Things in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture just feel big. The city isn't nearly as jam-packed as in Tokyo, but the automotive town's streets are wide and expansive (thank Toyota for that!). And the numerous cafes serve up generous portions that are known as "Nagoya sized" (名古屋サイズ).
But this sushi isn't Nagoya sized. It's utterly insane.
In the nearby Aichi Prefecture city of Anjo, sushi restaurant Umewaka is famous for its jumbo-sized sushi. There's the restaurant's large-sized anago (conger eel) sushi that doesn't use slices of eel—it uses several whole fillets. This "astonishing anago" is priced at ¥2,620 (US$33), according to Eatravel Blog.
The huge sushi insanity doesn't stop there. There's also a "huge sushi roll" that, as Japan Sugoi points out, is stuffed with twenty types of raw seafood and rolled up in a two-meter bed of rice and seaweed. The whole thing weighs nearly six kilograms.
Those interested in the huge sushi roll must reserve it two days in advance—and shell out ¥15,000 ($190).
Because of these ridiculously large servings, Umewaka has appeared on Japanese television several times, so the entire nation can stare at their TV and go, "What the..."
Within the last decade, bonkers-sized food has become increasingly popular in Japan. While Japanese portions have gotten larger when compared to the past and while waistlines have stretched, Japanese portions are still smaller than their American counterparts.
In Japanese food culture, you are expected to clean your plate, and not be wasteful, which makes eating these huge portions difficult. There's a stunt aspect to some of the jumbo-sized meals, such as the recently launched big burger deal at Lotteria as well as the Mega Mac McDonald's burger a few years back.
Umewaka's ginormous rolled sushi (above, image courtesy of Tabelog) would most likely be shared with others, but I can see someone trying to tackle the astonishing anago alone, out of sheer gastro gall.
Still, American sized (アメリカンサイズ) is still the benchmark for big in Japan—except for sushi, where "Nagoya sized" rules.
(Top photo: Eatravel Blog)
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