This is a site about traveling in Japan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take it light sometimes too… and parody can be a great way to look at something.
This video was made by the comedy group Rahmens. They do a lot of skits that leave you thinking about Japanese culture, and leave you with a real “it’s funny because it’s true” kind of feeling.
Please keep in mind that this is all done tongue in cheek, but there’s a lot of truth to it. After the video below, I’ll try to elaborate on some of the details of the video to hopefully prepare people visiting Japan for going into a “real” (non-revolving) sushi shop.
Here’s the video: Rahmens – Sushi
As you can see the video is a parody with a bit of truth mixed in. The jokes start early when sushi is referred to as a “snack”. One of my Japanese friends reacted with a laughing snort at the particular joke. It became a full fledged laugh when she saw the woman’s face when she poured sake for the man.
It is true that they refer to soy sauce as “murasaki” which literally means purple, and rice as “shari” which comes from a term used to refer to the bones that remain after the deceased is cremated or the sound that rice makes when you pour it out of the bag.
It is of course not true that the wooden trays that sushi is often served on are called “geta” or that people wear them home… although they do look a bit like the geta that people wear on their feet when wearing kimonos.
All the mention of Japan being a country of courtesy and manners, and the part about things being done the “samurai” way is also said tongue in cheek.
Needless to say that less expensive types of sushi are not made of pressed fish and served on bits of pasta or barley stuck together.
I have seen people claim that the part about eating sushi with your fingers is a joke, but actually this is the way it is done at the best sushi shops. In fact some sushi connoisseurs also say it’s best to flip the sushi upside down when you put it in your mouth so that you can get the full flavor of the fish on your tongue. It depends on the person whether you want to eat with your fingers or chopsticks, where and how much soy sauce you use, and what part of the sushi you place directly on your tongue.
The part about eating endangered animals is also a joke (of course). This is the only part of the video where I’ve seen Japanese friends react negatively. It may have to do with always being picked on for eating whale, but several of my friends who have seen this felt it necessary to insist that they don’t eat endangered animals.
People will also fight over the right to pay the bill but that happens in other countries as well. The older person, also called a “sempai” (senior) would most commonly pay the bill although splitting the bill is also common.
Lastly, no you are not supposed to lick the salt piles outside of the shop. They are put there to ward off evil (kind of like the salt thrown by Sumo wrestlers).
If you have any other questions about the video, feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer. It seems that people who see this video, be they Japanese or not get fooled or confused by some parts because it’s done so poker-faced. A good peace of classic low-key comedy…
… but it makes me want to go out and eat some sushi!