Countries Where You Can Find Excellent Japanese Food
I’d like to share a guest post from a friend who is an avid explorer of the world and has experienced more countries, cultures, people, and food than probably anyone I know aside from my brother. As a big fan of sushi, Evan has offered his insights into some of the best places to eat sushi around the world. He shares:
Japanese people have been emigrating all over the world for more than 800 years. Many of the descendants of these immigrants have maintained their Japanese language, culture, and of course their sushi traditions and are known to be somewhat stringent about assuring the quality of sushi outside of Japan even. Sushi enthusiasts like us are lucky to have access to authentic Japanese restaurants when we are traveling all over the world. As an avid traveler I love to try local food, but I can never say no to sushi…
The Restaurants And The Countries
- Brazil
- Singapore
- The Philippines
- The United States of America
- Thailand
- Canada
A lot of people aren’t aware that Brazil actually has the highest ethnic Japanese population in the world outside of Japan. Naturally, there are countless sushi restaurants in the country, particularly in the largest city São Paolo.
Where to get real Sushi in Brazil? Restaurante Sushi Isao in São Paolo was opened by an Okinawa native in 1987. They serve an upscale authentic sushi buffet. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday.
Among travelers Singapore is known as one of the best culinary destinations in the world. People from all over the world live in Singapore, so there is a huge variety of choices. With a Japanese Expatriate population of more than 35 000 people, Singapore is definitely a great country for authentic Sushi.
Where to get real Sushi in Singapore? Many people consider Hashida Sushi to be the best sushi restaurant in Singapore. With gourmet Japanese fare, Hashida Sushi is known for its Omakase (Chef’s Special). Open every day for lunch and dinner, but reservations are recommended.
Being a fellow island nation in East Asia it is no surprise that the Philippines has a substantial amount of ethnic Japanese people. In fact, the earliest known Japanese immigrants moved to the Philippines in the 12th century. Many Filipino people love sushi and it can be found all over the country. Interesting note: Halo-Halo, a very popular shaved ice Filipino dessert, likely originated from a Japanese dish called mitsumame.
Where to get real Sushi in the Philippines? Check out Seryna Japanese Restaurant located in Little Tokyo in Manila. The sashimi is from Japan and so is the chef, also this restaurant is very popular with Japanese people living in Manila. Open every day for lunch and dinner.
Sushi has become extremely popular in North America over the past 50 years, nowadays there are numerous Japanese restaurants in almost every single city. Sushi chefs have created their own versions of more traditional Japanese dishes, most notably the California Roll. However, it is still possible to find authentic Japanese sushi all over the country.
Where to get real sushi in the United States? There are countless excellent options so it is difficult to choose just one. I decided on Sushi Tsujita in Los Angeles, the city where North American sushi was born. Tsujita is an upscale old fashioned Japanese restaurant, try their Omakase (Chef’s Special). Tsujita is open for lunch and dinner every day.
Japanese people have been moving to Thailand since the 16th century and there still is a huge Japanese influence in the country, particularly in Bangkok and Chonburi. I was in Thailand 2 years ago and I will admit that Thai food is amazing, but most people prefer to have some variety throughout their trip.
Where to find real sushi in Thailand? Sushi Masato is a classy traditional Japanese restaurant in Bangkok. They only serve the Omakase (Chef’s Special), but it is fantastic. Sushi Masato is open for dinner Tuesday – Sunday and closed on Monday.
As a Canadian native I have been eating sushi since I was in elementary school. I developed a taste for sushi from a very young age, the sushi bar at the Marina Restaurant in Victoria BC was actually my favorite restaurant. I wouldn’t say that this was the most “authentic” sushi ever, especially after I turned it into a soy sauce soup, but I am lucky to have expanded my palate so early in my life.
Where to find real the real deal in Canada? I lived in Vancouver for 4 years and I can assure you that we have countless excellent sushi options in the city. I will recommend the very authentic Tetsu Sushi Bar in downtown Vancouver. Come here in the summertime, they actually fly in fresh sea urchins from Hokkaido, Japan. Reservations are suggested, Tetsu Sushi Bar is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday – Sunday, only dinner on Tuesday, and closed on Monday.
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Evan has been traveling and living out of a backpack for the last four years. He runs a website on independent travel called worldcitizenevan.com (which is currently down, sadly), giving people the skills and confidence they need to travel the world without a tour company.
I have always been fascinated by the creation and culture of different foods, particularly sushi and sashimi in the modern era of Japanese cuisine. I am a classically trained chef and sushi connoisseur, also having operated a food service company and enjoy investigating and experimenting with food around the world.
I love sushi, can i eat it with my fingers since i don’t use the chop sticks? Love sushi!!
Cut sushi rolls are actually recommended to be eaten by hand. Sashimi, however, should be eaten only with chopsticks. Sashimi is just plain slices of fish, or slices of fish laid on a “finger” of rice.
Rolls aren’t sushi.. It’s maki.
“Sushi” has become the generic term for the whole food, and you are absolutely right, the rolls are called maki, or maki-zushi.
Sashimi is just the food item plain, such as sliced fish, without any rice at all. When you place it on a “finger” of rice it is called “nigiri-zushi” or just “nigiri.” Each method of presentation has its own term, and you can find more information on what they are all called on the https://www.sushifaq.com/sushi-sashimi-info/sashimi-the-delicacy-of-raw-artistry/ page.
Excellent article. I have been eating sushi for 45 years on all three coasts of the US. Plus Canada, Thailand, and Europe. But I still learned some new things! Amazingly, one of my best experiences was at a sushi bar was in a casino in New Orleans. It was o-toro and really did melt in your mouth as author described. Also got some excellent ‘fusion’ sushi at sake rock in Las Vegas. I am a big fan of Nigeri. But I also love that different restaurants try new approaches, a bit of sauce other than wasabi etc.
I thought I knew sushi, until I visited Kusatsu…and found Narezushi or funazushi! If you, in any way, like Thai Fish Sauce, Vietnamese Nuoc Mam or even anchovies on your pizza, you need to try this! Smelly was a light term for this one! I have heard that you can also get it in Kyoto…I’ve never seen this one outside of Japan!
You forgot Taiwan! I don’t know about Brazil, but the sushi in Taiwan generally is far superior to all the other countries you have listed. As you may be aware, Taiwan was once part of Japan and the cultural influences are very strong, even to this day. Taiwan is probably one of the only countries in the world where you can get authentic regional variations of Japanese cuisine and sushi.