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Perfect Sushi
One of the hardest reservations to get in the world is a seat at Jiro Ono’s sushi counter， a three-Michelin-star restaurant adjoining the entrance to the Ginza metro station， in the basement of a business building in Tokyo.1 A meal there， which consists of 20 pieces of sushi served one at a time， costs 30，000 Japanese yen2 （about 370 dollars）， and lasts about 15 or 20 minutes. There are only 10 seats， there is a set menu （no appetizers or modifications）， and there are definitely no California rolls.3
The question of what makes this hole in the wall so worthy is the subject of a gorgeously shot documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi，4 directed by David Gelb. Jiro Ono was born in 1925， left home at the age of nine， and has been making sushi ever since. Though Japan has declared him a national treasure， he still says， at the age of 85， “All I want to do is make better sushi.” He goes to work every day by getting on the train from the same position， he always tastes his food as he makes it， and he dislikes holidays. Jiro is described as a shokunin—a person who embodies the artisan spirit of the relentless pursuit of perfection through his craft.5
Another Japanese term that came to my mind while I watched the film was kaizen6， meaning “improvement” or “change for the better.” The concept is one of process， and it is often applied in business settings， like manufacturing and logistics，7 to ensure constant and never-ending improvement. Before cooking his octopus， Jiro used to massage it for up to 30 minutes.8 Now he will massage it for 40 minutes， to give it an even softer texture9 and a better taste. Before a meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro， guests are handed a hot towel， hand-squeezed by an apprentice.10 The apprentices， who train for at least 10 years under Jiro， are not allowed to cut the fish until they practice just handling it. One of the older apprentices says Jiro taught him to “press the sushi as if it were a baby chick.”
Jiro’s near-impossible standards extend to the Tsukiji fish market， where his older son， Yoshikazu， bicycles every day to check out the day’s catch.11 He meets with trusted specialists， each of whom has his own focus： shrimp， eel， octopus.12 Jiro’s tuna dealer is an anti-establishment character who tolerates only products of the highest quality.13 At one point， he surveys a warehouse floor covered by giant， gaping tunas， whose gunmetal coloring makes them look like warheads or shrunken submarines.14 “People say there is good quality here today，” he says directly to the camera. Then he adds with a smirk15， “There is nothing good here today.” 4. hole in the wall： 狭小简陋的餐馆，这里指这间简朴的小寿司店；gorgeously： 极好地，精彩地；documentary： 纪录片；Jiro Dreams of Sushi：《寿司之神》，是由大卫·贾柏（David Gelb）拍摄的三星大厨小野二郎（Jiro Ono）的纪录片。
5. 小野二郎被称为是一位“职人”，即一位通过自己的手艺体现专业精神、不断追求完美的人。embody： 体现，包含；artisan： 工匠，手艺人；relentless： 不间断的；craft： 工艺，手艺。
6. kaizen： （日）经营方法的持续改善。
7. business setting： 商业场景；manufacturing and logistics： 制造业与物流。
8. octopus： 章鱼肉；massage： 按摩。
9. texture： 质地。
10. Sukiyabashi Jiro： 数寄屋桥次郎寿司店，即小野二郎的寿司店名；apprentice： 学徒。
11. Tsukiji fish market： 筑地鱼市场，位于东京； bicycle： v. 骑自行车（去某处）；check out： 检验；catch： 这里指每天捕获的水产品。
12. 他和自己信赖的专门供货商们碰面，每个供货商都为他提供一样特定食材：虾、鳗鱼和章鱼。
13. tuna： 金枪鱼；anti-establishment： 反传统的。
14. 他会在特定时间到一个地上全是体形庞大的、张着嘴的金枪鱼的仓库去检查，这些金枪鱼暗灰色的外观使它们看上去就像弹头或是缩小的潜艇。at one point： 在某一时刻；warehouse： 仓库；gaping： 张口的；gunmetal： 暗灰色的；warhead： 弹头；shrunken： 缩小的； submarine： 潜艇。
15. smirk： 得意的笑。
16. 在影片中，人们毫无意外会看到小野先生拥有专门的大米供应商，米饭本身也经过了专业的蒸煮、醋腌，并在最适宜的温度下保存，因此备受美食家们推崇。revere： 崇敬，尊敬；foodie： 美食家；vinegar： 醋腌。
17. screening： （电影）放映。
18. exacting： 严格的，苛求的； custom： 定制的；obsessive：（在兴趣等方面超出正常程度）过度的，这里指追求极致完美的；mentor： 导师。
19. ingredient： 原料。
20. fleeting： 转瞬即逝的。
21. fishmonger： 鱼贩。
22. sexism：（针对女性的）性别歧视； frankly： 坦白讲。
23. mildly： 轻微地；relieved： 放心的，释然的；gimmicky： 手法巧妙的。
24. branch： 分店；Roppongi Hills： 东京六本木新城。
25. layout： 布局，设计。
26. succeed： 继承。
27. deliver： 发表。
One of the hardest reservations to get in the world is a seat at Jiro Ono’s sushi counter， a three-Michelin-star restaurant adjoining the entrance to the Ginza metro station， in the basement of a business building in Tokyo.1 A meal there， which consists of 20 pieces of sushi served one at a time， costs 30，000 Japanese yen2 （about 370 dollars）， and lasts about 15 or 20 minutes. There are only 10 seats， there is a set menu （no appetizers or modifications）， and there are definitely no California rolls.3
The question of what makes this hole in the wall so worthy is the subject of a gorgeously shot documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi，4 directed by David Gelb. Jiro Ono was born in 1925， left home at the age of nine， and has been making sushi ever since. Though Japan has declared him a national treasure， he still says， at the age of 85， “All I want to do is make better sushi.” He goes to work every day by getting on the train from the same position， he always tastes his food as he makes it， and he dislikes holidays. Jiro is described as a shokunin—a person who embodies the artisan spirit of the relentless pursuit of perfection through his craft.5
Another Japanese term that came to my mind while I watched the film was kaizen6， meaning “improvement” or “change for the better.” The concept is one of process， and it is often applied in business settings， like manufacturing and logistics，7 to ensure constant and never-ending improvement. Before cooking his octopus， Jiro used to massage it for up to 30 minutes.8 Now he will massage it for 40 minutes， to give it an even softer texture9 and a better taste. Before a meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro， guests are handed a hot towel， hand-squeezed by an apprentice.10 The apprentices， who train for at least 10 years under Jiro， are not allowed to cut the fish until they practice just handling it. One of the older apprentices says Jiro taught him to “press the sushi as if it were a baby chick.”
Jiro’s near-impossible standards extend to the Tsukiji fish market， where his older son， Yoshikazu， bicycles every day to check out the day’s catch.11 He meets with trusted specialists， each of whom has his own focus： shrimp， eel， octopus.12 Jiro’s tuna dealer is an anti-establishment character who tolerates only products of the highest quality.13 At one point， he surveys a warehouse floor covered by giant， gaping tunas， whose gunmetal coloring makes them look like warheads or shrunken submarines.14 “People say there is good quality here today，” he says directly to the camera. Then he adds with a smirk15， “There is nothing good here today.” 4. hole in the wall： 狭小简陋的餐馆，这里指这间简朴的小寿司店；gorgeously： 极好地，精彩地；documentary： 纪录片；Jiro Dreams of Sushi：《寿司之神》，是由大卫·贾柏（David Gelb）拍摄的三星大厨小野二郎（Jiro Ono）的纪录片。
5. 小野二郎被称为是一位“职人”，即一位通过自己的手艺体现专业精神、不断追求完美的人。embody： 体现，包含；artisan： 工匠，手艺人；relentless： 不间断的；craft： 工艺，手艺。
6. kaizen： （日）经营方法的持续改善。
7. business setting： 商业场景；manufacturing and logistics： 制造业与物流。
8. octopus： 章鱼肉；massage： 按摩。
9. texture： 质地。
10. Sukiyabashi Jiro： 数寄屋桥次郎寿司店，即小野二郎的寿司店名；apprentice： 学徒。
11. Tsukiji fish market： 筑地鱼市场，位于东京； bicycle： v. 骑自行车（去某处）；check out： 检验；catch： 这里指每天捕获的水产品。
12. 他和自己信赖的专门供货商们碰面，每个供货商都为他提供一样特定食材：虾、鳗鱼和章鱼。
13. tuna： 金枪鱼；anti-establishment： 反传统的。
14. 他会在特定时间到一个地上全是体形庞大的、张着嘴的金枪鱼的仓库去检查，这些金枪鱼暗灰色的外观使它们看上去就像弹头或是缩小的潜艇。at one point： 在某一时刻；warehouse： 仓库；gaping： 张口的；gunmetal： 暗灰色的；warhead： 弹头；shrunken： 缩小的； submarine： 潜艇。
15. smirk： 得意的笑。
16. 在影片中，人们毫无意外会看到小野先生拥有专门的大米供应商，米饭本身也经过了专业的蒸煮、醋腌，并在最适宜的温度下保存，因此备受美食家们推崇。revere： 崇敬，尊敬；foodie： 美食家；vinegar： 醋腌。
17. screening： （电影）放映。
18. exacting： 严格的，苛求的； custom： 定制的；obsessive：（在兴趣等方面超出正常程度）过度的，这里指追求极致完美的；mentor： 导师。
19. ingredient： 原料。
20. fleeting： 转瞬即逝的。
21. fishmonger： 鱼贩。
22. sexism：（针对女性的）性别歧视； frankly： 坦白讲。
23. mildly： 轻微地；relieved： 放心的，释然的；gimmicky： 手法巧妙的。
24. branch： 分店；Roppongi Hills： 东京六本木新城。
25. layout： 布局，设计。
26. succeed： 继承。
27. deliver： 发表。