His parents married him off to the wealthy Akiyama family in Sabae, where he was introduced to Western cuisine by the army chef, to whom he delivered goods.

In France, he had to face prejudice for being Japanese, largely due to the outcome of the Russo-Japanese War, and had to engage in physical fights in the kitchen.

[1][3] In 1913, he was offered the position of Master Chef of the Imperial Court of Japan, thus he returned to his homeland to serve the newly crowned Emperor Taishō.

His superior was Hayato Fukuba (福羽逸人, 1856–1921), Director of the Imperial Cuisine, a respected horticulture expert.

[6][1] Several television series and a TV film were made about Akiyama's life: The latter won several accolades, including the Grand Prix and Best Actor awards (Takeru Satoh) at the International Drama Festival in Tokyo.