You do not have to be a car expert to easily understand and appreciate the differences between a BMW and a cheap chevy. Similarly, I don't think you have to be a food snob to understand and appreciate the quality of ingredients, preparation or presentation. But with the exception of bocastephen's comments I see little in the way of specifics as to what differentiates the quality of sushi from the rest of the world such to justify the price tag. To be fair I could care less about presentation or watching how my food is made any more than visiting the factory where my car is made (though I have done ED in Munich). To me a restaurant experience is 90% about what I taste when it goes into my mouth. That is why I generally prefer to return to my favorite steakhouse - the cut, the temp, the sides - I know they will be perfect every time. And this is true for my favorite sushi restaurants as well. Excellent service and decor can never make up for a bad meal. It doesn't give me any thrill to dine at a famous (usually overpriced) restaurant.

If you asked me "what makes XXX better than any other steak restaurant" I would tell you the meat almost melts in my mouth and has perfect flavor. Is that what you are trying to convey here? Does every one of the 20 sushi pieces melt in your mouth? If that's true then I would definitely say this is an experience not to be missed (and worth the price) because I can count on one hand the varieties of fish that I enjoy elsewhere. At $300 per person, it's not just the maguro and hamachi that need to be sublime but the aji, ebi and uni - which invariably disappoint me.

We dined at Nobu in London - also highly rated - and yes the fish was excellent and I enjoyed the experience. But not so much better that I would characterize my usual sushi as hamburger quality nor would I say it was 3x better at 3x the price. However it is one of the few high end places where I did not feel too ripped off because every course was sensational.

A friend of mine said that I should compare the experience to attending the World Series or Super Bowl - a once in a lifetime event. I guess that's where the disconnect is - if I don't appreciate "the Jiro show" then this is probably not the right "experience" for me. And that's fine - from the comments above it sounds like I will have my pick of cheaper sushi restaurants that will soar above anything I have tasted so far.