The reason sushi chefs are traditionally male is because women were thought to have "hotter energy" and would thus cause faster spoilage when handling raw fish. I've had raw fish cut from a still living fish in both Japan and Korea and it was spectacular. Flavor improvement as a result of post mortem aging only applies to certain fish. Toro or fatty tuna is absolutley, without question highly prized by sushi enthusiasts, in Japan or otherwise. Salmon, expecially white salmon, is very popular as sashimi in Japan (salmon has been an important food source in Japan dating back to the time of the indigenous Ainu). Exceptional tuna specimens still command 5-figure prices at the Tokyo fish market auctions, and these are most certainly used for sashimi. Finally using chopsticks is never discouraged except in the obvious case of temaki (hand rolls), and a diner eating sashimi with his or her fingers would draw disapproving glares at the very least. I am disappointed to find such erroneous information being disseminated by a published author on the subject.