Japan 2017 - Sushi Dai

There are good things, there are great things, and then there are things that belong to a class of their own.

Food is no exception. There's just food that transcends the medium from nourishment to that of an art. Hong Kong showed it with Kau Kee's curry beef brisket noodles and Yat Lok's roast goose.

We've been looking forward to similar experiences since.

Tsukiji's Sushi Dai has been a must-visit on our mental list for a very long time. Chalk it up to documentaries like Jiro Dreams of Sushi (which we can probably never justify spending a good chunk of one's monthly salary on).

Anyway, we arrived in Osaka the night before, and took the shinkansen to Tokyo to meet our friends. They were flat out from travelling, but my girlfriend and I decided that we would power through the heavy rain and stick to the plan by heading for Tsukiji Market at three in the morning for sushi.

Was it worth the (three-hour) wait in the cold? Maybe. I can't really tell in hindsight. It is, however, the best sushi I've ever had by light-years.

I guess there's a lot of weird expectations our generation has about Japan. We grew up absorbing its cultural exports, and in a strange way we've probably subconsciously romanticized the idea that it's our foster country of sorts. Sushi, I suppose, was thus a fitting proper start to a nine-day adventure - and we knew we had to have it from the source.

Chutoro (Fatty Tuna)

Tai (Sea Bream)

Hotate (Scallop)

Akami (Lean Tuna)

Maki

Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper)

Taichiuo (Cutlass  Fish)

Ikura (Salmon Roe)

Sanma (Saury)

Bonus Piece: Chutoro (again), because this costs a lot in Manila.

Sushi Dai
Address: 5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, 中央区 Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
Damage: Omakase Menu | JPY 4,000 (PHP 2,0000 | USD 39 | AUD 51)

Notes
Eat with your hands. Do as the locals do. The chef is a friendly fellow and, to our surprise, it seems that he has met his fair share of Filipinos as well.

Queue up early. If we had to do it again, we'd probably be there by 2:30am. Tsukiji is an interesting place. Bring snacks, if you need that energy boost.

Sushi Daiwa, which is literally next door, is run by the same family. Their queue is much shorter, but I'd still recommend getting there early.