Chefs Eric Ziebold and Nobu Yamazaki receive Taste of Japan awards at a ceremony at the Embassy of Japan (Josh Novikoff).

Ramen shops, hole in the wall izakayas, and fancy sushi dens have all been part of Washington’s restaurant book. Along with the long standing Hana Japanese Market hiding away on U Street, Honeycomb Grocer enlivens a small stall in Union Market, slinging Japanese and other Asian products not far from Japanese cutlery shop DC Sharp. Now, a new program called Taste of Japan is looking to carve out an increased recognition for all things Japan in the region’s food scene.

With that, two local chefs were recognized on Tuesday for their achievements in advancing Japanese culinary traditions in Washington.

The Taste of Japan Honorary Awards were inaugurated last year by the Japanese government to promote the country’s culinary heritage and products and celebrate chefs that incorporate them in their cooking. Similar fetes were undertaken in Chicago and Silicon Valley to trumpet Japanese cuisine and ingredients in those markets as well.

Here in D.C., chef Nobu Yamazaki of Sushi Taro (1503 17th Street NW) was honored as a chef that contributes to promoting traditional and authentic Japanese cuisine. The 2009 upscale renovation of his family’s Dupont Circle restaurant gave Sushi Taro a more authentic spin, with a focus on the interactive omakase counter at the back of the dining room—one of Washington’s most exclusive dining experiences. “Now you can offer a more sophisticated experience because people are more aware,” explained Yamazaki at a forum focused on Japanese ingredients before the awards ceremony. “So chefs are becoming more demanding on what they have available to them.”

The Taste of Japan committee’s other award, slated for a non-Japanese chef that creatively integrates Japanese ingredients or cooking methods, went to Eric Ziebold. Ziebold recently closed CityZen at the Mandarin Oriental—often thought of as one of the top restaurants in Washington—to strike out on his own across from the Convention Center. With Ziebold’s classic French training, Kinship (1015 7th Street NW) and the soon-to-open Métier (the tasting menu concept upstairs from Kinship) have less obvious ties to Japanese cooking than Sushi Taro.

But the James Beard award winner serves as an advisor within the U.S.’s Diplomatic Culinary Partnership, and he spoke of time spent in Japan as part of that initiative. Meals spent overcoming communication barriers with fellow chefs by sharing a table and the language of food, he says, solidified his concept of camaraderie for Kinship.

“For someone that grew up in Iowa and was very classically trained,” said Ziebold, “I went to Japan for the first time in 2002 and was amazed by the flavors, the refinement, and the purity of Japanese cuisine.”

The menu at Kinship is a more casual version of what Ziebold did at CityZen, celebrating influences that have shaped American cuisine. That includes an indulgent grilled Japanese Kuroge beef, a version of which Ziebold plated at the awards reception held at the Embassy of Japan. And if you snag a seat at Méiter, hopefully opening next month, you just might find shaved katsuobushi (Bonito flakes) sprinkled on your warm potato salad.