![totoro chirashi totoro chirashi](https://d3ieicw58ybon5.cloudfront.net/ex/610.559/u/aac9b74863eb403f9d0967a3712ea10b.jpg)
The fresh, sweet taste of the tuna, the sticky rice, the heat of the wasabi paste! My companion loved the equally pristine Hamachi Maki ($8.95), with the pale hamachi amberjack enfolded tightly in a wrapper of rice, with a spot of scallion. I would take an order of Tekka maki ($7.95)-maguro bluefin tuna with wasabi in a simple rice roll-as part of my last meal on earth.
![totoro chirashi totoro chirashi](https://tokyogamestory.com/1350-large_default/5-peluches-studio-ghibli-totoro-kiki-plush-japan-official-goods-set-a-jiji-chatbus.jpg)
There are many lavish, special rolls at Totoro, including the oddly satisfying One Night Stand with fried yam, cream cheese, avo and macadamia nuts. Some people can polish off one of these plump cylinders in a single bite.
![totoro chirashi totoro chirashi](https://tokyogamestory.com/1325-large_default/5-peluches-studio-ghibli-totoro-kiki-plush-japan-official-goods-set-a-jiji-chatbus.jpg)
Our other shared dish is always the New York Roll ($9.95) A wrapper of nori filled with shrimp, cucumber and avocado, the entire thing frosted with more of the sticky rice and then chopped up into fat coins. We both tried to pace our consumption of the textural and refreshing Seaweed Salad ($7.95).
TOTORO CHIRASHI PLUS
My companion let me have a bite of his Spicy Tuna Handroll ($7.50), a vigorous creation that tastes exactly like it sounds, and all that finely chopped tuna plus firepower is tucked into a cone of delicious, chewy nori. Mixing up that addictive wasabi and tamari (plus a splash of wine) for dipping, we lined our plates with pickled ginger and began. I took home our favorite carryout combo, which tastes quite nice, thank you, with glasses of icy Grüner Veltliner. New burgundy paint looks spiffy, and the tables have been generously placed to allow patrons space as they scarf down the gorgeous platters of spider rolls and sashimi. I had a few minutes to take in the new, sleek look of Totoro, where a chalk mural of flying Hello Kittys and bouncing Totoros has replaced the Polaroids. The tempura and gyoza all set to wow the folks at the bar. All those tiger rolls lined up ready for carryout. Picking up some sushi the other night, I had to admire the steady pace-almost a musical performance-kept up by the guys behind the sushi bar. Who hasn’t loved being bombarded by all those mini psychedelic lights bouncing off walls and ceilings, and the countless Polaroids? After lockdown, Totoro has been open doing a booming carryout biz, and more recently a dine-in business as well. Sushi Totoro on the Westside has been making students (and professors and locals) happy for a long time.