[singlepic id=68 w=320 h=240 float=left]Over the years sushi has grown in popularity in the west. Healthy and delicious, the high level of fish in the Japanese diet is said to be the reason why Japanese life expectancy is the highest in the world. The roll sushi that you see in shopping mall and city centre sushi bars is not actually what springs to mind when most Japanese people think sushi, this is known as maki-zushi (and by the way sushi rolls with teriyaki chicken in them are unheard of here). The most popular kind of sushi is “nigiri-sushi”, a small ball of sushi rice with a slice of raw fish on top.
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A few favourites from Sushiro in Osaka
If you are ever in the suburbs of a city in Japan, keep an eye out for a big sushi train chain store. A few of the most common places are Kappasushi (they have a store in Iiyama, nearby Nozawa Onsen), Sushiro, and Kurazushi. Due to the high volume of customers and quick turnover, as well as state of the art computerised sushi train mechanisms, these stores are able to sell excellent sushi at incredibly cheap prices. Apart from special order dishes, any sushi which comes around on the conveyor belt will set you back only around 100yen.
Due to the high rent in urban centres in Japan, unfortunately you are unlikely to find a decent 100yen sushi train near a big station. City sushi trains generally have a system of differentiating price of sushi by the colour of the plate.