When you go to a Japanese restaurant overseas, there is almost always sushi. For this reason, many foreigners think that “Japanese food = sushi.” However, the sushi you see overseas is different from that in Japan in terms of ingredients, shape, and price. So this time, we asked 20 foreigners living in Japan about the differences between sushi in their home country and Japan.
Europe -「Japanese sushi is the best」 acclaimed
・”Japanese sushi is the best in the world! The quality of the rice, the freshness of the fish, and the atmosphere are amazing!! In Europe and America, Chinese and Koreans run sushi bars (there’s even a sushi bar run by a Moroccan in Paris) ), everywhere is expensive” (France/35 years old/male)
・”Japanese sushi is fresh and delicious. The presentation is beautiful.” (Czech Republic, 58 years old, male)
・”Japanese sushi is definitely the best, but Ukrainian sushi has a slightly different taste.” (Ukraine, 25 years old, male)
・”I’ve tried sushi not only in Russia but also in other countries, but the taste is completely different from the Japanese one! The type of rice and cooking method, the freshness of the fish, and even the wasabi used are cheap overseas. I have never eaten sushi overseas that is as delicious as it is in Japan.” (Russia, 31 years old, female)
・”The fish is fresh. Also, in Poland, many dishes use butterfish, which is not available in Japan.” (Poland/30 years old/Female)
・”Japanese fish is fresh. You can tell by the texture” (UK/31 years old/female)
・”Japanese sushi is fresh and delicious. I have never had sushi in Bulgaria.” (Bulgaria, 33 years old, female)
・”I’ve never eaten sushi in Greece, so I can’t compare. However, Japanese sushi is very delicious.” (Greece, 33 years old, male)
Asia – Some say 「the taste is not particularly different.」
・”It’s not much different from Hong Kong. The taste is almost the same, the only difference is the freshness.” (Hong Kong/34 years old/Female)
・”The atmosphere is different.Japanese sushi restaurants seem to be high class, but Taiwan is quite lively.I don’t think the taste is particularly different.” (Taiwanese/30 years old/Female)
・”The texture of the sushi and the way the fish is cut are different. In Malaysia, the sushi is held tighter, so the texture is completely different. Also, creative sushi is popular in Malaysia.” (Malaysia, 31 years old, female)
・“Japanese sushi has many varieties and is fresh” (Indonesia/36 years old/male)
・”I’ve never eaten sushi in China. I can’t eat it with peace of mind” (China/28 years old/male)
・“I have never eaten Japanese-style sushi in Vietnam, but I think the sushi at Japanese restaurants in Vietnam is inferior to the actual sushi in Japan.” (Vietnam, 36 years old, male)
・“Nothing in particular” (Korea/34 years old/male)
・“I have never eaten in Mongolia, so I have no way to compare.” (Mongolia/39 years old/Female)
・”The first time I ate sushi was in Japan, and at that time I thought it was disgusting because it was raw. I don’t know if sushi in the Philippines is fresh or not…” (Philippines, 35 years old, female)
The Middle East – Some say there is no sushi in their home country
・”The price is different. The sushi I ate in Egypt cost three times as much as in Japan. The taste is also different. I think it’s because of the type of fish and the time it was caught.” (Male, 27, Egypt)
・“Unfortunately, there is no sushi in Syria” (Syria/35 years old/male)
・”We don’t have sushi in Iran. Basically, we don’t eat raw food. It was my first time eating sushi after coming to Japan.” (Iran/28 years old/Female)
General review
Comments vary depending on the area, but the general consensus is that sushi in Japan is the best. Overseas, there are many places where the freshness of fish decreases due to distribution issues, and the types of fish preferred in each country and region also differ. I once had a Frenchman tell me, “I love sushi, but there are a lot of fish I don’t like, such as octopus and squid, so I generally prefer meat over fish.” When running a sushi restaurant as a business, it is undeniable that you are limited to ingredients that are appropriate for that country or region.
Some people said that the restaurants in Asia are not much different from their home countries, but it seems that the atmosphere of the restaurants may be different, such as in Taiwan, where they are family-style restaurants. In addition to sushi restaurants, for example, Yoshinoya restaurants in Hong Kong and Taiwan offer set meals such as noodle dishes in addition to beef bowls, which is interesting because they are different from Japan. On the other hand, it seems that there are not many restaurants serving sushi in the Middle East yet, but I hope that they will expand in the future.
