Mix of Questions
 

Wanting to know these things before we return to Japan. I'll just ask the questions point-blank lol.

A lot of people were raving about Japanese tuna, can you tell us if canned Japanese tuna is also much better than canned North American tuna? Thinking of perhaps bringing some back.

The hotel told us you can spend up to $200 for 10 pieces of very special sushi. Is there a big difference in flavor between the $30 sushi we had and the special 'business meeting' sushi at $200?

Last time we landed at Narita we saw a bizarre sign that read 'down with Narita'. We were afraid to say anything but has anyone here seen that sign? It was like right next to the tarmac by a little fence.

Which shinto shrines do you find to be the most beautiful?

I feel strange asking this question, but what is the Japanese word for 'earthquake' and how does one pronounce it?

Thanks a million

Jumping in quickly before this thread gets all nasty...

Canned tuna is canned tuna is canned tuna... We eat what we can and can what we can't.
Certainly some difference.
You'd probably notice an improvement from $30 to $100. IMHO, there's a law of diminishing returns on the higher end stuff. But maybe my palate just isn't sophisticated enough. I'll keep it that way. I can't afford to get fussy.
You see that when you land on Runway 2 and have a huge long taxi to get to the terminal. The people across from the fence are among the last hold-outs who refuse to sell up their land. There's another group at the other end of the runway - that's why the runway is so flipping inconvenient to reach from the rest of the airport.
Nothing to fear from them. They'll sell you some veggies if you visit their farm.
Itsukushima shrine (Miyajima) is hard to beat. In theory the entire island is holy.
Take a boat trip at night and sail under the "floating gate" with everything lit up - nothing quite like it.
The word is Jishin.
It's pronounced in one of two ways, depending on the circumstances:
(1) "Jishin"
(2) "Woahhhhaa aarrghh aha aargh ugh..."

I usually use my palate to tell the difference. If you are using a pallet to determine how much to spend, you've probably wandered into the tuna auction at Tsukiji. But probably not, since we're now in the era of Yokoso Japan! and no tourists are allowed in the market, or so they say.

Seriously, though, is there a difference between $30 and $100 and $200? Yes, there is. Is it worth it? Up to you, really. On the other hand, you can take comfort that $30 sushi in Japan is probably as good as $100 sushi in the US (even more in Europe), so you can gorge on $30 sushi all you want and still come out ahead from whence you came. I can guarantee that. The equivalent of $200 sushi meals (of which I've had my share) if even available in the US, would set you back $400-500, at which point they cease to be worth it.

Last point of note is that many times $200 worth of sushi in Japan can be disappointing. This happens if (a) you wander into an expense account place more known for its name/convenience/fancy digs than its sushi chef, (b) you wander into a sushi place where the chef sizes you up as a pasty-white rube and treats you accordingly, or (c) you insist on ordering particular items that may not be in season, but available. They usually end up being too expensive and not very tasty for what you've shelled out. So you gotta know which $200 sushi joint you're hitting. Pick the wrong spot and you'll wonder what the fuss was all about.

:embarrassed: But I did catch my own error ...

LOL! I've used this pronounciation on a couple of occasions. :p

To expand a bit for the OP - "jee-sheen."

My take:

Fresh (actually, fresh-frozen) tuna at a good restaurant in Japan is wonderful. As Jib71 said, canned tuna is canned tuna. Not worth the trouble of carrying it home.

My palate is not sophisticated enough to tell much difference between good $30.00 sushi and the high-end stuff. Apparently, among other things, it has to do with the knife skills of the chef. True aficionados will say there is a noticeable difference. Most westerners will never notice and will wonder why they spent the extra $170.00.

Jib71 covered the NRT protest signs. The land grab by the government to build and later expand NRT did not go well with the local farmers. There are still hard feelings.

"Most beautiful shrine" is pretty much in the eye of the beholder. I agree that it is hard to top Miyajima. The Heian Jungu Shrine in Kyoto is striking in a garish kind of way and has a nice garden/park. I really liked Itzumo-Taisha, outside of Matsue, but that is more about age (reportedly the oldest) and history than sheer beauty.

JR

Oh thank you for the kind replies. When we were in Japan last year we had a little tour of Tsukiji but the tuna area was closed off to foreigners, the concierge told us that foreigners touch the fish too much and that they couldn't risk having people touch the tuna since it's so expensive in Japan. Tsukiji was very friendly but very busy, we kept thinking we were going to get run down by a fork lift

Well if there's one word we need to know in Japanese I'd say it's 'Jishin'. We've been lucky the earthquakes seem to strike just after we leave.

In addition, where do you have to go to see the square watermelons and how much do they sell for? Last two times we returned from Japan people were asking us if we saw the squared watermelons. Last time all we saw was some very small round watermelons that seemed to be selling for $17 a piece.

Ah yes, the famous "fruit porn" question. Variations on a theme: 200 USD mangos, 80 USD melons, 10 USD for a box of strawberries, square watermelons, etc. Usually asked wide-eyed and puzzled, or in hushed tones, like the ones my mother in law uses when referring to black people, as if it was a medical condition. The Kabukicho of fruit is a place called Sembikiya, they have a number of outlets. But you can check out the navel (oranges) and the sweet cherries probably anywhere in Tokyo where you run into a high-end fruit shop.

I thought those were mostly over in Shinjuku ni-chome.

- - never mind. I've caused enough trouble today. :o

My Japanese colleagues swear by these $200 special sushi places. I can't tell the finer differences in taste. But usually the chef has a story to tell about everything he puts in front of you.

He has a few low production sake to sell also.

One more note, I am a lefty and the better sushi chefs put the sushi pieces in front of me for my chopstick angle instead of the other way; same goes for the better tempura chefs.

A view from the other side of the fence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcP7bCRv0l8&NR=1

OK, where are the higher end shops there? (Not afraid to cause more trouble)

Funny bit of history: When NTT DoCoMo started, NTT put all their troublemaker managers into the subsidiary, thinking it would go nowhere. They also denigrated them further by putting them in a HQ building right next to Shinjuku ni-chome! It was very strange to make business calls in that area.

Things have improved a bit for DoCoMo since then, it seems. :D:D:D

Not being of that particular persuasion, I am not in a postion to help here. Just passing on reports from others. :p

When I worked in Tokyo 8 years ago, my boss took me out to an expensive sushi joint at the top of a Shinjuku hotel. (Hilton?) He expensed it, told me it was a few hundred dollars, and told the chef specifically what to make- no menus in sight. The sushi melted in my mouth, and I tasted roe I've never seen since. Also had some pygmy melons that seemed pretty tasteless, given their delicacy.

I would say this- if you are going to spend the money, make sure it is really a special, reputable place, and not just expensive for the sake of being expensive. I could certainly taste the difference, but I don't know if I would spend that much for a meal under too many circumstances.

Not if you are looking for cherries.

or miracle fruit-su.

Your first point is very true even in areas in the US with a sizeable Japanese and other Asian population like San Francisco and San Jose. The great sushi places in the SF area are small, hidden places and very expensive. In Tokyo, even the sushi-boat places (kaiten zushi) have generally good quality seafood at a value price.

Your second point is true and but it may be a little difficult to detect the chef's reluctance to serve certain items unless one is accustomed to Japanese (or various Asian countries') politeness. If one detects a slight hesitation or grimace, or even an inspecting glance at the inventory when one asks for a certain item, it might be that the chef doesn't really want to serve that item, and one would be advised to wave the request away and ask for something else or let the chef decide.

To the OP's question about tuna. Maybe you heard about the fresh, raw tuna used for sushi and sashimi and not canned tuna? You don't need to spend $200 for awesome sushi in Tokyo. You do however might have to wait in line. The good (to great) places have very reasonable prices (Y3500-4000 for a deluxe set) and the lines will be long. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking of places like Sushi Dai, Daiwa, or Bun in Tsukiji.

Shrines
 

I'm not at all an expert on Shinto shrines, but here are a few of the ones I thought were worth seeing (I also recommend the Miyajima shrine mentioned earlier):

Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto - has a path that is lined with hundreds (thousands) of torii, like going through a tunnel of torii. Makes for good photos.

Toshogu in Nikko - Tokugawa Ieyasu is buried here. My understanding is that this is not a very traditional Japanese shrine, it has heavy Chinese influences. It's incredibly gaudy compared to most shrines, with gold leaf, detailed engraving, and vibrant colors everywhere.

I'm not sure if you have a specific interest in Shinto shrines, but the other major religion in Japan is Buddhism, and there are also many Buddhist temples that are interesting to see - off the top of my head I would say Kinkakuji and Kiyomizudera in Kyoto and Todaiji in Nara.