Victim of fatal Vancouver stabbing was popular chef

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Wataru Kakiuchi's job title was cook, but he had the skills of a chef and loved creating new menus, a colleague of the slain Japanese man said early Wednesday in Vancouver.

Kakiuchi, 32, was waiting for a taxi near a friend's apartment at Union and Main streets around 3:30 a.m. when he was stabbed. He died before he could be transported to hospital.

Vancouver police continue to search for his killer.

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Yoshihiro Tanabe, who worked alongside Kakiuchi at the former Hapa Izakaya location in Coal Harbor, said his warm and fun personality brightened the spirits of those he was with.

“He can bring good humor to the kitchen,” Tanabe said through his wife. “Nice guy… so much fun,” he added, fighting his emotions.

Kakiuchi often brought his guitar to work. He loved performing, especially with the Rolling Stones.

Tanabe said he wasn't with Kakiuchi the night he died. He understands that Kakiuchi had gone out for drinks with friends in Gastown, then went to a friend's house in the Chinatown district.

He was waiting for a ride home – either by taxi or Uber – when he was stabbed near the bottom of the Georgia Viaduct on-ramp.

“He was just a normal person.”

Hapa Izakaya owner Justin Ault said Kakiuchi attracted people with his bright personality and positive energy.

“It was just a real ray of sunshine,” he said. “It’s such a waste.”

Kakiuchi, a Japanese national, arrived in Canada around 2016 and began working in restaurants. He was on a break while waiting for his work permit to be renewed when he went out with friends, including restaurant colleagues.

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Ault said he was shocked to learn that Kakiuchi had been killed. His kitchen colleagues are still in shock at the news.

“He weighed 130 pounds soaking wet. He would be the last person to be aggressive,” he said.

Vancouver police said they have not determined a motive for the killing. They asked anyone with dashcam or video footage of the area between 12:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. Wednesday to contact them.

The Japanese Consulate General in Vancouver confirmed it had informed Kakiuchi's family in Japan. Deputy Consul General Satomi Okagaki said police contacted the consulate to inform them that Kakiuchi had been “stabbed in the street” and asked for help in contacting his family.

She said she could not comment further, but that the consulate was grateful for the sympathy shown since his death.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said Kakiuchi was more than a talented chef.

“He was a positive presence and a valued friend to many,” he said in a statement Thursday. “His contributions to our community will not be forgotten.”

Sim called the stabbing a “senseless act of violence” and said the city was in shock and mourning.

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Photos of Kakiuchi taken by his friends show him skiing in the North Shore mountains, posing on the Vancouver waterfront and playing guitar on the beach.

His online friends recalled bonding over 3 a.m. “pho on Broadway” on Christmas Eve, staff meals at restaurants, and jam sessions where he played classic rock on his guitar.

With files from Doug Quan

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