I visited Sushi Sho Nomura, my semi-annual delight, to celebrate my wife's birthday. It was the weekend when Typhoon No. 7 was approaching Kyushu, and I was quite anxious about whether we could drive from Nobeoka to Kagoshima. Fortunately, the highways remained open, and we made it to Kagoshima without any issues.Normally, one would worry about the quality of the fish in such rough weather, but thanks to Nomura's incredible sourcing methods and craftsmanship, I never expected to enjoy an extraordinary experience that surpassed all others.We started as usual with Tokoroten, flying fish satsuma-age, and dashimaki tamago. These three dishes always pair perfectly with draft beer. After quenching my thirst, I moved on to Japanese sake, enjoying a glass of sake recommended by Nomura that pairs beautifully with sushi.For appetizers, we had freshly boiled octopus (always the best! I enjoyed it with various condiments), chawanmushi (steamed egg custard with purple sea urchin, salmon roe, and incredibly delicious isaki soft roe), along with sea bream, amberjack, and the exceptionally tasty kibinago from Kagoshima, as well as mackerel. The somen noodles had an excellent broth that made them a perfect accompaniment to the sake. The bonito was also delicious, with a very refined aroma.After the appetizers, we moved on to the nigiri. The sweetness of the squid, the delicate umami of the giant grouper, and the rich flavor of the meichidai were all impressive. We also enjoyed the locally sourced Namikuda Hige shrimp (incredible sweetness and flavor!) and freshly boiled kuruma shrimp, which had a wonderful texture and taste.This time, we had a festival of purple sea urchin, with a generous serving of uni don! I savored the moment as the umami of the sea urchin danced on my palate. A sip of sake followed by more uni was simply irresistible!Next came the boiled shrimp nigiri, which was the best I’ve ever had. I’ve never tasted such delicious shrimp anywhere else. We also had mackerel, braised abalone, and salmon roe (which Nomura and regulars refer to as TKG, with just a hint of soy sauce flavor, perfectly highlighting the egg's taste), along with bonito and tuna (which is actually quite rare!), finishing with the signature dishes of swordfish and braised eel.Before I knew it, we had sampled 13 different types of sake. I thoroughly enjoyed the excellent sake and sushi. And of course, the delightful conversations with Nomura at just the right moments were also a highlight of the experience (^^). There was no impact from the typhoon; it was a fantastic "divine experience." Thank you for the wonderful meal!!P.S. I heard that Sushi Sho Nomura has celebrated its 37th anniversary. Congratulations!