Anyone who loves sushi, loved the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, or googled the phrase ‘best sushi in the world’ has heard about Jiro and his awe inspiring dedication to the art of Edo-style sushi. This past June 2015, we had the chance to eat at the Roppongi Hills location at the hands of his son Takashi. His sushi counter is also an exact replica of his fathers, in the sort of way a table is reflected in a mirror – pretty cool! (I will give this piece of advice, if you want to get a true sense of Japan, other than eating at Jiro – I would stay clear of the Roppongi area. It is super expensive and isn’t really what I imagine when I think of Japan.)

THE RESERVATION – I will just say that getting a reservation was pretty much what I expected. They do not take reservations from Westerners directly, they prefer that you go through a credit card company or hotel concierge service. I tried both routes, as I wanted to get a seat at the original location in the Ginza district, but it was not meant to be. However, the Tokyo Park Hotel did get us a reservation at the Roppongi location.

THE SUSHI – We dined for what was and seemed like hours. Piece after piece of perfectly made sushi was placed on our ceramic plates with surgical military like precision. My favorites were the tuna (all variations) of course, the tiger prawn, the clam, abalone (ordered ala cart), the uni (which I usually am not a fan, but it was creamy and not too fishy) and the tamago.

THE TIMING –  Takashi took the time to explain how each piece of sushi was made and how it is meant to enhance the taste of that particular piece of seafood. I noticed that he was constantly watching and aware of how long it took each guest to eat and how they ate. They noticed that my partner was left handed and had some trouble with her chopsticks. They started placing the sushi to her left and instructed her on how to eat with her hands, which is actually very traditional way to eat sushi in Japan.

THE PRICE – I will just say that it is expensive, in excess of $300 pp, but totally worth every penny.

Overall, it was a great dining experience and one that I won’t soon forget. I am also very glad that I got to share it with someone that I care deeply for – it was also her very first time eating sushi and she was a champ. What a better way to have your first sushi experience, I promptly informed her that it was likely all downhill from here. Haha.