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Sushi in Totoro – The Collaboration of East and West, Simplicity and Creativity
Teriyaki Beef Bento of Totoro, September 28, 2023, by Zeyuan Fan
Tuna Sushi of Totoro, September 28, 2023, by Zeyuan Fan
Interior Design of Totoro, September 28, 2023, by Zeyuan Fan
by Zeyuan Fan
Despite being the most popular Asian food in the world, I used to refuse to eat sushi because I thought it was only served uncooked and was, therefore, “unhygienic”. However, at 13, my first bite of sushi was an otherworldly experience. The salmon's tenderness, combined with the soft rice, made me fall in love. Since moving to Ann Arbor, I’ve been searching for sushi restaurants that can live up to my childhood experiences.
Enter Totoro on South State Street next to Target, just off campus. My first time there it was on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. Cold and starving, my friends and I decided to dine in. Sitting down at a wooden table, I felt a sense of comfort and a harmonious atmosphere. Witnessing the sushi-making process on the counter, I could feel the chef's skills, concentration, and, therefore, the delicacy and aesthetic value of the products. In addition, the warm feeling of lights above my head and customers’ occasional chitter-chatter all displayed its welcoming and homely ambiance.
Opened in 2003 by Eunkyung “Jane” Kim, Totoro is named after the classic Japanese anime My Neighbor Totoro (Maynard). It had been on my plan for quite a while to check this place out since I heard it was voted the best sushi in Ann Arbor twice (Kane), but it was so popular on weekends that we never got past the crowd.
The menu is primarily Japanese with English explanations. It shows respect for the country of origin and helps the customers understand easily. I got the teriyaki beef bento with California rolls, and we ordered tuna sushi together. The tuna sushi was served first, and the combination instantly amazed us. With the smooth feeling of tuna that shows the freshness of the sea and the pure fragrance of vinegar rice, we devoured it in three minutes.
Another surprise arrived right after: two huge bento boxes. Aside from the portion and the juiciness and tenderness of the meat, I experienced the best California rolls I've ever eaten. The most basic American-style sushi was put on magic, and they were so favorable. If you want to escalate the experience, a gentle dip with soy sauce and wasabi will accomplish the mission. After one year in the U.S., I finally found a place that won my heart. Since then, Totoro and its sushi have become my first choice whenever I run out of meal ideas.
Aside from its fantastic taste, cultural diffusion is another reason I love sushi, as it can be easily proved through the lens of history. First, it has Chinese roots etymologically. The Chinese characters of sushi 鮨 and 鮓 appeared two millennia ago, referring to a fermented dish made from salt and fish. Later, the word was adopted by the Japanese (Farrer). In addition, sushi originated in Southeast Asia and was introduced to Japan in the ninth century. As Buddhism spread, the food became popular there (Avey). Sushi not only symbolizes food, characters, and religious integration among East Asian countries but also plays a crucial part in Asian culture and food’s diffusion into the U.S.. In 1966, a Japanese businessman named Noritoshi Kanai brought a sushi chef and his wife from Japan. He opened a nigiri sushi bar with them inside a Japanese restaurant, Kawafuku, in L.A.'s Little Tokyo (Lohman). Sushi restaurants then started popping up everywhere in L.A. and later the rest of the U.S.. Now, there are nearly 4,000 sushi restaurants in the country (source). Most of them sell traditional sushi and American variations like rolls, including the renowned Totoro. The integration of sushi comes vertically, from South Asia to Japan, and horizontally, from Japan to the US.
Sushi is simple. The only two basic ingredients are rice and seafood. Sushi is interchangeable. People worldwide blended their specialties into sushi, including China’s Peking duck sushi, the U.S.’s California rolls, Mexico’s taco rolls, etc. Sushi is the bridge that connects Eastern and Western culture, and it is constantly bringing positive energy of East Asian culture to the world through various forms with simple and satisfying deliciousness. I love eating sushi, and I appreciate Totoro, which produces it with such high quality.
Work Cited
Avey, Tori, “Discover the History of Sushi.” PBS, 5 September. 2012, https://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-of-sushi
Fan, Zeyuan. Teriyaki beef bento of Totoro. 28 Sept. 2023. Author's personal collection
Fan, Zeyuan. Tuna sushi of Totoro. 28 Sept. 2023. Author's personal collection
Fan, Zeyuan. Interior of Totoro. 28 Sept. 2023. Author's personal collection
Farrer, James. “Oishii: The History of Sushi by Eric C. Rath (Review).” The Journal of Japanese Studies, vol. 49, no. 1, Society for Japanese Studies, pp. 217–21
Kane, Roni, “Best Sushi: Totoro.” The Michigan Daily, 25 October 2022, https://www.michigandaily.com/special/best-of-ann-arbor-2022/best-sushi-totoro/
Lohmann, Sarah, “A Brief History of Sushi in the United States”, Mental Floss, 3 March. 2017,
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/92861/brief-history-sushi-united-states
Maynard, Micheline. “The Return of Jane Kim.” Ann Arbor Observer, 18 January 2022, https://annarborobserver.com/the-return-of-janekim/#:~:text=In%202003%2C%20Eunkyung%20%E2%80%9CJane%E2%80%9D,%2C%20sashimi%2C%20and%20Japanese%20cuisine.
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