Where Japanese Sushi Goes… The Surprising Contents of “Kawaii Sushi” in Soho, New York

Sushi chefs” are in great demand around the world due to the sushi boom

It is no secret that sushi is enjoying a worldwide boom. From France, the land of gourmet food, to the United States, Italy, and other Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, and South Korea, sushi is becoming popular because it is both healthy and cool.

Sushi chefs are in great demand, with annual salaries ranging from 4 million yen in Japan to over 10 million yen overseas. For this reason, many young sushi chefs want to seize the opportunity to work abroad.

Sushi “Kawaiiized”!

While a variety of sushi restaurants have opened overseas, another notable one opened in New York City on June 28, 2011. It is “SUSHIDELIC” in New York. This sushi restaurant was created by Sebastian Masuda, who produced “KAWAII MONSTER CAFE” in Harajuku, which is visited by celebrities from all over the world. Mr. Masuda is a creator who continues to introduce “Kawaii culture” to the world, and now he has taken sushi, which has already become a part of the American lifestyle, and transformed it into a “Kawaii experience” under the theme of “Immersive Kawaii Experience. The interior of the restaurant is like a different world.

The interior of the restaurant is an otherworldly, psychedelic, iconic space. Staff members wear colorful custom-made costumes. The three cats displayed on the ceiling and the dazzling pink lanes are not unlike kaitenzushi.

While this may seem foreign in Japan, it is not the first time that sushi has been perceived as peculiar overseas. In the United States, the California roll was born in the 1960s and was reimported to Japan in the 1970s. The California roll is a back roll that is rolled from the outside in the order of rice, nori, and neta (ingredients). Avocado, crabmeat, mayonnaise, etc. are rolled and topped with white sesame seeds. Other types of sushi include the spider roll with fried fish and lettuce, the Hawaiian roll with tuna, and dessert sushi with fruit and nuts.

Sushi is also popular in gastronomic France and Italy, where the basic ingredients are salmon, tuna, and shrimp, and sushi rolls are the most common. The use of cheese (fromage) is typical of European sushi. Although these foreign sushi dishes are well known in Japan, it is difficult to say that they are popular in Japan.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the number of Japanese restaurants overseas in 2009 increased slightly to about 159,000 from 156,000 in 2007, and the same applies to sushi restaurants. In addition to casual sushi restaurants, upscale omakase-style sushi restaurants (sushi restaurants are not “sushi” but “zushi” because they serve only fish and are authentic) are also popular, as in Japan, and some sushi restaurants are priced at 100,000 yen or more and have received three stars in the Michelin Guide.