There’s no set menu at this 26-seat shrine to raw fish, as Chef Masa Takayama adjusts his meals to available seasonal ingredients. Though the reservation wait can be interminably long (it’s suggested to call at least three weeks in advance), one bite of the toro tartare (“fatty” tuna belly) with Sterling Royal caviar will probably justify the wait, if not the check.

Price: $800For more information: Masa, 212-715-0837

Located in the swank Ginza district, Sushi-ko is the site of four generations of sushi specialists and the training ground for Chef Masa Takayama. There’s no written menu so it’s recommended that you just sit back, relax and let the expert chef prepare whatever is fresh from the market. Specialties include crab legs with a wedge of lemon or delicately prepared uni (sea urchin).

Price: $250For more information: Sushi-ko, +81-3-3571-1968

The best Japanese cuisine in Europe? Quite possibly. Our suggestion: Order from the Tepan-Yaki menu, a six-course meal including fresh seasonal fish and Kobe steak.

Price: $168For more information: Miyako Geneva, +41-22-738-0120

Tojo’s repertoire of 2000 authentic sushi recipes coupled with the abundance of fresh Pacific sea life makes Vancouver a destination for sushi devotees. The inventor of Tojo Maki (the inside out version of what is know now as the California roll) also serves Dungeness crab and mushrooms topped with white miso sauce and broiled in the shell (pictured above).

Price: $220For more information: Tojo’s Restaurant, 604-872-8050

When two acclaimed stars of the sushi world and the fashion world collaborate, restaurant critics take notice. The seven-course meal here includes a salmon tartare with Golden Osetra caviar set like a jewel amidst an Armani-influenced twist on Japanese interior design.

Price: $245For more information: Armani/Nobu

Shintori’s cavernous industrial bunker setting doesn’t exactly scream warm and inviting, but the setting definitely oozes cool. Tip: Try the thinly sliced tuna served with a spicy tofu dipping sauce and grilled asparagus.

Price: $200For more information: Shintori, +86-21-5404-5252

Located in the regal Okura Hotel, Kyubei is known for the invention of gunkan-maki sushi (the cylindrical wraparound technique for roe and other sushi). This restaurant remains a perennial favorite of die-hard sushi fans. To mix food with art, order Rosanjin, named after the famous potter and restaurateur of the 1930s, on whose porcelain dishes the artfully prepared sushi is served.

Price: $500For more information: Kyubei

Located in the Taj Mahal Palace, the newly arrived Wasabi is the only authentic Japanese restaurant in Mumbai and has already established a name for itself, possibly due to the import of famed chef Masaharu Morimoto from New York’s Nobu. Included in this meal is a slice of Kobe beef prepared either grilled or marinated in delicious teriyaki sauce, an assortment of sushi made with the finest salmon, yellow tail tuna, unagi (eel) and crispy fried red snapper.

Price: $500For more information: Wasabi

Kimono-clad servers, sleek wooden decor, the faint trickle of a fishpond—you must be in Amsterdam. Executive Chef and manager Akira Oshima is a purist in the best sense of the phrase, and Yamazoto has quickly become bright spot on the Continental sushi scene. Order a meal complete with three types of seasonally fresh sashimi and expertly deep-fried fish.

Price: $216For more information: Yamazato

The spot for teutonic sushi. Some guests “wonder if you can eat so well [in Tokyo]” after sampling the eastern delicacies, according to the 2007 Zagat Survey. Rated one of the top European restaurants, patrons of Sushimoto don’t mind spending a little extra for the experience. The meal is prepared with whatever is fresh at the market, including sea urchin, rich salmon roe, prawns and expertly cooked scallops.

Price: $145For more information: Annabella Sheraton Grand Hotel