'Jiro Dreams Of Sushi': Perfection, Carefully Sliced
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Movie Review
In NPR’s review of the movie, Mark Jenkins constantly tries to communicate the meticulous environment of the world that is Sukiyabashi Jiro. Ono is described as man who is motivated by ritual and honor and his son Yoshikazu is driven by duty to take over the restaurant after his father retires, even though Yoshikazu wanted to be a racecar driver at an earlier point in his life. Apprentices must learn to squeeze hot towels for weeks before they learn how to slice the perfect egg. Octopus must be massaged for at least 45 minutes before it is ready to be served. This kind of diligence is also shown in the concerto metaphor that Jenkins discusses later in the article. The metaphor is used to describe a multi course meal at the restaurant. Each course represents a movement in the concerto, and each course is designed with painstaking accuracy for the most precise
dining experience. Jenkins believes the music to be “obtrusive at times but its precise structures suit the movie’s tidy outlook” (Jenkins, npr.org). What’s ironic is that Ono is viewed as a traditionalist but he sees himself as a maverick, and that is also the case with the seafood suppliers he buys from. But, they are so traditionalist that they are antiestablishment. They are not going to be content with fitting the norm of every day life because everything must be done a certain way. One vendor says that if he does not find the best fish, then he does not buy fish at all that day. This diligence, structure, and perfectionism is a cornerstone of Jiro’s life and thus a cornerstone of Sukiyabashi Jiro.
Mark Jenkins
www.npr.org
National Public Radio
Movie Review
'Jiro Dreams of Sushi' not just another food flick ??? 1/2
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Movie Review
The Chicago Tribune portrays Jiro as a leader, almost a god of the sushi world with his quiet presence and powerful influence. Michael Philips states that “it takes an exceptional subject to arrest our sense and hold our attention” (Phillips, chicagotribune.com) and that Jiro is that subject. Philips refers to the restaurant as a “sacred temple of sushi” saying that Ono’s presence is “quiet but charged from within” (Philips, chicagotribune.com). Many leaders and religious figures today give the same demeanor, they do not have to say anything and people are enthralled by their power and wisdom. Like most religious figures or leaders, Ono has had to overcome adversity, working his way through life to achieve his goals. Jiro also discusses how he strives to improve himself and the quality of the sushi and to be regarded honorably, things that motivate him every single day. Philips says, “Gelb’s documentary regards with fondness its subject and his kingdom. Plus we meet a variety of interdependent characters, from tuna vendors to rice experts, all in thrall to Jiro and his sons” (Philips, chicagotribune.com). He emphasizes the almost god like qualities in Jiro and that even people on his staff whom have worked with him for several years, still stare in awe at the shokunin who is Jiro Ono.
Michael Philips
chicagotribune.com
Chicago Tribune
Movie Review
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Movie Review
Roger Ebert focuses on Jiro’s strive to self-improvement and perfectionism. Everything in his restaurant has to be done a certain way, octopus must be massaged for at least 45 minutes, apprentices must first learn how to squeeze the perfect towel and only then will they be allowed to do anything else. Jiro is stressed when he is forced to be away from the restaurant, and one of the two times he travels away in the film is to go to the fish market. Ebert asks the question “If you find an occupation you love and spend your entire life working at it, is that enough?” (Ebert, rogerebert.com). Jiro is constantly working to better himself and the sushi he makes and in the review Ebert is questioning whether or not there is anything more in life. Is it enough for Jiro Ono to be perfect? The sad part about it is there may not be anything left for him to do, that Jiro will always be searching for something more. “The tragedy” Ebert says “of Jiro Ono’s life is that there are not, and will never be, a fourth star” (Ebert, rogerebert.com).
Roger Ebert
rogerebert.com
Ebert Digital LLC
Movie Review
Mastering Fish as an Edible Art Medium
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Movie Review
Nicolas Rapold
nytimes.com
The New York Times Company
Movie Review
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"
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
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
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
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
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