I've been going to Japan every year for quite a while now, but I never get tired of a plate of sashimi this gorgeous. This was just the first of many courses at the fabulous Yamadaya, an izakaya near the famous Tsukiji fish market that chef Nobuo Fukuda had recommended to me last year. They were closed for some remodeling at the time, so this go-round, they were at the top of my list. Our server recommended eating the sashimi with a dab of wasabi and sea salt instead of soy sauce.
My old friends Yuko and Chinatsu were my enthusiastic dining companions. I've been going out to eat with these girls since college, and I owe a lot of my Japanese food geek knowledge to experiences we've shared.