Best Sushi In Japan

Sushi is japan's most iconic food. Definitely, when it comes to sushi, no where beats the authenticity in Japan itself.

i want to try the best of the best sushi restaurant in the whole of Japan.

these are the places i'm travelling to:
http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+97264

Please feel free to comment and recommend me some awesome sushi places to visit!

please state the address, the budget and their popular sushi(s)!

Thank you! your recommendations are most appreciated!

I don't know the best of the best.
But nowadays Sushi basically means "Edo-mae" (in front of Edo).
So I think you may want to research in Tokyo, around Tsukiji/Ginza area.

I have not eaten at any of these as they are outside my normal budget. Hopefully some of the sushi experts or food experts like user Umami Dearest can chime in here for you.

Having said that, you should investigate:-
Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten (featured in the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi - worth watching if you have not seen it already)
http://www.sushi-jiro.jp/eng-index.html
Muzitani
Sawada
Sushi Saito
Sushi Yoshitake

You can expect to pay 20,000-35,000 yen per person at some of those.

There are many blogs/reviews on the above if you google them.

Enjoy your sushi!

We ate at Sukiyabashi Jiro (Ginza) about 2 years ago which is a 3 Michelin Star Sushi bar and was considered one of the best of the best.

As ^^^GC3^^^ says above look at about ~USD$450person for ~20pieces. From memory our Japanese hosts that took us told us the basic 'rules' were:
1/. You do not order - what chef prepares and seves is what you eat. No menu.
2/. Perfume or aftershave/cologne is NOT to be worn the establishment.
3/. Definitely NO photographs/video.
4/. I think there was a HUGE cancellation fee for no show.
5/. I think no children allowed - but I'm not really sure on that one.
6/.Expect to book months in advance although you might get lucky. (We had the booking made for us as we were invited as guests of Japanese friends)

The Sushi was excellent that's for sure but we found the atmosphere was sombre, sterile and not particularly friendly on the day we went. Wouldn't go back again.

You'd find better response and detailed foodie reviews to this question (and all the restaurants people suggest) on the japan board on chowhound.com,

The best is actually a tie between Sawada in Ginza and Saito in Akasaka.

Sawada serves massive portions and thus the 44,000 Yen tag. Saito is 21K for dinner omakase (which he serves during lunch if you ask)..

You have absolutely no idea how good fish is until you've eaten at Sawada or Saito. It's as if, aliens deliver it on a platter. defintely a not of this earth experience. How they accomplish such a feat is testament to their culinary prowese and artistry.

@dzo

omg the way your described is madness.. haha, thanks for all your opinions!

Honestly speaking I've had sushi at the primadonna Tokyo sushi bars. While they are great, and mine were of the 25-30k variety,to me they seem to pale in comparison to a simple kaiten sushi place in HAKODATE, HOKKAIDO.

Yes, I said it... A KAITEN SUSHI PLACE. Would you believe it? If you're looking to seriously get the cleanest flavor of FRESH fish, you really can't beat the fish market in Hakodate. Native Japanese people know this.

Now... If flash, glam, and prestige are you thing (because the Tokyo sushi bars do TRY to be authentic, while carefully innovative)then yes, by all means do Tokyo.

I visit Tsukiji fish market at 5:30AM once or twice each time I'm in Tokyo and it hasn't disappointed me since. The very same fish traders who sell the fish to the top tokyo sushi bars eat at those spots next to the fish market. Don't go to the ones that have a ridiculously long line as those are typically reserved for tourists/tourguides who save about 500yen per head.

I guess it depends what your definition of "best of the best" really is.

Happy eating!

=)

they seem to pale in comparison to a simple kaiten sushi place in HAKODATE, HOKKAIDO.

Do you know which one?

We really enjoyed the sushi at Marukatsu Suisan in Hakodate but I'm sure there are many others.
http://www.hakobura.jp/coverpage-en/2011/03/kaiten-zushi---hakodate-ma...

If you go to Hakodate then the morning markets are interesting. We enjoyed the fresh squid sashimi (catch your own!) and also the King Crab freshly cooked for you at was really tasty too.

One of the best is near Atami station, close coast - a popular hotsprings spot about an hour from Tokyo. Restaurant is a favourite catered mainly local native diners with a wait list depending on hour. Each time we were there, there were no foreigners, no English speaking assistants but menu displays tempting all options. Price is affordable- cheaper and fresher than many Tokyo outlets.


The sashimi and sushi so fresh- we (and many locals)would travel just for the food. It is common to see suitcases at the entrance - first and last stop for visitors after arrival and before leaving Atami.

The plain sugar sprinkled donuts at store round the corner are one of the best in Japan-really good- and trays of these goodies sell out fast.

One of the best is near Atami station,

Do you know which one? Name? Location? Link to Tabelog/Gurunavi/review?

Turn right into the long shopping covered arcade/mall strip across Atami Information Office near to station.

It is opposite end from the left side public dip foot hotsprings pool in front of station -usually surrounded by relaxed Japanese seniors sitting on benches taking off shoes dipping feet in hot steamy mineral water- a rare sight.

Ask any of the locals, and they will probably recommend the same sashimi/sushi restaurant. It is hard to miss and resist-- each time we entered, always filled with locals esp elders regular crowds at group tables floor culture at the rear (or tables/chairs at front).

Prices are highly reasonable for its sensational freshness.

The entrance is narrow as side in front of restaurant are two chillers loaded with seasonal fresh seafood pickled delicacies- advisable to pick a couple as they are really excellent.

We bought them and presented these gifts, and the Japanese senseis oohs and aahs at the labels and taste-served as one of the main course at NY.

The restaurant at Atami do not serve fugu (we asked).

Sushi Saito @ Ginza,

i googled and understand that they only have 6 seats...

it seems that they have a Yen5,000/person lunch deal?? is it true? o.O

also, how and where do i make the bookings??

Sushi Saito @ Akasaka near U.S. Embassy?
I can't find official web site.

Here is phone number and they said lunch for 5,500yen.
http://travel.cnn.com/tokyo/eat/city-essentials/best-sushi-restaurants...
Here said there is lunch course for 5,250yen.
http://www.timeout.jp/ja/tokyo/venue/8528

Here is blog about 5,000yen for lunch.
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/gourmefighter/38076800.html
Here is blog about 15,750yen for lunch.
http://daydiamond.blog45.fc2.com/blog-entry-2219.html

Getting a seat at sushi saito is like winning lottery.
you have to call for reservation on the first of the month 30 days before the month of your reservation. You can not make reservations any other way or for months furthur ahead. for example, you must call on Feb 1st, to get a reservation sometime in March. If you ask for April reservation, they will tell you to call back March 1st. it's the only way they can deal with massive requests.

if you do get reservation, make certain you look at these parking lot pictures. Without them, you'll never find the place.


http://sfreelife.com/2012/03/07/sushi-saito-tokyo/


i was able to get a single lunch time spot because my hotel concierge forgot to call on the first (and called on the second) but everybody at the counter was having the dinner omakase (22,000Y). It be a real crime to get a reservation at Saito and not sample dinner omakase.

I'm a big fan of Harutaka Sushi in Ginza. Chef Harutaka apprenticed at Jiro Sukiyabashi before opening up his own shop.
http://foodsaketokyo.wordpress.com/tag/harutaka-sushi/

Great food, no rush on the meal, very intimate. Amazing seafood.

Yukari, I LOVE your blog and find it very useful but... please please please change your webfonts because the site is SO hard to read!

for your information, it's a little better in IE, which I imagine you're using, but in Firefox and Chrome, the text is not clear at all...

よろしくお願いします！

thank you all for such valuable comments. I will note them down.

If you don't speak Japanese fluently, I would recommend either the following as they have English speaking chefs: Kyubei (also spelled Kyubey for those not familiar with romanized Japanese) or Sushi Kanesaka.

Kyubei is extremely famous as they've been around for quite some time as the gunkan maki was created there (Nori wrapped horizontally like ikura and uni). They have reasonable prices of 10000-15000 \ for a typical meal and they have one Michelin Star.

Sushi Kanesaka serves some of the most amazing tuna (Akami, Chutoro, and Otoro). However, they're very pricy. Lunch is cheaper as one would select sushi only omakase menus of 8000, 10000, or 15000 \. DInner is around 15000-30000+ \ as they would offer more appetizers. They used to have two michelin stars but was recently downgraded to one star. I would still check it out.

The following are blog pages of experiences at Kyubei and Sushi Kanesaka. I would call them in advance for reservations of 3 wks to 1 month ahead of time.


http://www.alifewortheating.com/tokyo/kyubei-ginza-sushi

http://tokyofooddiary.com/2012/04/06/kyubei-sushi/

http://arthurhungry.com/blog/2009/9/9/sushi-kanesaka.html

http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com/2011/04/sushi-kanesaka.html

http://www.alifewortheating.com/tokyo/sushi-kanesaka