味暦 正生（あじごよみ しょうぶ — Restaurant in Matsuyama

As a foreigner, I was met with an undercurrent of indifference that tainted what should have been a joyous experience.

I recently dined here and was genuinely impressed with the quality of the sushi and sashimi – undoubtedly the best I have ever tasted. The food, while possibly excellent, was overshadowed by a palpable sense of unwelcomeness. It’s with a heavy heart that I share my experience, hoping it sheds light on an aspect that greatly needs attention and improvement.

Apart from a young gentleman who showed us basic courtesy, the staff, especially the sushi chef and the young ladies, appeared rather conceited. Their demeanor lacked warmth and hospitality, which is quite disheartening when you’re out for a pleasant meal. When I complimented the food, it was met with nothing more than an arrogant smile, leaving me feeling underappreciated...

Will get the simple stuff out of the way first. The food (chirashi don) tasted decent actually, but a few things led to this negative review.

1. Found a bone in our sashimi. If this happened in North America we'd probably just brush this off but it's unheard of in Japan and our local friends were surprised.

2. There is an unadvertised seat charge (around 3-400yen pp). I think we've learned this is not super uncommon in Japan but we do wish it was displayed/advertised somewhere. This is the only place we were charged a seat charge on our trip. They made it even more confusing/misleading because they had a English menu that was apparently including tax and a Japanese menu that didn't so it looked like they charged foreigners more.

3. This might be subjective but the servers all looked like they hated their jobs and...

The presentation is nice, but unfortunately the overall quality was disappointing. The fish slices were too thick, making them difficult to bite through, and the texture was overly chewy—almost like gum. The sea urchin lacked freshness, and I couldn’t finish the entire plate. Additionally, there was a strong fishy smell on the ground floor that affected the dining experience. I’d recommend sharpening the knives, as the cuts looked quite rough—almost as if they were made...