I've never heard of a guide like that, and I can't imagine that any of the regular posters here would have ever hired the services of such a person, but at many of the better sushi ya in Tokyo the itamae (chefs) are very knowledgeable and all but the occasional surly example (which I've yet to meet) or very busy one should be happy to talk you through your choices. So an affable interpreter without specialist knowledge might be all that's needed.

On my first visit to Japan, on the second morning, I dropped into Sushi Dai at Tsukiji after my walk around the market. I knew very few words and phrases in Japanese, but I did know a lot of words relating to food. The lady standing next to me in the queue was very friendly and encouraged me to use the little bit of Japanese I'd picked up (she never said a word in English). Once inside the Sushi Dai she was wonderful, guided me in my choices (substituting a couple of my sushi items with hers so I could try them), signalled what to do with the towels and condiments and told me the names of what I was eating. The itamae at Sushi Dai/Daiwa Sushi are exceptionally busy, so don't have the time to humour their customers as they do elsewhere (EDIT: I'm glad to add I could be quite wrong about this - see next post). I am still very grateful for this lady's kindness and patience, it was a beautiful introduction to GOOD sushi and a cherished memory. I can see why you'd want to replicate something like this.

Nowadays I have my Father-in-law, who is a highly knowledgeable fish expert. Either he or my husband translates his discussions with the itamae and the experience is always enlightening and fascinating. I have no idea how this could possibly be replicated by a sushi guide.

Here's a blog I came across today (I've been pouring over it for the past few hours). It shows most of the better sushi ya in Osaka. If you run it through a translation tool you'll start to get an idea of what decent sushi is, what it should look like, and a little effort will yield you the names of many of the items that most appeal to you.
http://blog.livedoor.jp/osakanohonnm..._50025479.html (press the 次のページ at the end of each page to get to the next one, there are 39 restaurants featured)

- This entry details the author's visit to, perhaps, Osaka's finest sushi restaurant where he took a tour group of other food bloggers as a tour conducter/sushi guide. Even for this restaurant (Tada) which specialises in some very exotic ingredients, the food documented in this visit looks rather different to their usual fare and is obviously catering to specialised tastes (he wasn't allowed to photograph some of the highlights of the meal)


The more you know about sushi to start with, the more you'll get out of it, with or without a guide. All you really need to know to begin with is the word "omakase" this will give the itamae free reign to give you whatever he thinks is best. If you're really nervous about paying too much, indicate at the start how much you're prepared to spend and let him get on with feeding you. Take a note book and write everything you eat down (or ask them to jot it down in both kanji and hiragana), you can always research it later.
And if your interest is a meaningful one, you could always approach a serious food blogger who appreciates sushi and ask them for assistance. If you're prepared to contribute to their meal there must be a fair number who'd jump at the chance to share their knowledge with you. OK, I've not done this with sushi (I've no need) but I have a marvellous relationship with a delightful kimono blogger and have attended kimono events as a result.