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\"Iras-shai, iras-shai, irasshai!\"

The voices that convey this vigorous and clear greeting the minute you walk into the sushi shop are those of the man who makes the sushi--the itamae-san--and his assistants. Such greetings are not unusual in Japan's restaurants and retail establishments, but there is something special about the variety heard in the sushi shop.

The decor of a sushi shop may vary in accordance with its location and the year it was built, but certain items are essential to all. Most conspicuous is the spotlessly clean hinoki cypress counter, at the back of which, in refrigerated glass cases, are arrayed the colorful, carefully prepared fish, shellfish, vegetables and other ingredients that tempt both eye and palate. Behind the counter, ready to form bite-sized servings by hand, stands the sushi chef in his starched white coat and white hat. His busy helpers may be there too, although they must spend a good deal of time in the kitchen, seeing to the painstaking preparations which are essential to the apparently effortless virtuosity of the chef's performance. The assistants have climbed the long ladder from kitchen worker to their present status and hope to become sushi chefs themselves someday. Their training is long (at least five years) and not everyone who starts at the bottom rung makes it to the top of the ladder.

For first-time customers, the world of the sushi shop can be a bit perplexing. They may wonder whether to sit at the counter or at one of the tables. Waiters and chefs, who are adept at judging what customers may need, will encourage obvious gourmets to make themselves comfortable at the counter, where they can select and enjoy their favorite sushi. Other customers may be discreetly directed to a table, where they will probably order one of the combination sets and eat and drink little else.

The customers in a shop serving only sushi are not offered a detailed menu after being seated, as they would be in other kinds of restaurants. However, to simplify the task of selection, some sushi shops in Japan do post large, colored diagrams illustrating the standard types of sushi offered almost everywhere. In the United States, solicitous shop proprietors place plastic-covered charts with pictures showing sushi types and ingredients on their tables and counters.

The reason prices are not displayed in the better sushi shops is that maintaining the highest standards depends on buying the finest and freshest fish daily. The availability of the choicest fish varies, and prices in both the fish market and the sushi shop can fluctuate from day to day.

Knowing what to order requires the experience and knowledge sushi chefs devote years to acquiring. Since the new customer can scarcely be expected to command such knowledge, the wisest entry into this world is to ask the man behind the counter what is good that day and to rely on his judgment.

About the Author:
Kinjiro Omae was born in 1910 in the center of Tokyo, the son of a famous sushi maker. He became chairman of the Tokyo Sushi Association and then president of the Federation of Japan Sushi Shops. He was the leading expert on the techniques of making Edomae-zushi, the most popular type of sushi today, and was chairman of the committee which judged sushi-making contests.

Yuzuru Tachibana was born in Tokyo in 1931 and graduated from Gakushuin University in 1955. He holds a professional chef's license, and as president of International Foods Corporation oversaw the management of Benkay, a chain of Japanese restaurants established in eleven major cities of the world.

Jean-Pierre Rampal was born in Marseillle, France, where he studied flute with his father. He was the first flutist to achieve world-wide popularity and has restored the flute to the position it enjoyed during the 18th century. Among the many countries he has visited, Japan holds a special fascination, and he deeply admires all aspects of Japanese culture, particularly its food and especially sushi.

Reviews:
The Joy of Sushi!, 06 Dec 2006
This book is true fun to read. Pictures are spare, elegant, and profuse; for a good ways in the middle of the book, every other page is a full-color photo designed to remind you how various forms of sushi relate to the passing of the seasons.

The text is clear - very readable - and the author's love for the history, tradition and eating of sushi shines through. Tips on what to order don't feel like prescriptions so much as suggestions; I especially appreciated the explanation of which types of fish are good during different parts of the year. The book is crammed with practical information like this - Omae points out that maki rolls should be eaten first, not because of some obscure protocol, but because the seaweed-paper wrapper may not hold up as moisture soaks into it. And it may sound obvious in retrospect, but I'd never actually realized that you're not supposed to dip the rice part of nigiri-zushi into the soy sauce; rather, you hold it 'upside down' and just wet the fish.

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