Jiro Dreams of Sushi

2011 foodie documentary

Rating: 16/20

Plot: A look at the titular sushi master and his Tokyo restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. Jiro works passionately to perfect his craft, and even though the viewer doesn't get to eat any of his food, we get to consume his philosophies.

Quick question: Is "Massage the Octopus" some kind of sex act because it sounds like it might be one. Or maybe it just sounds like it should be one.

The social studies teacher on the other side of my wall plays a lot of videos in class. He might be a former Teacher of the Year for our district, but he apparently doesn't know how to use the volume button. I've brought it up with him before. A few weeks ago, he caught me in the hall and warned me that he was going to be playing a bunch of footage from Japanese game shows in order to introduce Japanese culture to his students, and I got to hear the sounds of Japanese game shows all day. Long after my classroom was aurally assaulted by those sounds, I started wondering if that was the best way to introduce 7th graders to Japanese culture anyway. What point does the social studies teacher want to get across there? What is the typical 7th grader going to assume about Japanese people with that stuff?

As I watched this movie that my brother recommended, I thought about how much the first 10 minutes of this would have been the perfect way to introduce Japan to students. Jiro goes along with this Zen-like attention to detail, an ability to be ecstatic doing the same thing over and over and over again, and this desire to achieve perfection that he'll never be willing to admit that he's achieved even if he does get there, and I was completely fascinated by him. I was amazed to find out that he's been at this for something like 78 years, since the age of 7 when he was on his own. So his story is a fascinating success story on its own, but look at the lessons you can learn from this guy and the way he does business and life:

--It's not about money at all.
--You can never know it all.
--The importance of doing something "for life." And staying passionate about it.
--Always look ahead and above yourself.
--The "no-home-to-come-back-to" parenting style.
--You're only as good as your team.
--Only accept the best from people selling you tuna or rice, from the people you work with, and yourself.
--There's no such thing as a peak.
--Probably other stuff

I've never actually eaten sushi that didn't come from a grocery store (one sample), and I've never seen sushi like it's prepared at Jiro's restaurant. But I'm going to admit that I was almost sexually attracted to his creations. There was something just so artistic about the whole thing, and I liked how they pressed the fish with their fingers. I think it has something to do with the Phillip Glass music. Once again, this proves that documentaries are always better when they have Phillip Glass music. Jiro's creations are aesthetically pleasing visually because he seems to consider what he does to be more artistic than nutritional. There's something Zen-like there, too, the creation of art that you know isn't going to survive and be appreciated at any time in the future. I loved watching these people work and the meticulous attention to detail in every step along the way. I also liked the mega-serious tuna expert guy, and a scene at a tuna auction is pretty insane. And a rice expert, a ball of giggling insanity. I did sort of feel sorry for Jiro's oldest son who, because of tradition, is still chugging along as an apprentice at the age of 60-whatever while his younger brother has opened up his own sushi joint, and I'm not sure a scene where Jiro visits his parents' graves was really necessary. Still, this documentary made me feel very warm inside and was a much better introduction to Japan than a series of clips from game shows.