SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY - an AsianCineFest book review

SUSHI SUKIYABASHI JIRO: JIRO GASTRONOMY© 2015 Jiro ONO, Masuhiro YAMAMOTO/SHOGAKUKAN

SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY

Written by Jiro Ono and Yoshikazu Ono

VIZ Media edition published October 2016

5.5 inches high, 4.1 inches wide, 0.3 inches thick

96 pages

MSRP of $14.99 US / $16.99 CAN

SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY is a wonderful guide to sushi dinning that becomes available today, Tuesday, October 11th from VIZ Media.

Written by renowned chef Jiro Ono, the subject of the award-winning documentary film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and Yoshikazu Ono, Jiro's older son, it provides a guide to the sushi served at their famous Tokyo restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. (Jiro's younger son, Takashi, opened his own sushi restaurant with his father's blessing.)

The slim volume consists of a Foreword and three chapters.

The first chapter, "Omakase Tasting Menu," describes thirty types of sushi that are served at Sukiyabashi Jiro, each in a two page spread. The left-hand page is a beautiful color photo of the sushi sitting on a black surface. The right-hand page provides the name of the dish in English and in Japanese, an indication of the season in which it is served, and information about such things as its character and preparation.

"How to Eat Sushi" is self-descriptive, with pictures (again in lovely color) illustrating the various "Do"s and "Don't"s for correctly eating sushi and thereby maximizing one's enjoyment of it.

The third chapter is entitled "Dining at Sukiyabashi Jiro." It provides information about making reservations (an absolute necessity), dress code, accepted payment methods, and more.

Given its size and number of pages, this volume may seem rather pricey at first glance. However, the quality of the paper used and the many gorgeous photographs make it a much more reasonable purchase.

And let's face it, this book (and the documentary film) is probably as close as most of us will ever get to dining at Sukiyabashi Jiro, where the omikase tasting menu is 30,000 yen (a bit under $300 at current rates) plus tax for lunch or dinner.

So if you're a sushi lover, no matter to what degree, I think you'll really want this book.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very highly recommended

SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY coming October 11th from VIZ Media

SUSHI SUKIYABASHI JIRO: JIRO GASTRONOMY© 2015 Jiro ONO, Masuhiro YAMAMOTO/SHOGAKUKAN

Concise And Comprehensive Guidebook By Japan’s Most Famous

Sushi Chef Is A Vivid Must-Read For Lovers Of Japanese Cuisine

VIZ Media delivers a mouth-watering guide to sushi with the release of SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY on October 11th.

SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY is a unique new culinary guidebook that presents an extraordinary journey through the delectable seasonal offerings at Japan’s most famous sushi restaurant, Sushi Sukiyabashi Jiro, featured in the award-winning documentary film Jiro Dreams of Sushi. SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY will be released with a print MSRP of $14.99 US / $16.99 CAN.

Succinct yet comprehensive, this little jewel of a book takes you through the seasonal offerings at Jiro Ono’s famed Tokyo restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. Descriptions of each type of sushi, featuring commentary from master Ono, are accompanied by beautiful full-page photography. Readers can learn the seasons in which the sushi is best served, the correct methods of eating it with either fingers or chopsticks, and how and when to use condiments.

“Compact, portable, and stylish, SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY is the distillation of a lifetime’s worth of knowledge and a great companion for sushi lovers everywhere,” says Leyla Aker, VIZ Media Senior Vice President of Publishing. “We have given this release a high-quality presentation befitting the subject matter, with a gorgeous press-varnished book jacket, custom endpapers, and scores of mouth-watering, full-color photos. This new release is a must-read for any fan of sushi or lover of world-class cuisine.”

Born in Shizuoka Prefecture on the coast of Japan, master chef Jiro Ono began apprenticing to become a sushi chef at a young age. In 1965 he opened Sushi Sukiyabashi Jiro, widely considered to be one of the best sushi restaurants in the world. In 2011 the chef and his restaurant became the subject of the award-winning documentary film Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

For additional information on SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY and other titles distributed and published by VIZ Media, visit www.VIZ.com.

VIZ to publish culinary guidebook SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY

VIZ MEDIA ACQUIRES

THE NORTH AMERICAN

PUBLISHING RIGHTS FOR 

SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY

Concise And Comprehensive Guidebook By Japan’s

Most Famous Sushi Chef Will Debut This Fall

VIZ Media has announced plans to publish a unique new culinary guidebook this Fall with the release of SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY.

Succinct yet comprehensive, SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY is scheduled for print release in October from the VIZ Media imprint and takes readers on a vivid journey through the delectable seasonal offerings at Japan’s most famous sushi restaurant, Sushi Sukiyabashi Jiro.

Jiro Ono is the master chef and owner of the world renowned, Michelin-rated three-star restaurant located in the Ginza district of Tokyo. The guidebook features descriptions of each type of sushi served in their omakase tasting menu, with commentary from Jiro Ono, and are accompanied by mouth-watering full-page photos. Readers will also learn the seasons in which the sushi is best served, the correct methods of eating it with either fingers or chopsticks, and how and when to use condiments. Small, portable, and stylish, SUSHI: JIRO GASTRONOMY is the distillation of a lifetime’s worth of knowledge and a great gift for sushi lovers.

Born in Shizuoka Prefecture on the coast of Japan, master chef Jiro Ono began apprenticing at a young age. In 1965 he opened Sushi Sukiyabashi Jiro, widely considered to be one of the best sushi restaurants in the world, and in 2011 he was the subject of the award-winning documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

For more information on other titles available from VIZ Media, visit www.VIZ.com.

ACF 386: Sushi Catalogue Application now avialable at iTunes Application Store

The Sushi Catalogue App Now Available on App Store

A delicious and useful application for the iPhone and iPod touch

Shogakukan, Inc., one of the largest publishing houses in Japan, recently announced The Sushi Catalogue App is now available on the App Store. The Sushi Catalogue App is a unique culinary companion for the Japanese cuisine and sushi lover, which depicts 80 different kinds of traditional Japanese sushi that are fully explained, cross-referenced and illustrated.

Whether going on an overseas trip to Japan or just down the street to the local sushi bar, The Sushi Catalogue is a useful companion for iPhone and iPod touch users,” says Mr. Yamamoto, Producer of The Sushi Catalogue, Shogakukan “The Sushi Catalogue has it all and presents information in an easy-to-reference way giving people informative and fun ways to understand and interact with these unique traditions.”

The fun app makes it easy for iPhone and iPod touch users to access a variety of sushi dishes and sub-categories like different types of toppings and seasonal availabilities, as well as variations on traditional preparation and presentations. Viewing a particular sushi dish in landscape mode enlarges the image; sliding the screen to the left or right switches the view to other entries.

Through October 15th, Shogakukan will give iPhone and iPod touch users a special 50% discount for this fun sushi guide application.

The Sushi Catalogue complements other handy Shogakukan apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, including the Daijisen Japanese-Japanese Dictionary, which contains 230,000 entries, derived terms, phrases and The Pocket Progressive English-Japanese Japanese-English Dictionary. The Daijisen Dictionary App is a useful tool for studying the Japanese language and makes it possible to search for many terms, including the latest buzzwords and recently added vernacular, quickly and effortlessly. The app also has an entertaining 8x8 crossword puzzle game with hints given in Japanese.

The Sushi Catalogue App is available for $4.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.