll do my best to continue that for a long time to come.”
AUTHOR
Marc Cuenco is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer with over 10 years of experience covering pop culture, food, fashion and lifestyle. A healthcare professional by day, Marc spends his free time taking photos of his puppy Chandler and exploring L.A.’s diverse food scene.
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