That is around the same time we were there. I will agree that there are some places in Tokyo that have decent sushi, but they’ve all had waits as well (certainly not as long), but nothing I’ve had over the years has been as good as Sushi Dai (I haven’t made it to Jiro yet). The main reason it takes forever to get in is the fact they are obviously very small and only do one seating at a time rather than have people in and out constantly.

Pretty much everyone else we met in line were food travelers like ourselves who had already eaten sushi throughout Japan as well.. We lived in Asia for four years and the truth is, most decent places and certainly the top ones, all have long queues — everything from our neighborhood dumpling shop to the Taiwanese shaved ice place (which coincidentally opened a branch in Tokyo this year — 5 hour queue when it opened). I think when it becomes part of your daily norm, you become a bit desensitized to it.

I guess it really comes down to individual travel style as well. I’m incredibly lucky to visit Japan 2-4 times a year so spending a few hours queuing for a restaurant isn’t that big of a deal. I’ve had a number of people who tell me I’m nuts for dropping $400 or more on one dinner, but then I’ve met people who’ve flown halfway around the world JUST for that one $400 dinner,

In the end, we actually had a fun time in line. We met some interesting people and talked a lot about food experiences and favorite places to eat around the world. And, we all got seated together, so it became more like a private kitchen dining experience with friends.