I lived in a fishing port in Japan for 3 years. The characters in japanese stand for vinegared rice, so sushi doesn't really mean raw fish, that would be sashimi.
However for most Japanese people I come into contact with (and my ex partner) sushi tends to mean rice topped with raw fish. Restaurant type sushi is only occasionally made at home, but many people will make sushi rolls with nori (seaweed) for lunch with leftover cooled breakfast rice, or put strips of raw fish on type of a large bowl of seasoned rice.
For someone a bit wary, I would suggest trying the egg rolls or 'sea chicken' (tuna and mayonnaise) - this makes Japanese people smile, as it's what toddlers ask for!
Interestingly, a lot of Japanese avoid raw s(h)a-ke (salmon) because it's notorious for worms. It's very hard to get Tokyo quality sushi in the UK, but Japanese friends have been impressed by Waitrose. Supermarket sushi is very popular in Japan, even in the ports where you can get superbly fresh cuts at the morning market, so it makes me laugh when so-called experts tell you no Japanese person would touch the stuff...