You might have guessed by now that I’m a *bit* obsessed with sushi. When I visited Japan for the first (and second) time, I bolted straight to Sushi Zanmai located outside the Tsukiji fish market. I ordered the salmon. It was transcendental.
This weekend I was bowled over by the documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi“, following the travails of a 3-Michelin-starreed Tokyo sushi restaurant run by the legend that is 85-year-old Jiro Ono. WATCH IT. For anyone who loves sushi, or is obsessed with Japan, or wants an inside look at the Japanese seafood industry – this film is for you. The story inevitably contains undertones of dwindling fish stocks and dire pleas for ocean conservation. Jiro laments the disappearance of some species alongside increasingly smaller catches of even the stalwart fish.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a 2011 Japanese documentary film directed by David Gelb. The film follows Jiro Ono, an 85 year old sushi master and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, on his continuing quest to perfect the art of sushi and his elder son Yoshikazu’s struggle with living up to the legacy of his father. The film briefly contrasts this with the younger son Takashi running a mirror-image restaurant, except with a more relaxed feel.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi debuted in the US in 2011 at the Provincetown International Film Festival[2] and was an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival[3] in the same year. [Source: Wikipedia]
If that’s not convincing enough, you can’t argue with the trailer:
The imagery is amazing – Gelb is an expert at interweaving music and striking camera angles as he details Jiro’s moving story. This film boasts an impressive score to accompany the gorgeous cinematography, including music by Phillip Glass, Mozart, and Bach.
Are you hungry yet? Cause I definitely am.
I absolutely adore sushi and after reading your article has inspired me to go to my local sushi bar
Thanks