Did you know that you’ve probably been eating sushi wrong this whole time? Check out this video from a pro sushi chef to see how you should be doing it if you want to be a real sushi gourmet.
In this short video, Naomichi Yasuda, owner of Manhattan’s Sushi Yasuda and Sushi Bar Yasuda in Tokyo, teaches us how to eat sushi properly.
For a pro like Yasuda, absolutely everything must be perfect down to the tiniest detail. Interestingly, he begins by saying that rice, not the fish, is the most important thing about sushi. After that everything from the topping to the seaweed, condiments, and even the temperature must be carefully chosen and balanced to make the perfect sushi. And of course the way you eat your sushi is also paramount when it comes to properly savoring it. Below are a few of the common mistakes that foreigners, and even some Japanese people, make when eating sushi.
Chopsticks: Did you know that you’re actually supposed to eat sushi rolls with your fingers?!
Wasabi: Real wasabi is a native Japanese vegetable. However, most wasabi sold outside of Japan is actually a mixture of horseradish, mustard, starch, and green food colouring, which is a poor substitute.
Ginger: The ginger is there as a palette cleanser. Don’t put soy sauce on it, and never ever eat it in the same mouthful as your sushi!
Soy sauce: Foreigners love dousing their sushi in soy sauce, but you’re only supposed to use a smidgen on just one side of your sushi, but even then it’s not essential. If it’s roll sushi (makizushi) then gently dip one end into your soy sauce. If it’s blocks of rice with a topping (nigirizushi) then use your chopsticks to pick the sushi up on its side so that you can easily turn it and dip the fish side lightly into the sauce. Remember, don’t ever shake it!
Check out the video for more insight from Chef Yasuda and his ‘amateur fish eater’.
Did you pick up any tips from this video? Despite being a long-time sushi eater it turns out there are a few faux pas I’ve been making this whole time! Then again, I’m not sure people really care at 100-yen rotating sushi restaurants!
Source: Next Shark, YouTube – Munchies
Screenshots: YouTube – Munchies
Should you add wasabi to your soy sauce at a sushi restaurant?
How to eat sushi like a sensei 【Video】
How should you add wasabi to sushi at a conveyor belt restaurant?
Should you dip your egg sushi in soy sauce before you eat it? Survey asks Japanese diners
Seven reasons to eat sushi (other than because it tastes great)
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Hello Kitty Choco Egg figures are an adorable trip through three periods of Japanese pop culture【Pics】
Fake Japanese whisky countermeasures now include official Japanese whisky emblem
Cardcaptor Sakura’s schoolgirl costume now a stylishly cute anime backpack to take back to school
Family Mart opens first clothing store in Tokyo
Is this the most relaxing Starbucks in Japan?
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
Proposed sakura name for new middle school in Japan draws complaints for kamikaze overlap
7-Eleven Japan offering sakura extract lipstick blessed by 300-year-old Kyoto temple
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Starbucks on a Shinkansen bullet train platform: 6 tips for using the automated store in Japan
Large amount of supposed human organs left in Osaka marketplace
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Sanrio theme park in Japan announces plans to expand into a Sanrio resort
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Everything you need to know about dining at a sushi restaurant—in handy infographics!【Pics】
How to have a great meal at conveyer belt sushi chain Kura Sushi even if you hate raw fish
Sushi-flavored potato chips?!? Could our world really be so beautiful? 【Taste test】
Manga shows a revolutionary way to eat sushi that makes it more delicious than ever
Put down the soy sauce! We try a new “expert” way to season your sushi【Taste test】
Kura Sushi opens new high-end revolving bar restaurant in Tokyo
What should you use table salt for at a sushi restaurant? We asked a kaitenzushi maniac
The Best Sushi We’ve Ever Eaten【You, Me, And A Tanuki】
You call that sushi? Ukraine’s take on the Japanese classic
Here’s the reason why your expensive ikura sushi often comes with some cheap cucumber slices
Carb-free sushi? Japanese sushi restaurant ditches the rice in its new menu items
Is it the end of Japan’s conveyor belt sushi as we know it?
Egyptian restaurant Sumo Sushi offers our Japanese reporter a delightful yet quirky lunch
Spritz soy on your sushi with handy and delicious Sushi Spray
Kura Burger: Japanese sushi chain restaurant offers burgers in Tokyo for a limited time
Leave a Reply