Perspectives on Japan: Sushi Shock by Sheena Chew, Research Assistant At the International Symposium on ALS/MND we learned about research on topics from epidemiology to new technologies for communication, and it was fantastic to hear perspectives from prominent scientists and clinicians from around the world. But outside of the symposium we learned a great lesson too… The last day we were in Tokyo, the three most adventurous eaters in our group and I decided we could not leave Japan without having tried sushi. The entire trip we had not ingested any raw fish. It was time to step over to the dark side. The four of us traveled to Roppongi Hills – the Tokyo equivalent of Fifth Avenue on steroids – and found an adorable little sushi restaurant tucked away on a second floor behind some buildings. It was late, around 9 pm; we were terribly hungry so we stepped inside even though there was no menu or pricing outside the restaurant. We were delighted to be the only patrons in the restaurant and sat down at the bar as our sushi chef prepared, one by one, the freshest sushi I have ever tasted. As he placed the pieces of raw fish wrapped on rice on our plates, he would murmur what they were. "Tuna… shrimp… mackerel… sea urchin… eel…" We would gather our courage, sip our green tea, and then take a bite. Delicious! Who would have thought that sea urchin would be so delectable? As our meal came to a close we sat happily, chatting about our trip and about our excitement to return home. The restaurant owner brought us our bill, a small piece of paper with a single number written on it in marker. We looked at our bill and it took a second to register… 85,000 Yen. Two hundred dollars a person! That is a round trip ticket from JFK to Orlando! Our immediate reaction was to laugh hysterically and pay the bill. What else could we have done? Wash dishes for weeks or sprint out of the store? Though I’m sure those thoughts went through our minds we pulled out our wallets, paid, and laughed our entire way home. Lesson learned: make sure you check prices before entering a sushi restaurant in Japan, or you might be in for a shock. In the end, though- it was worth it, if not for the delicious food and cultural experience, but for this story we can share with you now.