We need to talk about sushi. First, any discussion of sushi isn't worth its wasabi without a mention of the perspicacious octogenarian Jiro Ono, star of the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," about his Michelin-starred restaurant in Ginza — you know, the one that Obama took Abe to, or was it the other way round? To wit: The documentary I recommend, I haven't eaten at Sukiyabashi Jiro (although I would like to), but before that I would like to point out that there are many, many excellent sushi establishments in Japan that don't work out at roughly ¥1,000 a minute. Here's one.

Nanaezushi is in the unimposing western suburbs of Kyoto: it looks more like the rest of (suburban) Japan than (old) Kyoto. What matters — especially for this inland city — is that it's nearly within smelling distance of the city fish market. If you can't be close to the sea, then a fish market it should be.

The Jiro documentary makes clear that making sushi is a vocation and one that often envelops the entire family. The master at Nanaezushi has been making sushi for close to 50 years; his wife greets and seats customers. It's a small, classically designed sushi shop: a wrap-around counter, three low tables on tatami mats and a fish tank, the last resting place for aji (mackerel), ebi (shrimp) and a few other sea creatures.