Michelin Gives Stars, but Tokyo Turns Up Nose
This is a great article discussing how Sukiyabashi Jiro received three michelin stars adding to the perfection of Jiro Ono's craft and his restaurant.
Martin Fackler
The New York Times
The New York Times Company
Feburary 24th, 2008
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Soundtrack
This is a playlist on Youtube of all of the songs used in the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi to help understand the music aspect of this film. David Gelb's father also works at the Metropolitan Opera in New York which is part of the reason there is a big music influence in this film. This playlist includes works by Philip Glass, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, and Max Richter.
Mark K.
Youtube.com
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Visitor's Guide
Kirin Upadhyay
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Concerto Clip
This is a clip from the documentary showcasing how Jiro Ono's courses are very similar to a three movement concerto.
David Gelb
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Magnolia Pictures
Persevering Researchers Make a Splash With Farm-Bred Tuna
The third article titled “Persevering Researchers Make a Splash with Farm Bred Tuna” discusses Japanese researchers’ attempts to breed Bluefin Tuna in Tuna Farms off the coast of Japan. This is in order to supply farm bred tuna to seafood markets and restaurants instead of having wild Bluefin tuna being caught as juveniles and then kept in pens and fattened up for markets in Japan. The project started back in 1970 at Kindai University where researchers were trying to keep juvenile fish alive long enough to survive to adulthood. This proved difficult because Bluefin Tuna are warm blooded and constantly need to keep moving to stay warm. They’re built for speed and endurance so being kept in a fish pen resulted in many Tuna running into the walls of the enclosures and breaking their necks in the process. Throughout a span of 30 years they have managed to tweak the process and are now having full-grown fishing spawning so that they can breed Bluefin Tuna while giving the wild Bluefin Tuna a reprieve from over exploitation. These researches are hoping to release more tuna back into the ocean as a conservation process but many do not think it will work because it will just make the market for tuna even larger than before. While attempts are being made to fix this situation, the farm breeding of Bluefin Tuna is proving to be a very difficult and possibly futile situation if it does not benefit the tuna or the fish markets at all.
Dennis Normile
Science. 6/5/2009, Vol. 324 Issue 5932, p1260-1261
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Aquaculture: Fishing for trouble
The second article, titled “Aquaculture: Fishing for Trouble” focuses more on the environmental aspect of the over exploitation of Tuna in both the U.S. and Japan. In the U.S. and Mexico, many have created fish farms or pens in the waters near the coast in order to sell them to Japanese fish markets. In 2003, Japan paid Mexican ranchers 50 million U.S. dollars for Tuna cultivated in dozens of fish farms. Not only does this take a toll on the fish but it also affects the ecosystem in the deep waters. Ranchers have been known to shoot sea lions that were trying to take bites out of their tuna. Also, there have been incidents where fish food imported to Australian tuna farms spread a virus that killed the entire population of fish on the southern coast. Fishermen were left with no fish and seabird starved due to the lack of food. Because sushi is such an important part of Japan’s culture and identity they are going to great lengths to make sure that they fish they need is never running out. In the film, Jiro introduces the audience to the three types of tuna and the different flavors they have. Also, the vendors at the Tsukiji market state that they either pick the best fish or they pick no fish at all. Unfortunately, the massive populations of tuna in fish farms and pens is having a negative affect on the ecosystems surrounding the farms and pens and could ultimately lead to Tuna’s extinction or the extinction of another species dependent on tuna.
Rex Dalton
Nature. 9/30/2004 Vol. 431 Issue 7008 p502-504
Nature Publishing Group
Supply-Side Sushi: Commodity, Market, and the Global City
The first article, titled “Supply-Side Sushi: Commodity, Market, and the Global City” touches upon the topic of sushi globalization. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna has been solely focused on Japanese consumption because there is no market for Bluefin Tuna in North American waters. Bluefin Tuna were considered trophy fish or something people caught on accident when out fishing. It was not until cargo planes were built that the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna population in New England was commercialized. Since the cargo planes could fly long distances non-stop, it became possible to deliver fresh fish to different sides of the world. Today, the market in Japan is enormous for fresh tuna for sushi and sashimi and Japan has influenced the demand in other countries for fresh fish as well. Another factor that increased the exploitation of tuna in Japan is that during the 1960’s, refrigeration and advances in trucking allowed all of Japan to visit Tokyo. The fresh fish market in Tokyo, called Tsukiji, was able to control the market for fresh fish. Things that people had done to fish to make it last such as pickling it or heavily salting gave way to fresh, simple tastes. This is much like the film, where Jiro prepares his sushi in the simplest way possible and it still gives off amazing flavor. Even though all of these advances in technology helped the market in Japan 50 years, it is starting to dangerously hurt the population of Tuna in both Japanese seas and North American seas due to the huge demand of Tuna in the Japanese market.
Theodore C. Bestor
American Anthropologist
Wiley on behalf of the American Anthropological Association
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Kitchen Experience Still
The kitchen staff/ apprentices of Sukiyabashi Jiro
This still shows the apprentices and kitchen workers of Sukiyabashi Jiro as they prepare the ingredients and fish for that day's lunch and dinner. It is from the portion of the movie that discusses how Jiro is the maestro of an orchestra. This still shows all of his apprentices as working parts of that orchestra, each contributing to the overall performance.
"Jiro Dreams of Sushi"
Magnolia Pictures
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Dining Experience Still
In the second scene, the food critic Yamamoto has brought a group of guests to Sukiyabashi Jiro. Throughout the clip, jump cuts are made every time a new piece of sushi is laid on the black slate. Cuts are also made between Jiro’s expression and those that are dining in front of him. This displays his interest and concern in how his diners experience his food. Perspective shots also change between Jiro and his diners. One minute the camera is focused on Jiro from the diner’s perspective, another moment the camera is focused on the diners from Jiro’s perspective. This illustrates their impressions of him and his impressions of them. They are experiencing this three-course meal prepared by this silent, older looking man who stares them down as they eat. Meanwhile, he is reading their expressions to see what kind of response they have to his “concerto” or three-course meal. The camera keeps coming back to Jiro’s hands carefully and
precisely shaping the sushi. The close ups of the different pieces of sushi on the black slabs provide a great “portrait” of Jiro’s art. The colors of the fish and different seafood against the black background contrast nicely, showing the beautiful colors of the seafood and rice. These pieces of sushi all have a place in the concerto, they are an eight bar phrase or a soaring melody. Throughout the scene, extra diegetic classical music is being played to demonstrate the similarity between Jiro’s three-course meal and the different movements of a concerto. Just like Yamamoto says, Jiro’s meals consist of ebbs and flows, and different dynamics very similar to that of a symphony or concerto. All parts of concertos and symphonies are methodically practiced until the musician can generate the best sound possible even though they are always striving for something more than what they have or what they are. The same idea applies to Jiro; he constantly practices and prepares. He is always trying to invent new ways of making sushi and improving his recipes.
Film "Jiro Dreams of Sushi"
Magnolia Pictures
This image belongs to all studios and persons responsible for creating the film "Jiro Dreams of Sushi"
Mastering Fish as an Edible Art Medium
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Movie Review
Nicolas Rapold
nytimes.com
The New York Times Company
Movie Review