
Witness History When Norway introduced salmon sushi to Japan
Dec 17, 2025
Bjørn-Eirik Olsen, a Norwegian market analyst, played a pivotal role in introducing Norwegian salmon to the Japanese sushi market in the late 1980s. He shares his journey, from learning Japanese after watching The Seventh Samurai to understanding Japan's culinary preferences. Discover how he rebranded salmon, overcoming cultural barriers around eating it raw. Through collaborations with chefs and supermarkets, he witnessed salmon's rise in popularity, especially among families, ultimately confirming its acceptance on Ginza menus.
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A Childhood Film Shaped A Career
- Bjørn-Eirik Olsen fell in love with Japan after seeing The Seventh Samurai at age 12 and later moved to Osaka to study.
- He studied seaweed at Kyushu University and became Norway's market analyst for Project Japan in 1986.
Rebrand To Create A New Food Category
- Norwegian salmon had to be rebranded to avoid Japanese associations with wild Pacific salmon.
- Bjørn-Eirik Olsen introduced the name "salmon" (Norway salmon) to build a new consumer category for sushi.
Raw Fish Was Far More Valuable
- Sushi and sashimi commanded prices up to ten times higher than fish sold for cooking.
- That price gap made raw fish the most attractive market segment for Norwegian producers.
