Sushi – Raw Fish

Sushi needs no introduction, however eating Sushi in Japan is a unique experience that you aren’t going to get elsewhere. The place you go is important, as is the way you eat it, and while there is no “bad” Sushi in Japan, there is a difference between the good and the great. If you are going all the way to Japan, it is always a good idea to go for the best?

Rotation or not rotation?

You are going to of course try a “Kaiten” sushi (conveyor belt) delivery system Sushi restaurant. However the belt is only fully stocked up at the busiest times or in heavily tourist areas. Most of the time the belt is mostly empty, or contains printed adverts for today’s specials. The reason for this is that the fish goes to waste if not eaten, and most Japanese don’t want to eat the belt Sushi anyway as it quickly gets a bit sweaty and old. The secret here is….. you can just order what you like by shouting at the Sushi chefs.

If your Japanese is non-existent, try anyway. Point at the pictures. The belt doesn’t contain everything on the menu even at peak times. There are staff outside the Sushi Chef Island that can help you make an order to the Chef.

The main points to note for Conveyor Sushi are: –

• The Sushi is not necessarily the best quality you can get (in Tokyo anyway – away from the big cities and the quality goes up even at large chain Sushi stores).
• You don’t have to eat from the belt (shout your order by first saying “Sumimasen” + fish name + number of fingers shown to Chef → “Finger amount” plates of that fish).
• Some plates only have 1 piece of Sushi. Check first.
• ￥108 per plate (2 pieces) is too cheap. Avoid places that start at this price. A good starting point is ￥130 and above but the good Sushi will be priced at something like ￥250 to ￥350 per plate.

Sushi that does not rotate on a belt

The best Sushi is found at dedicated restaurants of the non-conveyor belt type. My personal favorite is here in Shinjuku (expensive but the best). The pictures in the gallery below are all from this restaurant.

Almost all conveyor belt Sushi places will have picture menus however many of the other Sushi restaurants will not. A reliable middle ground is the popular chain Sushi Zanmai. The menu and quality are consistent between locations and the prices are reasonable but do not break the bank; it depends what Sushi you order.

How to eat Sushi correctly

No one eats with their hands (go watch that video and come back – it’s very funny). Use chopsticks however there are a few recommendations based on what most Japanese actually do.

• Do mix wasabi into your soy sauce if you want. Usually Sushi comes with the correct amount already applied between the rice and the fish. However, most people add more to the soy sauce.
• Do flip the Sushi onto it’s side, pick it up sideways and dip only the fish side into the soy sauce. This is the best way to accent the flavor.
• Don’t plunge the rice side into the soy sauce. It will turn the entire Sushi into a salty rice ball and also you risk the rice falling apart after soaking up too much sauce. No one looks composed while trying to scrape out bits of rice from their soy sauce dish.
• Do pile your plates up as high as possible to prove how much you can eat. A good session is at least 10 plates.