Jiro Dreams of Sushi Page #5

There are dynamics in the way

the sushi is served, just like music.

You're consuming Jiro's philosophy

with every bite.

ANAGO (SALT-WATER EEL)

KANPYO-MAKI (DRIED GOURD ROLL)

TAMAGOYAKI (GRILLED EGG)

He's watching us much more closely

than we're watching him.

I make the sushi different sizes

depending on the customer's gender.

If I made everybody's the same size.

It would disrupt the pace of the meal.

So, I make the sushi a little smaller

for the ladies.

That's incredible.

If the men and women are seated randomly

does it make things difficult?

The first thing we do is memorize

the seating arrangement.

If Jiro notices a guest

using his left hand...

the next piece of sushi

will be placed on the left side.

So, you adjust accordingly

to that guest.

I'm left handed,

so I understand

how left handed people feel.

That's so considerate.

Jiro is making more sushi

now than ever before.

Before, customers

would start with drinks.

And then they would eat appetizers.

Then they would eat four

or five sushi at the end.

And then they would be full.

Now, I only make sushi

from start to finish.

I make twenty pieces per person.

Jiro is the oldest chef to have

been awarded three stars by Michelin.

He's in the Guinness Book

of World Records.

Nobody in their eighties

is working day and night like Jiro.

Jiro was given the Meikou Award

by the Japanese government.

He went to the award ceremony

during the day...

and was back at work here

in the evening.

He said he got tired

of sitting around.

When we have good tuna,

I feel great.

While I'm making the sushi...

I feel victorious.

That's how it makes me feel.

Thank you for the delicious meal.

Take care of yourself!

Thank you very much.

The sushi was so delicious.

Thank you very much.

Until the end, I only want to work

with the best fish.

Yoshikazu and I have

meetings at night.

I tell him what I want

for the next day.

He'll sometimes tell me that

there isn't any good fish available.

But he still comes back

with enough fish for one day.

I first noticed that good seafood

was becoming scarce when...

the akagai started to disappear.

And then, the good hamaguri disappeared.

It used to be easy to get good anago.

But now they're gone.

If you have a sushi restaurant...

You'll have to find substitutes

for certain types of fish.

But is there a substitute for tuna?

I don't think so.

Back when I was younger...

there was never a shortage

of high quality fish.

In the past, when I would

go to the market...

I could see the big tuna

that were just cut open...

And I would ask them

to bring out the ones I like.

That was true for any fish.

You can't find fish like

that anymore.

When we were kids sushi

was too expensive

to eat regularly.

Now, they have sushi on conveyor belts

and in convenience stores.

Sushi is available everywhere,

which has caused a shortage of fish.

The problem is over-fishing.

The tuna stocks

are declining each year.

It takes ten years

for them to weigh ten kilograms.

Net fishing and bottom trawling

catch everything,

even the young fish.

There should be enforced regulations

on catching only bigger fish.

Catching the smaller fish

before they've matured

lowers the overall number.

Businesses should balance profit

with preserving natural resources.

Without fish, we can't do business.

However, that doesn't mean they should

catch all the fish to the brink of extinction.

For posterity we must be conscious of this issue.

In the summer of 201 O, Jiro returned to

his hometown of Hamamatsu to visit old friends.

Welcome!

It has been a while.

How are you doing?

How are you?

I'm doing great!

We're still alive!

What are you saying?

This is my oldest son.

He looks just like you.

Thank you for gathering.

When Jiro and this guy

were in the first grade...

they were infamous troublemakers.

I wasn't a bully.

He was.

He was the number one troublemaker.

I was number two.

Later, when you were at school...

I was delivering lunches

for military draftees.

She brought all her friends

to the window...

and they all looked down at me...

and she yelled,

He's the one who bullied me!"

I said, I'm not just bullying her,

I'm bullying everyone!"

They'll get mad at us

if we go in.

You're not supposed to clap

your hands at a Buddhist temple.

Of course. Did you know that?

Yes, you don't clap

in a Buddhist shrine.

You're going to get in trouble.

It's okay,

I'm not doing anything bad.

Where is everybody?

I haven't been here for a long time.

The flowers are dead.

Yes, they are.

Just water them.

I guess we were supposed

to bring flowers.

Maybe next time.

I don't know why I come here.

My parents didn't take care of me.

You shouldn't say things like that

in front of your ancestors.

You'll be punished.

Lots of spider webs...

When I was in school...

I was a bad kid.

Later, when I was invited

to give a talk at the school...

I wasn't sure if I should tell the kids

that they should study hard...

or that it is okay to be a rebel.

I wasn't sure what advice

to give the kids.

Studying hard doesn't guarantee

you will become a respectable person.

Even if you're a bad kid...

there are people like me who change.

I thought that would be

a good lesson to teach.

But if I said that bad kids

can succeed later on like I did...

all the kids would start misbehaving,

which would be a problem.

Always doing what you are told

doesn't mean you'll succeed in life.

There were customers today

that came to eat

after seeing us on TV...

I am usually the one on TV

and I'm the one making the sushi...

which is what the customers expect.

They think that Nakazawa is just the guy

who carries the fish from the kitchen.

Customers think all that Yoshikazu

does is cut the fish...

They think that the staff

in the kitchen have it easy.

And they think the master

making sushi has the hardest job.

But in reality, the sushi

is 95% complete

before the fish is brought out to me.

So, the guy who is doing the least work

gets to take all the limelight.

I entrust all the preparations

to these guys.

I'm in the luckiest position right now.

Customers still think

that he does all the preparations.

They probably do.

They think he still does everything.

But if you think about it...

They're all just doing

what I taught them.

Is sushi easily misunderstood?

The person making the sushi

is almost like a performer.

It is misunderstood that way.

Compared to tempura or soba chefs...

Sushi chefs are more interesting

to watch.

That may be true.

It's like the sushi chef is on a stage.

That may be true.

My job is the easiest!

If I don't keep working,

my body will become worthless.

If my body stops functioning,

then I will have to quit.

Or if I look too hideous

to be here, then I will retire.

It's not up to me.

If the customers see me and think

that I look too senile...

If that's what people think,

then I will have no choice.

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