The Film

The importance of sushi in Japanese culture and the esteem in which it is held is revealed in its name. The Japanese usually refer to it as o-sushi with the honourific prefix o.

So begins director Toshimi Ono’s OH! SUSHI -- a savoury journey that commences with the uncovering the origins of the popular BC roll but leads to the discovery of so much more.

The only sight more common than a Starbucks coffee shop in Vancouver is a sushi restaurant. It is so much a part of the local culinary culture that there is even a sushi roll that bears its name: the BC roll.

Alyssa Ono, a second generation Japanese-Canadian is our guide in this film. To Alyssa, the BC roll represents the seamless marriage of east and west in a quintessentially Vancouver way. It has even gained enough notoriety to become a mascot for the Vancouver Canadians team!

Alyssa’s quest to uncover the origins of the BC roll begins with proprietor and sushi chef, Hidekazu Kobotake of the popular downtown ‘fast food’ restaurant, Sushi Zero One. Then she visits Sandbar Sushi, tucked away on Granville Island and run by the charismatic veteran sushi chef, Tsutomu Hoshi, referred to endearingly as Hoshi-san. Here she sits comfortably at the sushi counter, the ideal place to enjoy the full experience of sushi, and begins a journey of a different kind.

Through their engaging conversations, we learn about his rigorous 10-year apprenticeship in Japan to become a proper sushi chef and the struggle of introducing sushi to a new culture. We learn about the art of communication and the importance of building meaningful relationships with customers and vice versa. And witness the care, refinement and beauty that Hoshi-san brings to his work.

OH! SUSHI - From the Land of the BC Roll with Love is an engaging and delectable journey into the heart of what it means to truly appreciate the past, present and future of sushi. 

Languages English & Japanese                              Length 47 min 28 s


This documentary was made possible with 100% funding from the OMNI Television Independent Producers Initiative.