The most important thing for nigiri sushi is the vinegared rice. The temperature of the rice is also very important, and body temperature keeps the taste of the nigiri constant. If the sushi is too hot or too cold, you won't be able to make sushi that satisfies your customers.

We try to have the rice cooked about 30 minutes before customers arrive so that they can say, "The nigiri sushi there is delicious." It takes about 60 minutes for the rice to be washed and cooked in an iron pot. After the rice is cooked, vinegar is poured over it, it is cooled, transferred to a rice bowl, and placed in a warabitsu to keep it warm. After about 30 minutes, the rice will have absorbed the vinegar, and each grain will have just the right firmness, making it the most delicious moment to eat it.

In other words, body temperature is the ideal temperature for sushi.

The sushi rice is made to taste slightly sour, but in midsummer the sourness is strengthened.
The salt used is coarse salt from salt fields where bittern forms.
The rice itself is lightly flavored, but has a slightly sour taste. This combines with the topping to create an exquisite harmony. The unity of the rice and topping is very important in sushi.
“Sukiyabashi Jiro’s Favorite Rice Vinegar” is an original vinegar that is actually used at the Jiro main store and is made with great care by Jiro.

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The way the fragrance emerges and the taste changes depends on the temperature. What temperature is best? Some things taste better when slightly cold, some at room temperature, and some only taste good at body temperature.
Jiro uses about 20 different ingredients, and the temperature is carefully controlled up to just before cooking so that each ingredient can be made at the right temperature.