今日は寿司の日！

Once a week, Katey and I and recently my best J pal Yuki walk to the neighborhood kaiten sushi joint and delightfully let all of our frustrations, worries and annoyances be dashed away by raw fish and cold sticky rice.  I’m at school with nothing to do right now, but I’ve been in a pretty good mood all day remembering that 今日は寿司の日！　Kyou wa sushi no hi!  It’s sushi day!

First we’ll insist on walking to truly appreciate the warmth of the miso soup and ocha (green tea).  We like our miso the same way, mostly soup with just a little bit of fishy bits (bones, brains, shrimp head with eyes… You get used to it and this stuff actually becomes desirable… more flavor) Let out a sigh, take out our hashi (we bought our own chopsticks to save the word from the horror of “wabashi” or wooden chopsticks), prepare the shouyu (soy sauce) and shouga (ginger).　Look at each other and ask, should we have a beer? Think of all the reasons we deserve a beer and order. “生ビール三つお願いしますーーー．“I like to start with 三　巻き、three kinds of rolls. Six pieces, two pieces of raw tuna, 2 pieces of natto and 2 pieces of cucumber. I can usually find this on the conveyor belt. The cucumber with a sprinkle of sesame seeds is refreshing, the tuna is soft and practically melts away and the natto with all its fermented strength is somewhere on that thin line between being delicious and putrid. Two pieces is enough. Maybe I need another plate of just kappa maki (cucumber roll).

By now we’ve divulged the details of our days, Katey and I both live alone and Yuki’s husband is a doctor who isn’t around much so we’ve become accustomed to keeping our days and their details to ourselves. It’s nice to share… I miss it sometimes. If I see some salmon nigiri (rice rectangles with a slice of raw salmon laid on top) I probably grab that, if not, I might be time to order 焼き鮭巻き, yaki sake maki, Japanese it’s a mouth full and I insist on saying slowly and perfectly. It’s simply a grilled salmon roll. The aroma and juices of the warm salmon seep into the surrounding rice a little bit to make it especially delicious.

We’ve probably delved into commiserating about school if it’s been a bad day. If it’s been a good day we might have a well mannered thoughtful conversation about our students, this country’s education system, starting NGO’s, the positive and negative health effects of coffee or any other topic we’re currently interested in. The sushi place is a good place to talk. The customers sit in close proximately facing each other (as everyone sits along the circular conveyor belt) but everyone is completely focused on their own eating place and what to eat next. I feel anonymous. I forget that there is any obvious difference the rest of the customers and myself. And there is no hurry, you can eat as much or as little as you want at any pace you want. Going once a week (or more) the ritualistic nature of it all begins to feel more and more comforting. I know how to order everything on the menu, I know what it’s going to taste like, probably more so than everyone else there. I am free to unapologetically relax, sit and slowly ponder the wonders of the universe with Katey and Yuki.

If my stomach is feeling particularly empty I’ll go for aburi B next, three pieces of nigiri. Ever so slightly grilled, tuna, egg (sweetened), and shrimp splattered with a curry mayonnaise, not exactly Japanese through and through but then neither am I. It’s so rich and soft it feels sinful, but it’s not. It’s fish rice and a little bit of mayonnaise… you can do a lot worse. And then I’m pretty full, but I can’t neglect inari. Fried sweetened tofu pockets stuffed with rice on a bright pink 90円 plate. I have to finish this or else I’ll be dreaming about it. 御馳走様でした！　Gochi sou sama deshita! It was a feast!  (It’s not really translatable but it basically is said after eating to express appreciation for a meal).
We’ve had fun, we don’t want it to end… It’s off to the konbini* for some chocolate.. and maybe some wine.

*convenience store. There is one every five feet in Japan where you can get every unhealthy treat your heart could ever desire.