Great news for people who a) own an iPhone or iPod Touch and b) never know what kind of topping to get when eating Sushi: Tokyo-based Shogakukan, known outside Japan for its extensive offerings of manga (Ichi The Killer, Ranma 1/2, Crying Freeman etc). is releasing a virtual sushi guide for these devices.

The sushi neta zukan (illustrated sushi encyclopedia) will become available in Japanese within this month but on the product website [JP], Shogakukan promises foreigners will enjoy the app, too, as it will have an English appendix.  It’s going to cost $5.

The guide will contain pictures and descriptions of 82 different kinds of sushi, ideal for frequent travelers to Japan like John Biggs, for example (“Serkan, this topping looks like baby poo!”).

Shogakukan is already offering a special iPhone guide for Japanese mushrooms (covering 50 different kinds), but that encyclopedia is Japanese only.