Hamazushi Yukawa

During recent decades Japanese sushi has become very popular in my country and all over the world. However sushi in Japan is still the best I have ever tasted.

First - the taste of the Japanese rice that is the common ingredient of all sushi is, well, really good. Since the rice is sticky, the sushi doesn't fall apart. Second, the Japanese use very fresh raw fish and other kinds of different sea food: shrimp, squid, sea urchin, fish roe, crab and so on. Sometimes vegetables are added, too, such as avocado and green onion.

I especially liked a restaurant I found in Ito – Hamazushi Yukawa. It works as all similar sushi train stores where coloured plates with sushi move along the conveyor belt and one can pick any appealing set. The colour of each plate, usually consisting of two pieces of sushi, indicates its price. Chopsticks, called hashi in Japanese, soy sauce and green tea are placed on tables. Special orders can be made on the menu, using the monitor in front of you. The assortment of dishes is wide. Besides sushi they also offer a kind of Japanese omelette called chawanmushi, miso soup and various desserts.

I didn’t aim to overeat, but simply wanted to taste something special and different. My first choice was a sushi with crème sauce and small, fresh (raw) shrimp. Then I picked two-coloured fish with green onion. Next were large tempura shrimps and the last one, salmon with an unearthly taste of crème with nuts. All sets had a fantastic taste! For a dessert I chose three-coloured dango.

The prices are very affordable here with some sets just 90 JPY. In small seaside towns of Japan like Ito one can always find very fresh fish for very low prices as fish is caught everyday in nearby Sagami Bay.