Yes! The rice was what made it incredible. We had super-fresh sashimi on the coast (the fish we ate were swimming around that morning), but the sushi itself was just ok (it was mind blowing to me at the time, but everyone else said that). Afterward, we also went to a real itamae in the country where the fish wasn't as fresh (that's a joke though, it's still light years ahead of anything you can get in the US in terms of freshness), but the rice and preparation is really what makes it.
I don't mean to hijack your thread but I finally get a chance to talk about this stuff.
