Working in Tsukiji I am asked this frequently,"where is a good sushi restaurant to try?" It's actually a difficult question to answer because it really depends on what range of sushi you're looking for and of course the budget.
I actually think going to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant basically will satisfy most people, as it does for locals.
But I myself grew up in a family that does go to the higher end sushi restaurants on "special occasions" like family gatherings or with friends both business related or just private.
So let me recommend you some sushi restaurants that might suit your needs!
First consider conveyor belt rotating sushi
Conveyor bet rotating sushi restaurants or kaiten sushi "回転すし" restaurants are usually chain budget sushi restaurants that buy seafood in big quantities, thus being able to sell the sushi at an affordable price.
These two are my recommendations.
Sushiro（スシロー）
One of the biggest sushi chain restaurants in Japan. It has not only sushi but a variety of Japanese food like soba, ramen, tempura, and Japanese desserts.
It's priced incredibly cheap considering the quality of the food. Even a lot of food celebritites that appear on TV, or my gourmet friends also say it's an amazing experience for the price you pay. I 100% agree.
The greeting, the ordering, and even paying the bill are all automated and have English translations, so all the instructions are there for you and straight forward, too!
If you're looking for good quality sushi without too much fuss preferably at a budget price, suhiro is one of your first choices!
You're happy and full for about 15USD.
Hanamaru（根室花まる）
Nemuro Hanamaru is my favorite conveyor sushi restaurant chain.
It's very popular in Hokkaido, and the headquarters is in a seafood town Nemuro in East Hokkaido where fish, scallops, crabs, and sea urchins are exceptional.
Now Nemuro Hanamaru has opened outlets in Tokyo and Yokohama.
You MUST try their hotate scallops!! It's on the far left of the picture below.
You're happy and full with only about 20USD.
Higher end
Let's move on to the higher end.
I think Tsukiji or Asakusa might be a good sushi restaurant place to try, as they are more used to welcoming foreign guests.
They will have an English menu available, and can better guess your needs, even though they won't be able to speak English very well.
Omakase Tsukiji
Omakase in Tsukiji has more than 20 kinds of omakase dishes, and they have different appetizers that are more fusion to Western food. I especially loved the smoked saba mackerel aged with shio koji, watermelon and monkfish liver sushi, and aged seabream.
There are so many varieties of sushi and other dishes, so you'll find something you're going to like. I also liked these three the most, whereas I did have a few that I didn't like as much as the others.
That's the good thing about these omakase restaurants that you get to experience a whole variety of things, and learn which are the ones that suit you.
Many of the sushi here was aged, so I asked a few questions about how they age it, how they figure out the ideal length of age, in which the sushi chef frankly shared his knowledge with. These kind of conversation won't happen in conveyor sushi restaurants, so if you are really passionate in sushi, then the higher end places might be a good learning opportunity for you.
Toryumon Onodera
Toryumon is a standing sushi restaurant in the Sushi Onodera Group. The main branch of Sushi Onodera Ginza opened a standing sushi restaurant that is a budget compared to their premium brand.
The sushi is prepared by their trainees. Because the sushi chefs have less experience than the main branch and it's a standing sushi restaurant, the trainees get more opportunities to practice their craft while the customers get to taste the same ingredients as the main branch with a much more affordable price.
Out of the Smoked Bonito, the seasonal horse mackerel, Nodoguro, and Negitoro roll.
Smoked bonito
Seared Nodoguro
Seasonal aji horse mackerel
Negitoro Fatty tuna roll
You'd scan a QR code and order from either Japanese or English, so it's much easier to navigate for a non Japanese speaker. I paid 50USD for the sushi and I was about 70% full. But some of the sushi is just very satisfying that it feels like enough. I would want to come for other sushi to try in a different season.
I paid about 60USD for 10 pieces of sushi and a beer.
Sushiei Asakusa
If you're in Tokyo, the popular Edomae (meaning Tokyo style) sushi are Kohada and Anago.
If you like clams, Hamaguri is another one that sushi enthusiasts love tasting to decide their favorite sushi restaurants.
Why do Japanese go to the higher end sushi?
Comparing the pricing, there is a big difference between the conveyor belt sushi restaurants and the higher end ones.
You would be able to eat a full meal for about 2000~3000JPY/person in a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, while you would need to pay 10,000~50,000JPY/person at a higher end restaurant.
So why would a Japanese visit a higher end one?
One, is because of our customs.
As for my parents, they grew up near the sea, and in areas where seafood is famous. So growing up they would eat at edomae sushi restaurants on occasions, so it's part of our customs.
Usually, going to sushi restaurants are on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc.
So we have good memories tied to the sushi restaurants, and going to sushi restaurants become an occasional thing for us.
Second, it's the conversation and relationships with the sushi chefs that makes visiting special. I want to share what my dad used to say.
I love coming back to this sushi restaurant because the sushi chef knows our family very well. (We've been going to this sushi restaurant for 3 generations now)
The chef knows what each of the family members like. So when he knows when we are coming, he'll do his best to prepare the seafood or "neta" we like the most.
Sushi actually tastes better when the fish is aged. So he can control it by keeping the best one to age til we visit the restaurant.
Being a regular and enjoying the seasonal seafood that nature brings with a sushi chef that is sort of like a family or friend is very special.
So what I think is the higher end sushi restaurants are best enjoyed when you become a regular, and can communicate well with the sushi chefs.
And that's why I think it makes sense to go to a conveyor sushi restaurant when you can't communicate in Japanese very well.
Higher end for personalization, conveyor for value.
If you want your sushi experience to be personalized and catered to you, or you are passionate about sushi and would like to communicate with the sushi chefs, higher end sushi restaurants have more value.
If you want to try a variety of sushi at a reasonable price in a casual atmosphere, conveyor sushi restaurants will be more preferable.
But even if you're still indecisive about which type of sushi place to go to, the sushi restaurants are always happy to welcome people that are interested and passionate in sushi. If budget isn't an issue and you want to try authentic sushi, give it a try and it might become an experience of a lifetime!
Or try both types. My family also use both sushi restaurant types depending on the occasion.
I'll be going to different sushi restaurants whilst my stay in Tokyo, and will update the good ones that are authentic and English friendly!!
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