Re-Ment’s Puchi Petite Collections are tiny, incredibly detailed, and often food-focused toys from Japan. The global cuisine includes assortments ranging from Luxury French to American Kitchen. One of my personal favorites, The Re-Ment Sushi Bar, features campy titles like “Wasabi Makes my Eyes Watery” and “I Want to Eat Sweet Grilled Egg!” Each box is sold blind-style and contains mouth-watering miniatures like avocado rolls and fatty tuna, as well as the necessities like chopsticks, hand towels and tea. You can find Puchi Petites in many toy stores and of course, on eBay. And as you might imagine, there are several Re-Ment Flickr groups. From a 1cm. perfectly-formed donut to a 1-inch plate of oysters on ice, Re-Ment puts the kitch in kitchen. Yum.

A good vinyl toy should be more than a status symbol or dust collector: it should connect with you as an art form, and in an ideal situation, you should feel something. When I look at Andrew Bell’s upcoming O-No Sushi figure, I feel the polarity of consumption: desire and guilt simultaneously. Based on Andrew’s Never Look Back artwork, these toys will be one of the must-have items of the San Diego Comic-Con and summer in general. Each figure (exclusive blue and standard red) has articulated limbs, severed tentacles, extra eyes, sushi, bowl and terrific packaging. This is the second sushi toy I’ve reviewed in as many days. Sushi toy trending? Check out many more snaps of O-No Sushi here. � More delicious pictures after the jump.

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With a few locations around Tokyo, Uoshins is my new favorite Japanese sushi spot. It’s affordable, incredibly fresh (fish is laid out on ice when you walk in) and casual. The location I went to in Nogizaka is an old converted gas stand with outdoor/indoor seating and a great, fun, buzzing atmosphere. Make sure to try the uni, maguro-kama, and just about anything else on the menu (which is in Japanese, so good luck reading it, just smile and ask for Omakase, the chefs choice…)

Directions and map (thanks Alex) in English after the jump.

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What do the words Austin, Texas make you think of? Music? Cowboys? Richard Linklater? Okay, fair enough, but what if I told you sushi? Its true, mixed up with all the BBQ, steaks and Mexican food is the amazing sushi restaurant Uchi. We know what you are thinking, “It must be good for Texas sushi standards’, but this sushi bar is amazing. A renovated old house just south of the river and across the street from the landmark Alamo Draft House theater (another Austin gem) provides great interior design to chow down colorful fish. Recent Iron Chef contestant Tyson Cole heads up the creative dishes that look like little pieces of art (and for the price it may as well be art). If you are in Austin and need your Japanese cusine itch scratched, Uchi can do that and them some. Just don’t expect a table when you head down for SXSW.

If you live in Boulder, you know Hapa. It’s the place to eat Magic Mushrooms and Multiple Orgasm Rolls, drink Purple Haze Sake, and listen to some of the best DJ sets in Boulder. The food may be somewhat Americanized, but it’s still very tasty. For some time now, there have been two Hapas in Boulder — one on Pearl Street, and one on the college-crazed “Hill.” The crowd is very different at each to say the least. I’ve always enjoyed the experience at Hapa on the Hill; Ken Yuasa, the manager, always does a great job of staffing it with great people. Needless to say, I was both excited and disappointed when Hapa on the Hill closed its doors after the spring semester to do a big remodel. Ken has shared photos with me throughout the process, and they really did a number on the place — not only has it been expanded to be over twice the size (the old one was pretty small– not a bad thing necessarily), but they’ve also added plenty of orange and black Hapa flair, not to mention a huge new bar. I’ve included a photo here of the ‘almost finished’ product, but you get the idea. Today it reopens with — as Ken put it — a “soft launch.” If you’re in Boulder, head up to the Hill and try to make sure the launch isn’t so soft, will ya?

I think Analog has reeled in a big one with these Combat Sushi Boardshorts. They’re a sure conversation starter for around-town wear, and have the technical construction we’ve come to expect from Burton sub-brand Analog for in-water use. For those of you who’d actually go surfing in these trunks, they feature a 22″ outseam, welded hems, smooth inseams to prevent chaffing and hang-ups, a cargo pocket with laser drainage holes, a zip fly, and last but not least, a wax comb. When you’re in the water, however, be wary of the grief stricken tuna, salmon, eel, and shrimp that’ll surely be out to avenge the death of their loved ones who just so happened end up on your shorts. These cost around $50, and you can order them through one of the suggested online retailers via Analog’s store finder.

Anyone who has been reading this site for more than a few months knows I have high expectations when it comes to Sushi. In fact, I’m not really ashamed to say I’m a complete snob when it comes to eating my raw fish. Quite luckily, my world travels have allowed me to experience a lot of ‘takes’ on sushi, from all you can eat versions in middle-of-nowhere USA, the full luxury ‘Lamborghini of sushi experience in Ginza,’ to eating Toro sliced right off the belly of a 500lb tuna in the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo at 5am right before my eyes, so fresh it was literally swimming in my mouth. Suffice it to say when someone says “this is the best sushi restaurant I’ve ever eaten at” — although I always take them up on an offer to experience it first hand — I’m always a little bit wary of what the ‘best’ means to them. Shoji Sushi in South Beach, despite the hour wait (even though we had a reservation a month in advance) was quite delicious– a top-choice recommendation from a friend. In my traditional ‘reviewing process’ I left it up to the kitchen and wait-staff to order their favorites for us. We had quite the spread. Top picks included spicy rock shrimp tempura, bonito ceviche, and an array of rolls of which I’ll never know the name, but of which I’ll always remember the taste and presentation. Dessert was most memorable though, a tempura cheesecake in a bath of creamy carmel that stopped us all in our tracks– extraordinary and immensely enjoyable. By the time we left we had completely forgotten how long we waited to eat; the cuisine was truly worth every second.

When I first took my father to a sushi dinner, my brother and I convinced him that the wasabi was guacamole. Suffice to say, he was surprised at the flavor he encountered when he took a generous glob of the green to the dome. Despite this isolated instance of trickery with my land-lubber dad, Wasabi is a crucial part of my sushi experience, and I have a great appreciation for the authentic — not the faux mix of horseradish, mustard, and food coloring you find in most sushi restaurants — but the mountain grown goodness that you’ll find in Real Wasabi products . Real Wasabi is certified organic, and brings a ‘fiery taste, smooth finish’ flavor to a host of products. I recommend going with the Wasabi Lover’s Gift Box ($45) if you want to experiment with goodies like wasabi ranch and wasabi balsamic vinaigrette salad dressings, and wasabi teriyaki and wasabi peanut sauces. The gift boxes also come with authentic wasabi powder– add water and you’ll have paste for sushi. Another tidbit I learned from using Real Wasabi products is that wasabi has powerful antibacterial and other health-positive properties– perfect for wintery, holiday season immune boosting.

Restaurants in the homeland aren’t what one might expect. Although soba and udon are daily fare at the thousands of noodle shops spread across Tokyo and nabe (a sort of rice stew made with fish or meat and vegetables) is a common lunch everywhere, specialties like tofu or sushi are more often found at establishments featuring only one or the other – this is the Japanese way. It was Americans who assembled the food groups to make the kind of restaurants most of us know – a commodity not all that common in Tokyo. One welcome visit to the more western version of the formula, Rainbow Roll in the convenient Minato-ku area, made us feel right at home. Rainbow offers seating at a small sushi counter, banquettes, tables, modern tatami spaces or at a long central counter island where eight of us shared most of the menu. A full selection of sashimi, nigari sushi and a variety of delicious rolls that include most of the familiar ones (dragon roll, spider roll, salmon skin hand roll and the namesake rainbow) made for an evening of high end dining on par with the top NY, LA or London best-ofs at about the same price point. Lovely tempura, sweet, creamy tofu and wonderfully flavorful, succulent soft shell crab were all winners. The uni was near perfection served with good sake, a modern, buzzing interior and sesame ice cream for dessert, who could ask for more?

When hungry foreigners first descend upon Tokyo, sushi is often high on their list. Noodle counters seem more plentiful than sushi bars in Tokyo, but for either fare one had better have some inside knowledge to be certain you’ll taste something beyond the ordinary. Gaijin might not mind mixing their metaphors, but be clear that the Japanese rarely mix sushi with mundane offerings like tofu, tempura or teriyaki at the same establishment. If you want sushi in Tokyo, go to a sushi bar. Full stop. And we’ve found one you’ll love.

Forget your budget for one night (take some profit in AAPL or cash in a CD) and go right to the Ginza. Don’t be distracted by the limos lined up outside Kyubei or the paparazzi across from Rainbow Roll. They both give glitter, but we found the crown jewel. Walk down Namiki Dori Street to the Dolce & Gabbana store at the corner of Miyuki Dori Street – and cross the street. Through the modern, circular tube door, take the lift to the 6th floor and enter Ginza Seamon. Breathe and be present – you are in sacred surroundings. Settle in at the long counter and forget the menu. Just tell the master sushi chef to bring on the “full course.” Choose some sake, wine or champagne from the extensive list, and be quiet. In 60 seconds, you will be in a state of pure bliss.

First, cleanse your palette with crisp grated radish (daikon) and tiny button mushroom (nameko). That’s green tea silken tofu with sea urchin (uni) that melts in your mouth, transparent flounder (hirmae) with a hint of sweet, freshly grated horseradish (wasabi) that teases your palate. A thin sliver of shiny mackerel (saba) wiggles (I swear it moved) as drops of fine soy sauce (shoyu) glisten on its surface, bluefin tuna belly (toro) is like egg white parfait that dissolves in 3 seconds. Before this, “melts like soft butter” were words one might employ to describe fine sashimi, but butter is four times more dense than the dark red belly tuna (toro) acquired by Seamon’s mastermind Kimihiko Araya for this and his two other jewels, Bar Masq and Shellfish Ginza Kazan around the corner. Red sea bream (tai) served with cubes of tender ginger (ginger), roasted head of Mantis shrimp, yellow striped butterfish with boiled Kyoto eggplant (nasu), white spotted conger sea eel (anago) masquerades as a juicy mango, purplish amberjack with Japanese lemon (yuzu), parrot bass striped break perch with Japanese mint leaf (chiso), dark banded rockfish and Atlantic cutlass fish with chewy, pickled seaweed (shio kombu) all arrive in a precise procession of mind blowing perfection and sumptuous simplicity. An egg cake (tamago) and a superb coconut, apricot soy and kuzu custard (sort of a Chinese digestif) ends the meal.

Asking how much a meal like this will cost is like wondering how many miles per gallon you’ll get in your Lamborghini. Just go with one other person (there were six of us) and fly home in economy. That should just about cover it. Be clear that nothing you order at your favorite local sushi haunt will ever taste the same again, that is unless you live on Chuo Dori Street. If there is fresher sushi anywhere, it’s still swimming. An absolutely phenomenal dinner is guaranteed.

I’m in Chicago right now for a quick presentation–unfortunately not long enough to check out much more than a few places. I did however get a chance to eat at Japonais, an exceptional Japanese restaurant right on the Chicago River. It has won the hearts of many locals and everyone I spoke with recommended it with high-praise– and they were right. Try the Rainbow Capriccio, the sweet potato roll, and probably almost anything else on the menu and you’ll be quite satisfied. Others in my party had the Kobe Prime Rib with Uni Hollandaise sauce and they all said it was delicious. Don’t fret– you don’t need to plan a trip out to the windy city to get a taste. Japonais has plans of opening in New York on Union Square and in Las Vegas at the Mirage Hotel this summer.

Since 1987, Wakaba Restaurant has remained hidden behind a single curved acid-etched facade, a mysterious barrier between the restaurant and the busy street outside. Wakaba is a signature John Pawson design, minimalist to the max. For several years, the restaurant didn’t even have a sign– it has a plain white entrance, with a matching stark white interior, like an exclusive club. Everything is kept behind lacquered doors, and all the furniture is made of white oiled beechwood. Across the street from the Finchley Road tube station, the restaurant finally has a sign– so it isn’t as difficult to find. The restaurant is family run– and your fresh fish will no doubt be made by the founding father, Mr. Yoshihara, and you will no doubt be waited on by one of his daughter. It’s gaining its reputation as one of the finest traditional Japanese restaurants in London, every visit I’ve had has always been a delight. It’s quiet, and almost a bit secretive- my party spent an easy 3 hours there, until closing, and we were the only table there! The food is a treat, get the miso glazed black cod– you won’t be disappointed.

Wakaba is at 122a Finchley Road, London, NW3 5HT, Phone: 020 7586 7960

Sushi USB Drives, need I say more? Yum, cool!