Jiro Dreams of Sushi-the Sipirt of Shokunin

Talking about Japanese cuisine, Sushi and Ramen crossed my mind along with a name, Jiro Ono, the most admired sushi master, the owner of the Sukiyabashi Jiro, a three-Michelin star sushi restaurant in Tokyo. As a Sushi lover, being able to dine at Sukiyabashi is the greatest pleasure. When I was reading the book written by Robert Iger, "The Ride of Life Time," he heartily recommended a documentary film - Jiro dreams of sushi, directed by David Gelb, a must-watch film by all the executives at Disney. That's how I get to know this movie.

Followed Mr. Iger's recommendation, I immediately watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Indeed, this is such an inspiring film. It brought a vivid picture of Jiro's everyday life from purchasing ingredients, creating sushi to serving customers, along with an in-depth interview with Jiro and his sons throughout the film.

My biggest takeaway from this documentary film is the spirit of Shokunin (craftsman spirit), which makes Jiro the greatest sushi chef alive. It is the relentless pursuit of perfection and the true love and passion for making a perfect piece of sushi. He said he would want to keep making sushi, till the day he cannot move. Repeatedly doing the same thing for more than fifty years, every time Jiro makes sushi, he takes it as the first time, and he thinks it could be done better. Every minor detail, such as the temperature of sushi when serving customers, matters to him. Being his apprentice is one of the most challenging jobs in the world because the apprentice has to learn even how to cook an egg for ten years.

Can't the spirit of Shokunin be applied to one's life? The answer is yes. Doing things that you are truly passionate about and do it 100%. Keeping in mind that the pursuit of perfection is a no end road, you can always be better than you were yesterday. When you are not growing today, you start dying.