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Cooks

How to become a Western Cuisine Cook

Also called: Italian cook, Chef, French cook, Western-style cook

Cooks French and other Western dishes in hotel restaurants and Western restaurants, making them look beautiful as well as taste good.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say vocational college (senmon gakko) or high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start, but most people train in a restaurant after finishing high school or learning the basics at a cooking senmon gakko (vocational college). Holding qualifications such as licensed cook (chorishi), specialist cook or cooking skills certification is an advantage, but many people sit the licensed cook exam after gaining some experience. It is said to take ten years to become fully skilled, but the experience gained during training is an important foundation for becoming a fully fledged Western cuisine cook. With advanced skills you can go on to become a chef or open your own restaurant. Some people move to other restaurants on better terms, and some train in restaurants overseas. You need a strong interest in food and a fine sense of taste, and because training takes a long time, patience and drive. As a chef you also need customer service skills, such as explaining dishes to customers.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Western Cuisine Cook?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start, but most people train in a restaurant after finishing high school or learning the basics at a cooking senmon gakko (vocational college). Holding qualifications such as licensed cook (chorishi), specialist cook or cooking skills certification is an advantage, but many people sit the licensed cook exam after gaining some experience. It is said to take ten years to become fully skilled, but the experience gained during training is an important foundation for becoming a fully fledged Western cuisine cook. With advanced skills you can go on to become a chef or open your own restaurant. Some people move to other restaurants on better terms, and some train in restaurants overseas. You need a strong interest in food and a fine sense of taste, and because training takes a long time, patience and drive. As a chef you also need customer service skills, such as explaining dishes to customers.

How much does a Western Cuisine Cook earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,790,800 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Food and drink preparatory workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Western Cuisine Cook?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 10% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: National trade skills test (技能検定); Vocational college (専門学校) course: Cooking.

Will AI change the work of a Western Cuisine Cook?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026