Eating Sushi in Tokyo

 The concept of storing fish in fermented rice began in Southeast Asia as a means of preserving the fish for several months at a time. Known today as nare-zushi, or salted fish, the rice was not meant for consumption and would be discarded before the fish was served. This method spread to China and eventually, Japan, where vinegar was added to the rice to enhance flavor as well as improve preservation. During the Edo period (1603 – 1868), chefs began serving the fish over vinegared rice rather than discarding it; once perfected, this would become known as nigiri-sushi, the most common type of sushi served today.

Varieties

There are several ways to prepare sushi as well as a number of regional sushi dishes in Japan. These are the most common:

Chirashizushi – Literally, “scattered sushi”, a selection of various types of fish and vegetable garnishes are served atop a bowl of rice. In the Kansai region, the fish is often mixed into the rice.

Inarizushi – Sushi rice is served inside a pouch made of lightly sweetened fried tofu. The dish is named after the Shinto god Inari, whose messengers supposedly had a particular fondness for fried tofu.

Makizushi – This dish consists of a selection of fish, vegetables, egg, and rice rolled into the shape of a cylinder. It is then wrapped in nori, or dried seaweed, to hold it together.

Nigirizushi – Literally, “hand-pressed sushi”, this is what most people are referring to when they talk about sushi. Some of the most common fish are tuna, salmon, and octopus.

Oshizushi – A specialty of Osaka city, the fish is placed into a wooden mold, topped with rice, and then pressed into the shape of a block. After the block is formed, the chef cuts it into smaller pieces to be served.

Also known as “conveyor belt sushi” and “sushi-go-round”, Kaitenzushi is a unique dining experience in which plates of Japanese sushi placed on a conveyor belt that winds through the restaurant. Customers are free to pick and choose the plates as they pass in front of their seat, with the plate colour/design indicating the cost of each dish. There is at least one chef constantly preparing sushi for the belt at all times to ensure customers have a variety to choose from. Alternatively, requests can be made if a specific item is not on the belt.

The concept was created by Yoshiaki Shiraishi, a struggling restaurant owner who came up with the idea after a visit to Asahi brewery, where he saw beer bottles moving throughout the factory on a conveyor belt. Shiraishi opened the first Kaitenzushi restaurant in 1958 and would go on to open over 250 restaurants throughout the country, most of which would eventually shut down. Still, kaitenzushi is hugely popular in Japan and has recently gained traction overseas as well.

Many foreigners put too much soy sauce on their sushi. The reason is that they dip the shari (vinegared rice) side into the soy sauce. If you dip the shari side into the soy sauce, not only will the shari absorb too much soy sauce, but the shari will also become easier to crumble. When putting soy sauce on sushi, try to put the soy sauce on the neta side.

Eat sushi in one bite.Sushi is designed to be eaten in one bite. To fully enjoy its flavor, you should never cut sushi into smaller pieces. If the sushi feels too large, it’s better to ask the chef to make it smaller for you.

Use your hands or chopsticks to eat sushi
Sushi can be eaten with your hands or chopsticks. At high-end sushi restaurants, the rice is often lightly pressed, so using chopsticks may cause the sushi to fall apart. For this reason, it’s recommended to eat sushi with your hands at such places. If you’re concerned about getting your hands dirty, using chopsticks is perfectly fine. Sushi enthusiasts often use their hands at high-end restaurants, but they switch to chopsticks for sushi with sauce to avoid getting the smell on their hands. Note that sashimi should always be eaten with chopsticks, as some people mistakenly try to eat it with their hands.

How to Hold Sushi Properly
Hold the sushi by gently gripping the sides of the shari with your thumb and middle finger, and lightly rest your index finger on the neta (topping). This makes it easier to eat without the sushi falling apart.

If you don't like wasabi, you can order your sushi without wasabi by saying 'sabi nuki'.
Wasabi is a food that people have different preferences for. Not putting wasabi on sushi is called "sabi-nuki" in Japanese. Many conveyor belt sushi restaurants offer sushi without wasabi from the beginning, or you can choose to have it without wasabi. At other restaurants, you need to order "sabi-nuki." It is considered bad manners to peel off the neta and remove the wasabi just because it has wasabi on it.

Make sure to have both cash and a credit card ready.
In Japan, there are many restaurants that only accept cash payments or only accept credit card payments. It is recommended to check the payment methods in advance or have both cash and credit cards with you.