Does the director speak Japanese?

He learned some Japanese in high school and college but he had a translator with him. In addition, he gave a great deal of credit to the food critic you see in the movie.

"I owe so much to the food writer Masuhiro Yamamoto, who appears in the film. He's almost the narrator of the movie. He's kind of a big shot in the Japanese food scene. He was a judge on Iron Chef in Japan and has published many guidebooks. He's a well-respected figure and he and Jiro are old friends. So, when I was talking to Yamamoto, he really encouraged me to make the film and also convinced Jiro to appear in it. He really is the unsung hero of the movie, because his whole philosophy on sushi is pretty incredible. He's almost like a sushi poet."

A couple of translators are listed in the credits. Also, you can hear a (female) interpreter/interviewer in some of the scenes.