Photographing the oh, so pretty Japanese sushi

寿司, or sushi has evolved from a traditional food base for the japanese to now an artistic dining experience. In its earliest form, dried or pickled fish was placed between two pieces of vinegared rice acting as preservative. The nori (seaweed) was added later as a way to keep one's fingers from getting sticky.

Photographing a creative and beautifully styled food such as sushi is a great experience by itself. Since most sushi are colorful to begin with and each piece is an art form, sitting them on a clean white plate opens the imagery to its simplest form of art.

I was in the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo at 6am one morning while the fishes were being hauled into the pier. There are many little drop-in sushi bars that one can just sit in while pieces of sashimi or sushi are being sliced and served. Toro (fatty tuna), the filet mignon of sushi, was what I ordered all morning. The thin slices of ginger cleansed my palate while I sipped hot green tea and dipped slices of toro into soy sauce and wasabi. It was heaven on earth.

Takara Japanese Restaurant that I shot for serves these wonderful pieces of fishes in bulk. What amazes me is that despite its heavy operation in a huge 8,000 sq feet location, they were incredibly organized. They were able to maintain a fresh load of fishes every day. On top of that, their staves are highly trained and thus their service, impeccable. They encourage the creativity of their chefs by creating new dishes every Friday. These dishes go through a battery of palate tasting and tests. The winners can end up in the ever changing menu. The losers may never see the light of day.

Their Nutty Shrimp, for example seems to have withstood the test of time. They serve 2,000 of them each day. THAT is a lot of roll. The Sunrise/Wasabi Sunrise dish on the right, is a testament to the artistry of sushi in the new generation that combine food and art.

Takara Japanese Restaurant
3775 Capitola Road (Next to Capitola Mall)
Capitola, CA 95010
(831) 464-1818

- Michael Soo