I never thought I would miss Japanese food so much. I never thought that I would miss a method of ordering that once involved dragging a waiter out of a restaurant onto a Tokyo street to a glass display case containing plastic models of food in order to point to a pot that appeared to be containing neither a) eyes, b) anything alive or c) anything that may have previously been named Fido. I never thought I'd miss the suspense of having a bowl brought to me that in no way resembled the plastic model I had indicated but seemed to be generally free of anything that belonged in an aquarium or kennel.

But I do. I miss the way the flesh of the raw fish is so fresh that you can almost taste droplets of salty ocean water bursting out with each succulent bite. I miss the way each meticulously sliced morsel of vegetable matter is so perfectly arranged aside a ginko leaf so as to make each bite feel sacred and the Japanese waiters who behave as if the act of serving up maki tuna rolls were a cherished rite which they humbly perform with a sense of genuine joy and gratitude-even without the incentive of a tip.

Granted, half the time I didn't have any idea about what I was eating during my stay in Tokyo last semester. One time, the girl with whom I was dining referred to my dish as "Mothers and their Children," which I realized, after considerable gagging, meant that it contained chicken and egg. Another time I was calmly informed that the "fugu" blowfish I was consuming was the most poisonous creature in the world and, if the chef failed to remove the venomous glands properly, I would suffer an instant and excruciating death.

Apparently the chef had made the right incisions, and having now returned from three months of culinary adventure and bliss in Tokyo, I've been fretting over the prospect of surviving a full semester without a decent tuna roll. My fears, however, have been assuaged by a new restaurant called Osaka, situated across from Herrell's Ice Cream in Northampton.

Self-described as a "sushi and steak house," Osaka combines Japanese quality and authenticity with a large and varied menu that appeals to both adventurous diners looking for such exotic delicacies as sea urchin and flying fish roe as well as those simply looking for a tasty hibachi steak or yakitori chicken skewers. In fact, the only thing that seems un-Japanese about the place (other than the well-spoken English) is the breadth of the menu. There are over 100 different menu options, including 40 types of creative, funky sushi rolls, a dozen teriyaki dishes, 30 different hibachi dinners, a dozen chef's specials, tempuras, donburis (rice dishes), udon noodle dishes, a full sushi bar and an entire lunch menu.

Sushi is always a good way to test a Japanese restaurant, so my friend and I shared a Sashimi Deluxe Platter and a Maguro (tuna) Sushi Dinner. My expectations had been sufficiently lowered by my rather disappointing sushi experience at House of Teriyaki, and so, by comparison, the high quality and immaculate presentation of the dishes placed before me were all the more impressive.

The restaurant attains Japanese standards for simple elegance with a pleasant wooden dining area. It even includes an option of eating on the floor on tatami mats if you want the real Japanese experience (which includes taking off your shoes). Food arrives on beautiful ceramic dishes from perfectly attentive and efficient servers. The portions are decently sized, especially when compared to the notoriously miniscule Japanese standards. The prices are quite reasonable, generally ranging from $10 to $20 for entrees, which include miso soup. A real deal, however, seems to be the lunch specials, a range of sushi, teriyaki and hibachi lunch boxes all go for under $10, also including miso soup.

Anyone who really wants an incredible food experience should go to Tokyo, point at plastic food displays and see what comes. For those in the Pioneer Valley who want something as close as you can get to the real thing, head to Osaka.