Tokiwa Sushi, 登喜和 鮨 (Tabelog Silver 4.37, 1*) Shibata, Japan

Tokiwa Sushi is located in the city of Shibata, a short 20-minute train ride east of Niigata station.

Chef Kobayashi is the 3rd generation Taisho, who took over the business from his father 15 years ago. It is worth noting the shop had a Tabelog score of only 3.07 back then.

Seafood is locally sourced across fishing ports of Niigata, with an emphasis on the deep-sea catches from the nearby Sado Island. The variety of unique Neta here stands out from conventional omakase offerings. The Shari is undoubtedly prepared with rice grown in Niigata, renowned as the rice country of Japan. Kobayashi-san offers excellent Neta-Shari combo, paring Shiromi/Haikarimono with persimmon vinegar rice and Akami with red vinegar rice. Touches of wild mountain herbs and sudachi citrus seasoning are also featured throughout the course.

Full course, March 2025, as below. The flow is a mix of Otsumami and Nigiri.

Otsumami:
1. Fugu Shirako, topped with spring mountain vegetable porridge
2. Cherry Trout Tataki with ponzu daikon
3. Grilled Black Cod, topped with grated yam and nori bits
4. Fried Taro Bun, topped with male snow crab and Kani-miso thickened sauce
5. “The Omurice”: Scrambled egg with female snow crab(Seko-gani) and Shanghai hairy crab, topped over Shari mixed with Seko-gani roe and sun-dried tomatos

Palette Cleanser:
6. Boiled Spinach

Nigiri:
7. Madai (Sea Bream)
8. Nanban Ebi (Nanban Shrimp)
9. Kamasu (Barracuda)
10. Meji-maguro (Baby Tuna)
11. Shime Saba (Cured Mackerel)
12. Kuromutsu (Bluefish), served Tataki as shown in pic 3 by Kobayashi-san
13. Sakura Masu (Cherry Trout)
14. Hata (Sevenband Grouper), served slightly Shabu-shabu in grouper bone soup
15. Oboro Kombu Maki with Niigata produced walnut and sesame blend
16. Anago (Salt-water Eel)

To Finish:
17. Hamaguri Osuimono (Clam Soup)
18. Tamagoyaki (Egg), served Crème Brûlée style

Kobayashi-san crafts each dish with his distinctive fusion of ingredients and seasonings, giving the overall course a dynamic flavor profile. In my opinion, this establish well deserves the recent promotion to Tabelog Silver, and is highly recommended to diners who want to experience unique offerings off the beaten path.