Why does sushi have to be so expensive? Granted, a modest meal at your neighborhood sushiya shouldn't involve too great an outlay. And when it comes to the mass-produced offerings that chug around conveyor belts on color-coded plates, you will never want to eat enough of them to seriously dent your wallet. But if you want the real, no-holds-barred sushi experience, then you have to be ready to pay for the privilege.

An evening at a premium sushi shop can set you back at least 15,000 yen a head (considerably more at the most exclusive Ginza establishments), and lunch may not be much cheaper. Why should this be so? Obviously, the quality of the fish -- its provenance and freshness -- is crucial. So too are the skills and experience of the itamae, the man preparing it. All too often, though, you feel you're paying for a prime address, haughty service and surroundings that are scrubbed so clean they feel aseptic.

It doesn't have to be that way. It certainly isn't at Sushi-bun. Push aside the indigo noren emblazoned with its two massive kanji characters, and slide open the well-worn wooden doors. You will find yourself in a space as homely and modest -- and as reasonable -- as a workingman's cafe. Which of course it is, since it lies right in the middle of Tsukiji Uogashi, the largest fish market in the world.