Uber Failed Me, Risking the Greatest Sushi Dinner of My Life
Zama, Japan
I was looking forward to dinner at Takezushi, the restaurant owned by my sister-in-law’s childhood friend. I’d been there nine years ago during my first trip to Japan, and I had the best, freshest sushi with a personal explanation of what we were eating. Waka-san is a master.
Sushi and sashimi from Takezushi Restaurant
My brother Tim and his wife Yoshiko had made reservations for our second night in Japan. We would have the place to ourselves with our whole crew – me; my sister and her husband; Jamie, our brother currently living in Japan; Tim and Yoshiko; and Yoshiko’s brother and his wife. The three of us staying at my brother’s house would meet Tim and Yoshiko at the Machida train station. Then we’d take the train a few stops to the area of the restaurant and walk to the restaurant.
You have to look closely to see the English labels on the train route.
After a long day of walking and sightseeing, I wasn’t looking forward to the cold, half-mile walk to the train station followed by a 20-minute walk to the restaurant. I was having a little problem with my knees and hated the thought of stressing them more. I’d seen an ad at the airport for Uber in Japan, and I remembered how perfectly Uber worked in France. I pulled up the app and saw that one was readily available. Ha! I am the queen of travel! I know how to use all the tools at my disposal! Why schlep to the station and arrive worn-out at the restaurant? We would arrive in style.
About 15 minutes before we wanted to leave, I ordered the Uber and watched as the app kept telling me to be patient while it found a driver. I waited. And waited. Finally, we had to give up and run for the train. We threw on our coats and gloves and rushed up the street. We could just make the train, but we weren’t sure of the train stop for the restaurant. We’d already told Tim and Yoshiko to go on without us, and we hadn’t confirmed the train stop since I was depending on Uber. As we hurried, I tried calling Tim but I was now off the wireless network and my mobile phone was not connecting to a cellular network. My sister and her husband hadn’t activated their international call plans. Our brother Jamie was driving to the restaurant directly from work, and we couldn’t call him either.
There we were, trying to get to an 8 p.m. reservation, and we didn’t know the train stop, couldn’t call for help, couldn’t call a taxi, and couldn’t use GPS for train info or walking directions. Our only hope was to get off at a busy train stop and hope to find a taxi. I tried not to think about the fact that we couldn’t speak Japanese and it was likely a driver wouldn’t speak English. The only thing we had going for us was a text — in English — that showed the name and address of the restaurant.
We were familiar with the Sagami Ono stop with its attached shopping center, and we thought it was in the direction of the restaurant. When we got off the train, we guessed at the direction to go, walked past shops and down stairs, and frantically searched for signs of taxis. We found one driver, sitting in his taxi, but when I showed him the address on my phone, he shook his head. If he spoke English, he certainly didn’t indicate it. We weren’t sure if he was waiting on another fare or if he just didn’t want to deal with us. With no other taxis in sight, we walked back up to the train platform, across to the other side, and down the steps to another street where a taxi was parked along the sidewalk and letting out another fare.
I was so relieved when he nodded at the address I showed and plugged it in to his GPS. The three of us squeezed into the small back seat and off we went, hoping that we were going to the right place. I knew the restaurant was small and on an out-of-the-way neighborhood street. When he stopped, I thought I recognized the front door. I have never been so happy to pay $17 in my life. We arrived at Takezushi only five minutes late and walked in to find everyone standing around waiting for us. I especially hated to keep Yoshiko’s brother waiting. Nine years ago, he’d rightfully questioned my choice of footwear, subtly, of course, and he turned out to be correct when my “comfortable” shoes were not up to the task of walking in Japan. Now he was surprised to hear we were planning to come by Uber. Waka-san had been pressing Tim to find out what time everyone would get there because of his carefully timed meal.
Waka-san and his wife served course after course of fabulous food. This is my memory of what I ate: a small bowl of some type of chicken soup. Pickled radish (daikon). Delicate sushi rolls. The freshest sashimi. Melt-in-your mouth raw Kobe beef. Hot sake. Some kind of sweet fried dough for dessert. Here is additional detail from my sister-in-law: chawan-mushi (steamed egg custard with mushrooms, chicken, and bamboo), nimono (cooked vegetables), medium fatty tuna, flounder, salmon, egg, shrimp, conger eel, and Japanese black beef (all raw), negitoro maki (chopped fatty tuna with sliced green, kappa maki (cucumber roll), miso soup, and sweet mochi with soy flour.
We laughed and talked and relaxed around the long table. I almost forgot some of my guilt over causing the scramble to get there. This queen of travel felt humbled. And I was happy that we could jump into my brother’s car for the ride home.
__________
Tips & Recommendations
Addresses: Always have your addresses – destinations and lodging – in writing. In addition to having it on my phone, I try to have it on paper in case of a dead battery or connectivity issues. Be sure the address is clear and letters and numbers are recognizable in the language of the area.
Uber in Foreign Countries: Even if it’s available, it may not be available in every location. And even if the app shows cars in the area, you may not receive a confirmation when you call one. Have a Plan B.
Raw Kobe Beef: Is it okay to eat raw beef? Yes, Wagyu beef sushi is safe to eat, as long as it's prepared properly and comes from a reliable source. Wagyu beef is prized for its exceptional marbling, tenderness, and flavor, which makes it an excellent choice for sushi and other raw or lightly seared dishes, such as beef tataki and carpaccio. This AI summary explains the difference between “Kobe” and “Wagyu”: "Kobe" is a specific type of Wagyu beef, meaning all Kobe beef is considered Wagyu, but not all Wagyu beef is Kobe; essentially, Kobe is a high-quality, geographically restricted variety of Wagyu that comes from the Hyogo prefecture of Japan, while Wagyu refers to a broader category of Japanese beef breeds with different origins across the country; Kobe is generally considered to be of higher quality due to its stricter production standards and unique characteristics.
Neighborhood Restaurants: Small, family-run restaurants are common in Japan and are great options. Here is a guide to all the types of restaurants you will find.