Eat your way through Tokyo's best sushi
Sushi book author, reviewer and guide Yukari Sakamoto shares her picks of the five best sushi restaurants in the Japanese capital.
At first glance, Japan's most iconic food is a simple combination of seafood and bite-sized portions of rice. But like the culture it has come to represent, the world of sushi is full of subtlety, intricacy and history.
The most recognised version of sushi today – called nigirizushi or "hand-pressed sushi" – is a relative newcomer dating to the 1800s. However, the earliest version more than 1,000 years ago, called narezushi, saw rice and seafood fermented together before diners discarded the rice and ate only the preserved fish.
1. Best for omakase sushi: Sushi Yuu
The refined upper end of Tokyo's sushi scene can be intimidating for the uninitiated, especially with the language barriers many travellers encounter in Japan. Yet, that's not an issue at this laidback counter-only sushiya run by the English-speaking Japanese chef Daisuke Shimazaki in the quiet backstreets of Tokyo's Roppongi district.
Named after chef Shimazaki's grandfather, Sushi Yuu was originally opened by the chef's late-father, Shojiro, in the rather unfashionable district of Kameari in 1972, before relocating to Roppongi in the late 1970s, and finally its current location in 2010. Today, a photo of Shojiro sits behind Yuu's 11-seat, hinoki-cypress counter, from where Shimazaki serves classic nigirizushi in the omakase style, a term that translates as "I leave it up to you." That means instead of ordering from a menu, you'll be served a course chosen by Shimazaki based on the high-quality, in-season produce he sources each morning from Toyosu Market.
Address: 1-4-15 Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0031
Phone: +81 30 3403 6467
Website: http://sushiyuu.com/
2. Best for accessible high-end sushi: Ginza Kyubey
Ginza is home to some of Japan's most vaunted and exclusive sushiya, but with Kyubey, which was opened in 1935 and is still run by the same family, Sakamoto says that this upmarket district also has a sushi legend that (while not cheap) is accessible to travellers.
One reason is its unusual scale for a high-end sushiya: there are five floors with a mix of intimate counter spaces, table seats and private rooms, plus an annex across the road and several branches in major hotels. Sakamoto says the staff are also used to dealing with non-Japanese guests and recommends Kyubey's lunchtime taster courses, which offer a more affordable way into this end of the sushi spectrum.
Address: 8-7-6 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Phone: +81 3 3571 6523
Website: http://www.kyubey.jp/en
3. Best for budget sushi: Sushiro
It speaks volumes of the quality of Tokyo's restaurants that one of the country's biggest budget sushi chains is well worth a recommendation. Sakamoto says this branch of Sushiro in the Yaesu underground mall at Tokyo Station – one of 60 in Tokyo and 639 nationwide – delivers the quintessential kaitenzushi conveyor belt sushi experience: bustling, fun, kid-friendly, cheap and – most importantly – good.
There's no need to stress over formality or language barriers here. As Sakamoto explains, you just take colour-coded dishes from the conveyor that passes near the seats, or use the multi-lingual touch screen to order direct from the kitchen (that arrives on a separate conveyor belt). There's plenty to choose from either way, with the 150 yen (£0.78) orange plates carrying nigiri such as squid and salmon, while the 210 yen (£1.09) red plates include sea bream nigiri and various gunkanmaki. Splurge on the 390 yen (£2.02) black plates for a single nigiri of higher-grade tuna.
Address: 2-1 Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0028
Phone: +81 3516 31870
Website: https://www.akindo-sushiro.biz/en/
4. Best for carry-out sushi: Mitsukoshi
No, this isn't a sushi restaurant, but alongside a colourful array of deli counters, the basement-level of Japan's oldest department store is home to all sorts of sushi styles for takeout.
Address: 1-4-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8001
Phone: +81 3 3241 3311
Website: https://www.mistore.jp.e.az.hp.transer.com/store/nihombashi.html
5. Best for value: Manten Sushi
Located in the plush Coredo Muromachi commercial complex in Nihonbashi, Manten Sushi is something of an outlier. Not only does the 20-seat eatery open on Sundays, when many mid- to high-end sushiya and the main seafood market are closed, it manages to deliver highly rated omakase-only courses at the kind of prices that should make some ultra-expensive sushiya blush: 3,500 yen (£18.15) at lunch and 7,000 yen (£36.95) at dinner. Compare that to 55,000 yen (£285) at the legendary sushi restaurant Jiro in Ginza.
Address: 2-3-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027
Website: https://www.manten-sushi.com/
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