Louisville Restaurants Forum

Nyotaimori 'Naked Sushi' at RAW

Louisville, KY – Get ready to feast your eyes and your stomach on cutting edge local artwork. RAW Sushi Lounge is excited to announce the return of our popular Nyotaimori 'Naked Sushi' contemporary art show event on March 15, 2007. On display along side various mediums of contemporary artwork from local artists, will be the live performance art of Nyotaimori, the Japanese tradition of artfully displaying sushi on the female body.

The Nyotaimori sushi buffet will include nigiri, sashimi, and sushi rolls displayed on our models alongside butlered fusion hors d'oeurves from Chef Evan Clark. Complementary sparkling wine will also be flowing all night long accompanying the sounds of our resident DJ.

Make your reservations today for this private event as spaces are limited. Cost is $50 per person, reservations required. Pick up tickets at the restaurant or call for reservations.

March 15, 2007, 7 p.m.

<B>RAW Sushi Lounge</b>
520 S. Fourth St.
(502) 585-5880
Fax: (502) 585-5580
http://www.rawsushilounge.com

I will make the same comment that I made when this was posted previously.

It is wrong on so many levels.

It has a Japanese name Nyotaimori, but it is apparently not a Japanese tradition.

Leah s wrote:I will make the same comment that I made when this was posted previously.

It is wrong on so many levels.

Agree. I just don't get it.

Charles W. wrote:It has a Japanese name Nyotaimori, but it is apparently not a Japanese tradition.

It's certainly not unique to RAW. Google on the single word <i>Nyotaimori</i> and you'll get 28,900 hits, most of them from U.S. restaurants using surprisingly similar language.

Says Wikipedia:

<i>The practice is not common in Japan and generally associated with the Portuguese and the yakuza.[verification needed] Western media reporting of the phenomenon spreading to the U.S. and Germany severely misrepresents this to the point that it is perceived in Japan as a European meme.</i>

The first time they did it actually made me never want to go there again. The second time makes it a definate. This is a ridiculously shameless attempt to get patronage. I remember when this was done and stopped back in 2001 in New York I believe and I am sure that wasn't even close to being the first but it might have been in the US. So not only is it pitiful, it's hackneyed. I have read that in Japan it is usually associated with prostitution and the Yakuza clan gangsters. Americans and Europeans have dubbed it "ART". It's "art" alright, the "art" of marketing. Oh the pretense of it. So way to go RAW! Instead of good advertising why not try good food instead of just average for sushi in Louisville?

Your quote there Robin is the same one that I read but the one I read replaced Portuguese with prostitution. I think WIKI got it wrong

Since I always serve food on platters or plates, is this any sort of health code violation? You are supposed to eat the sushi right off the woman, right? I mean with chopsticks and all. Hopefully . . .

In Japan they eat right off the woman's skin, here they eat off whatever "creative" foliage they placed on the woman. I am just curious if there are naked men involved or is it only women? Curious? Oh wait it's art but it did get it's roots from the big P word in Japan. Hmmmmmm

Besides I would rather sit down with a lotus blossom from Sapporo where there is less chance of psoriasis. I prefer not to bring a Dermatologist with me to my dining experiences.

John R. wrote:In Japan they eat right off the woman's skin, here they eat off whatever "creative" foliage they placed on the woman. I am just curious if there are naked men involved or is it only women? Curious? Oh wait it's art but it did get it's roots from the big P word in Japan. Hmmmmmm

Besides I would rather sit down with a lotus blossom from Sapporo where there is less chance of psoriasis. I prefer not to bring a Dermatologist with me to my dining experiences.

According to what I've read, it is mostly a European and U.S. phenomenon and actually quite rare in Japan.

They actually had enough of a turnout to do this again? Do they name any of the "local" artists who are showing their work? I agree with Leah, this is wrong on so many levels.

I read the same thing you did Charles W. Robin's wiki exerpt covered that so I didn't want to reiterate. I wanted to point out that it started in Japan and that it wasn't because of art or food. I just wanted to make sure that people knew it was associated with prostitution and a very dangerous gang. Not exactly high society....well not that they want known. I guess they need all the help from novelties so that people won't realize how boring their food is.

Gotcha. Yes . . . a bit more "exciting" in the Japanese context.

Yeah, well, this is a thing I've never been able to appreciate the way some folks apparently appreciate it. The prostitution link made a lot of sense to me, and the whole thing smacks of the pornographic, not that I have anything against porn, although maybe I shouldn't qualify myself to that degree. But anyway, it reminds me of that movie with Kim Basinger and whatshisname (Mickey somethingorother), the one I've never seen all the way through and catch bits of it once in a blue moon flipping through stations. The shot that sticks, Basinger, nearly naked and quivering in front of an open refrigerator and then the requisite strawberry hovering over an open mouth.

So, I dunno. If I want sex,... well, anyway.... If I want whipped cream? Please. I'll take it with pie, thanks just the same.

To me (as others have said), the whole thing just kinda reeks of degredation and lack of sanitation. I am all for food and nudity, but certainly not in a public setting! Ack!

The movie you're thinking of is 9 1/2 Weeks, BTW.