My post about the sushi restaurant in Tokyo where Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe had a dinner last night. Sukiyabashi Jiro is one of the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo and,without any question, the most famous in the world thanks to the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. According to the Wall Street Journal, the two heads of state had a presidential treatment as their dinner lasted for one and a half hour, 3 times longer than a meal normally lasts at Sukiyabashi Jiro. ( Most of the ” regular” people are out after 25-30 min…) Those who have ever been eating out in Tokyo might know the difference between “Sukiyabashi Jiro Ginza” (Tsukamoto Sogyo Building, B1F. 4-2-15, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo ,tel. 03-3535-3600), 3 Michelin stars  and “Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi” (2*). You can quite easily get a booking at the latter, while if you are gaijin, a  foreigner who doesn’t speak Japanese, you have little chance of getting a reservation at Sukiyabashi Jiro Ginza. And you shouldn’t even try walking in as  you will be most likely turned away.

If you do want to eat sushi made by the hands of the “Japan’s living national treasure”, 86 year old sushi master Jiro Ono , you must speak Japanese or be accompanied by a fluent Japanese speaker. genki sushi online menuClaims of rude service and even foreigners discrimination at Sukiyabashi Jiro Ginza have been surfacing on the internet. sushi tei bali menuTherefore i was a little nervous before going there, especially that the night before i read about  Andy Hayler’s  unfortunate experience. sushi conveyor belt orange countyIn fact, I was treated really nice and  it was one of my best sushi experiences in Tokyo ever.sakae sushi menu sg

But first of all, how i got the reservation. The lunch for one was reserved by my Japanese friend. As i understood, the biggest Sukiyabashi Jiro reservation person concern was that i might not show up.where to buy sushi grade fish in orange county( Let’s be fair, this happens in Europe or the US, people just don’t bother to cancel their bookings.) jiro dreams of sushi movie lengthOnce my friend guaranteed via her company that the cost of the lunch (31 500 Yen, the same price as dinner ) would be covered anyway, i got the confirmation. buy sushi grade fish seattleBack to the basement next door to the Gap store in Ginza. When i entered the tiny, only ten places restaurant i was greeted by a lady ( who took my coat) and one of  the Jiro Ono’s  assistants.

I was expecting icy expressions on everybody’s face, but that was not the case. The lady greeted me with a smile, so as the first assistant of Jiro Ono  and Ono’s son Yoshikazu Ono. The first thing the assistant asked me was if there was something i don’t eat. I don’t  eat eel,  i said in my poor Japanese. Almost immediately after i got my first sushi (which i will describe later in this post).  The intervals between each sushi piece were very short, 20 sushi meal took about half an hour. ( According to the Michelin Tokyo  guide ” one shouldn’t be surprised to be finished within 30 minutes”). Jiro Ono’s work discipline is incredible, once he is behind the counter, he operates like a  Swiss watch. At one point, the son of Jiro Ono asked me where i was from. I said that i am originally from Lithuania. “So you must speak Russian, then”, – he answered in Russian. Suddenly the communication got a lot easier as i do speak Russian a little bit. And Yoshikazu Ono san , and Jiro Ono san were relaxed, pleasant and eager to chat.

They didn’t seem to be  bothered at all about my basic Japanese or about me taking pictures of the sushi. Jiro Ono san even tried to place sushi in a way so it  looks more flattering in front of the camera. Without any hesitation he agreed to take pictures together and before leaving personally gave me the little menu with all the fish i had. Speaking of the sushi, one thing that struck me was the sourness of the rice; it was much more vinegared than at other top Tokyo sushi restaurants I’ve been. The fish quality was amazing and I did eat the eel nigiri after all. Jiro san insisted i should try it and I just couldn’t say no to the legendary sushi master.( Actually i find eel very tasty, i don’t eat it purely because of psychological reasons.) Lunch at Sukiyabashi Jiro Ginza was a lifetime experience and i can’t wait to see  “Jiro dreams of sushi” ,a documentary about the man who has been making sushi since he was nine yet never ceases to search for perfection.  

Japanese sushi maestro Jiro Ono, whose creations were recently enjoyed by U.S. President Barack Obama and are heralded as the best in the world, warned Tuesday of a sea change in ingredients due to overfishing. "I can't imagine at all that sushi in the future will be made of the same materials we use today," the 89-year-old master told the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. Ono owns the three Michelin-starred Sukiyabashi Jiro restaurant -- dubbed the world's best sushi establishment -- and was the subject of the 2011 documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi". "I told my young men three years ago sushi materials will totally change in five years," he added. "And now, such a trend is becoming a reality little by little." Ono referred in particular to a short supply of high-quality domestic tuna, which has prompted sushi dealers in Japan to source Atlantic bluefin varieties instead. His eldest son Yoshikazu, 53, who helps Ono run the restaurant, explained growing demand for tuna amid a global sushi boom is leading the domestic industry to depend more and more on farmed fish.

The younger Ono also warned of a shrinking stock of highly prized shellfish such as abalone and ark shell, which need more than five years to mature. "They catch them all together (before some are ready), pushing the stock to deplete." Their basement restaurant, which seats just 10 at a counter, opened its doors in 1965 and has remained in an ageing commercial building in a corner of the Ginza district ever since. It has gained fame for Ono's rigid discipline and pursuit of perfection, earning three Michelin stars every year since 2007 when the Tokyo edition of the gourmet guide was launched. When US President Barack Obama travelled to Tokyo last April, he joined a long list of Ono's celebrity guests, including French master chef Joel Robuchon and Hollywood stars Hugh Jackman and Katy Perry. As Obama and Abe went straight into "business-like talks," focusing on trade, the senior Ono kept serving his own selection of 20 pieces as he does to everyone else, his son said.