We say “Japanese food” - we mean sushi. Sushi are so popular that they even got own emoji: 🍣! And when something is so popular, one would naturally ponder: to what extend it became “a thing for tourists”, and in general how does hype correlate to reality?
On one hand - yes, after two decades in Japan I would go out to eat sushi once in a while, although perhaps not as often. On the other hand I sometimes meet people coming from abroad and they say “Oh we want to eat omakase… I see where it is coming from - from those videos about supposedly high-end sushi restaurants where “chef decides everything for you”. But it does sound a bit weird: “we want to eat default menu”. - Uhm, ok, I guess you are talking about sushi… C’mon guys…
Let me tell you this: I’ve been to sushi shops of all grades of expensiveness - all fish is coming from the same ocean. Unless you go super-cheap where fish comes already sliced-then-frozen, and slices are too thin, and rice is a bit strange. Anything above that will be good!
Myself I’d often go to a bit higher-end 回転寿司 - conveyor belt sushi, or to a “granpa’s” place in the neighbourhood. There’s even an edo-mae shop nearby, with ha-ha, omakase option 😛
Anyways, sushi are awesome, and I’d love to share a couple more related bits with you!
Coming soon: Sushi vocabulary, about edo-mae zushi, and more!