I visited 64 high-end sushi restaurants in Japan in 2024-2025. Here are some of my thoughts on these restaurants, based only on the taste of the food. Pictures are of fatty tuna (otoro) from 20 restaurants.

I previously posted about my experience visiting 19 restaurants in Tokyo. Price or service was not a consideration for the ranking. I don’t think I’ve ever received what I would call bad service. I realize that others may have different expectations for service than me.

Top tier: 12 restaurants had all around excellent tasting snacks and/or nigiri; and I loved every bite at these restaurants. I would revisit these multiple times. The Tabelog ratings are from before my visit, so they may be different now. List is in the order of my preference.

• Tenzushi Kyomachi (Fukuoka; Tableog 4.60 Gold, Chefs' Gold / Google 4.5). Nigiri only. He ranks his ingredients in this order: cucumber; melon; ginger; sushi. The cucumber was fantastic, no doubt. Everything was delicious. I had a holy f*** moment after eating the marinated tuna nigiri. The meal here supplanted my love for Inomata as the top spot. Looks like foreigners can only reserve using Tableall or hotel concierge. This is probably the only restaurant where I'll pay Tableall's ridiculous fee, unless a local can take me. While there are 5 seats according to Omakase, there were 6 of us: 4 Japanese and 1 other foreigner. My first visit was in the summer. 55.000¥, but I paid 65K because of the 10K Tableall fee.
  • Tenzushi. Second visit in the winter. It was as good as the first time. Memorable pieces: baby red snapper (kasugo); marinated tuna; striped jack (shima-aji); red sea bream with its liver (tai). Booked using Tableall again for 65.000¥, as the restaurant will not let me book on my own. The marinated tuna was again fantastic. I was the only foreigner this time around.
• Sushi Inomata (Saitama; Tabelog 4.41 Silver / Google 4.7). Nigiri only. It's a husband-wife team, with probably an apprentice in the back. I was at the second dinner seating in the summer and everyone at the seating was foreigners. Everything tasted fantastic. One unique piece was whale nigiri. Easy to reserve on Omakase. Even though the websites say they’re cash only, they accept credit cards. Chef did not appear to speak English and he was focused on preparing the fantastic meal. Booked through Omakase. 44.000¥.
  • Sushi Inomata. Second visit in winter. This was as amazing as the first time. I still remember the fantastic 30-day aged salmon roe (ikura). I got a second serving of this. The tuna and sea urchin (uni) pieces were also fantastic. This is now closed as of early 2025. Booked through Omakase. 49.500¥.
• Kojimachi Nihee (Tabelog 3.57 / Google 4.6). While the sushi is still as excellent as Sushi Inomata, it is now too expensive for what it is. There were only 3 of us at the 20.30 seating with 2 Japanese regulars. Unfortunately, the new price has clouded my experience a bit, but I'll still go back. Memorable pieces: bonito; tilefish; horse mackerel; medium fatty tuna (chutoro); otoro; tuna roll. Ordered bonito and horse mackerel as extras. Was not served whale this time around because the supply apparently wasn't good enough. The guy next to me loved it so much that he seemed to have ordered many pieces as extras, almost as if he wanted a second omakase set. Booked through Omakase. 66.000¥.
• Kiyota Hanare (Tabelog 4.02 Bronze / Google 4.6). This is what I imagined what a sushi experience in Japan would be like. The place was serene and sterile. There were only 6 seats and all of us were speaking in a low volume. Everything tasted amazing. Seems to allow reservations for 2+ people on Omakase. I found out about this place from another redditor, reserved the last 2 available seats a week out, and met up with the redditor at the restaurant. Booked through Omakase. 88.000¥. I badly want to go back, but it’s difficult to find someone willing to spend this much on sushi.
• Sugita (Tabelog 4.64 Gold, Chefs' Gold / Google 4.6). Most diners seemed to be locals with 2-3 foreigners. Almost everything tasted fantastic, except for the dried fish eggs. Memorable pieces: bonito; chutoro; otoro; yellowtail (buri); hard clam (hamaguri); uni; sea eel (anago). A local took me here and it seems to be impossible to re-visit on my own. 44.000¥, but I ended up paying ~74K because I ordered all additional otsumami and nigiri pieces, on top of some repeat nigiri.
• Sushi Namba Yotsuya (Tabelog 3.25 / Google 4.7). I was the only foreigner at the seating. While the amount of rice was tiny, the fish sizes were better. Memorable pieces: crimson sea bream; oceanic bonito; threadsail tilefish; uni maki. Visited with a local, however, there are occasional openings on Omakase without any notifications. 33.000¥.
• Sushi Ei (Chiba; Tabelog 4.33 Bronze / Google 4.4). There were 2 other foreigners with the rest being Japanese. Everything was delicious. Especially memorable items: red snapper appetizer; live uni with tuna appetizer; anglerfish appetizer; jack mackerel (aji); chutoro; otoro; egg (tamago). The dried roe here was fantastic. They also have excellent and rare sake. Called to reserve and they spoke enough English to make the reservation. 33.000¥.
• Shimazu (Tabelog 4.50 Silver / Google 4.7). Everyone was local except for 2 other foreigners. Everything was delicious. Memorable items: whale appetizer; trout roe; tuna nigiri pieces; ice cream. Also had the opportunity to try excellent Aramasa sake here. Visited with a local in the summer. 38.500¥.
  • Shimazu. Second visit, also with a local in the winter. The meal was as fantastic as the first time. Memorable appetizers: fried baby shrimp (sakura ebi). Memorable nigiri: threadsail filefish (kawahagi); smoked yellowtail; salmon roe; baby snapper; tuna; uni; ebi (extra order); salmon roe (second order). 38.500¥.
• Hirō Ishizaka (Tabelog 3.50 / Google 5.0 / 1 Michelin star). It's a husband-wife team. Easy to reserve via text message (this has changed since my visit as foreigners now must book via Tableall). The sushi is fantastic even though it’s one of the cheapest places. Costs probably less than 25.000¥. It didn’t seem common to get an itemized bill in Tokyo, so I don’t know how much was the meal vs drinks. Wild-caught sea eel was particularly memorable.
  • Hirō Ishizaka. Second visit. I was the only foreigner at the seating and they let me book via text message because of the previous visit. They do not fill every seat. Memorable pieces: baby snapper; anago. I couldn't enjoy the meal as much because of a heavy lunch earlier in the day. But everything tasted delicious. It cost less than 30.000¥, but do not recall the exact amount.
• Kiyota (Tabelog 3.85 Bronze / Google 4.3). Seemed to be a mix between foreigners and Japanese patrons. Kiyota was my first sushi experience in Japan and it set a very high bar for me. The tuna, as expected, is amazing here. Booked through Omakase (was able to catch a cancellation about a week before). 58.300¥.
• Sushi Mizukami (Tabelog 4.18 Bronze / Google 4.8). It was a mix between foreigners and Japanese patrons. Easy to reserve via MyConciergeJapan but has a 5.500¥ booking fee. Meal costs 37.000¥ per person. I asked them if I could book directly and they said I can only book via a hotel or the website. I doubt Japanese patrons have to use the website too. Abalone liver, bonito, and sardine nigiri were particularly memorable. While Mizukami trained at Jiro, the sushi is not in that style. I was not served by Mizukami.
• Sushi Suzuki (Tabelog 4.27 Bronze / Google 4.2). It's a husband-wife team, I believe. Had the nigiri-only lunch. Easy to reserve via JPNEAZY but has a 5.500¥ booking fee. Meal costs approx. 23.782¥. Horse mackerel and clam nigiri were particularly memorable. The chef is friendly and talkative, but does not speak much English.

Mid-tier (Part 1): 32 restaurants. Overall, the meals at these restaurants were great and I would love to return if I had unlimited time. It was quite difficult to rank them in order. “Mid-tier” is definitely not the correct phrase here; I just liked the restaurants in the "top-tier" list more. 

• Sawada (Tabelog 4.52 Gold / Google 4.7). Everyone except one person was a foreigner. It's a husband-wife team. Memorable nigiri: cuttlefish (sumika); Japanese halfbeak (sayori); blood clam (akagai); octopus (tako); chutoro; mantis shrimp; tiger prawn (kurumaebi). Also had the "big mac" futomaki as an extra order. The nigiri here is large and "meaty." Before serving the prawn, he asked me if it should be cut in half and I said no. But when he gave it to me, I realized how large it was (larger than at other places) and I asked him to cut it in half. Booked around 17.30 the evening before lunch the next day through Omakase. While the menu is supposed to be around 45k, my bill came out to 68k, with just water and futomaki. Not sure if the futomaki is that expensive. This was the most elusive booking for me, because I had to get an Omakase account with a US phone number to see the calendar. I could not see the calendar with my EU or Japanese number. I mentioned this to the chef and he seemed surprised by it.
• Shinbashi Shimizu (Tabelog 4.24 Silver, Chefs' Gold / Google 4). Very old school environment and cannot take pictures. Went with a Japanese speaker because Omakase explicitly mentions that non-Japanese speakers will be turned away (I'm not sure if this actually happens). I was the only foreigner. Does not serve otoro. Bonito and abalone appetizers were fantastic. Monkfish liver (ankimo) was one of the best I've ever tasted. Shima-aji and tamago nigiri pieces were amazing. Kanpyo was the weakest I’ve had anywhere. Booked through Omakase, but has moved to Tablecheck since my visit. 32.000¥.
• Sushi Take (Tabelog 3.75 / Google 4.6). I was the only foreigner at the seating and not every seat was filled. The chef is one of the very few female sushi chefs in Japan. She trained at Shimizu and is very friendly even with limited English. I think it's just a 2-person team. Does not serve otoro. Nigiri pieces are large. Horse mackerel, uni, and tamago nigiri were fantastic. Ordered second serving of uni. I visited Take before visiting Shimizu. Can be booked via phone call, Autoreserve (fee), or JPNEAZY (fee). 24.000¥. This is one of the cheapest omakase sets, even though it's in Ginza.
• Sushidokoro Yusho (Tabelog 3.55. Google 4.7). This is a new restaurant, supervised by the chef from Mekumi in Kanazawa. They said the sushi is not in the Mekumi style. For the 8 seats, there were 5 Japanese, 2 from Hong Kong, and me. The Japanese guests received an extra crab appetizer which the foreigners didn't receive. They mentioned later that the locals ordered a special course.  It took one hour to serve 5 appetizers before nigiri started. Memorable appetizers: barracuda; creamy cod milt (shirako); yellowtail. Memorable nigiri: squid; white shrimp; sweet shrimp; swordfish; filefish liver salad; otoro. I ordered a second otoro. There were only 9 nigiri pieces on top of tamago. The rice was quite vinegary. The nigiri was awesome though. Booked through Tablecheck. 16.500¥.
• Sushi Hashimoto (Tabelog 4.38 Silver / Google 4 / 1 Michelin star). Visited with a local a couple of days before Sugita. It was a fantastic meal without any complaints. This was in the top tier list, until the second visit. 36.300¥.
  • Sushi Hashimoto (Tabelog 4.39 Silver / Google 4.6 / 1 Michelin star). Second visit, caught a cancellation a day before. 7 seats and I was the only foreigner. Several of the nigiri fish were cold., which I thought was odd. This was the first and only time I’ve experienced this in Japan. Unfortunately, it was a step down from my first visit. Chutoro and white tilefish (shiroamadai) were delicious though.
• Sushi Tsubomi (Tabelog 3.92 / Google 4.5). This was with the main chef and I was the only foreigner. Memorable pieces: tako; Spanish mackerel (sawara); chutoro; otoro; uni. Booked 8 months prior using omakase and the main counter is quite difficult to book (but there are seats every once in a while), and he doesn’t fill every seat. 33.000¥.
• Sushi Riku (Tabelog 4.17 / Google 4.5). Visited with a local in the summer. I was probably the only foreigner in that seating. Memorable pieces: ankimo; gizzard shard (kohada) from Kyushu; fatty snapper (shibudai); orange snapper; amberjack (kanpachi); settoro tuna (location on the fish); lean tuna (akami); aji; uni; freshwater eel (unagi); dessert. 40.000¥.
  • Sushi Riku. Second visit in the winter. I went solo, but booked through a regular. Tabelog score has slightly increased to 4.22 with Google slightly decreasing to 4.4. This was as solid as the first time. Everyone was a foreigner. A large group knew him from his time in Jakarta. Memorable nigiri: tilefish (amadai); kawahagi with its liver; chutoro; flounder fin (engawa) (extra order). Wanted another kawahagi but they were out. 40.000¥.
• Sushi Obana (Gunma; Tabelog 4.38 Bronze / Google 4.5). I was the only foreigner and they did not fill every seat. It's a husband-wife team, I think. Memorable pieces: bonito; uni parfait; black throat sea perch liver (noduguro); abalone liver (awabi); ankimo with ponzu sauce; shima-aji;  baby kohada; aged ikura; akami; chutoro; both types of otoro; aji; amaebi; red sea urchin (Haka uni); and the handmade dessert made by the chef’s wife: kusu with milk and brown sugar sauce. Booked through Pocket Concierge (no fee). 33.000¥.
• Kotan (Fukuoka; Tabelog 4.29 Silver / Google 4.5). There was a mix of locals and foreigners. Memorable pieces: amadai; uni;  extra pieces: Threeline grunt (isaki); sayori; a second kind of uni. Booked through Omakase. 33.000¥.
• Sushi Kobayashi (Tabelog 3.04 / Google 4.3). It's a new restaurant and the chef trained at Saito and (I believe) ran the Saito store in Hong Kong. It's a husband-wife team with one apprentice. Memorable nigiri: baby red snapper; golden eye snapper (kinmidai); akami; sawara; shima-aji. I visited with a local. Can be booked via Instagram. Cost is around 23.000-25.000¥.
• Name redacted. This is a private members-only restaurant in a small apartment and I visited through a local. I’m not sure if I can mention the restaurant name. The chef is self-taught and it's a 2-person team. Memorable pieces: white star snapper; big fin reef tuna; half boiled salmon roe; and Basque cheesecake (not made in house). On top of the "regular" uni, they had a special uni as an extra dish, which has been the creamiest uni I've tasted so far. This one piece cost 5.000¥, which was worth it. 42.000¥ (including sake and wine), cash only.
• Ichikawa (Tabelog 4.08 Bronze / Google 4.5). There were 4 of us and all foreigners. The tuna nigiris are fantastic. Booked through Omakase using Japanese phone. I'm not sure why they restrict to Japanese phone accounts since the chef speaks sufficient English. 44.000¥.
• Jiro Roppongi (Tabelog 3.74 / Google 4.1 / 2 Michelin stars). I chose the 20-piece nigiri only dinner option at the 19.30 second seating in the summer. There were only 4 of us and all of us were foreigners. There were several empty seats. It seemed like they leave some seats open for last minute regular customers. Memorable pieces: mantis shrimp; uni, and tamago. I also added 4 extra nigiri. I ate 19 pieces in 30 minutes and the remaining 5 pieces were served at a slightly slower pace. Some of the pieces were provided while I was still chewing. But the sushi was delicious. I learned that they don't use the phrase "Jiro style," they just see their sushi style as the traditional one. I also mentioned that I had been to Mizukami and the chef said he is a bad apprentice, because he doesn't follow their style at his restaurant. Can be booked via Pocket Concierge (no fee). 33.000¥ + additional for extra nigiri.
  • Jiro Roppongi (Tabelog 3.77 / Google 4.1). Second visit in the winter. Had the nigiri-only lunch through Pocket Concierge. There were 5 of us and all of us foreigners. It seems like bookings from PC or other websites are always foreigner-only seatings. I added 4 extra pieces, not included in the course. The tamago quality was nowhere near the first time. He said the quality is different because it was made by an apprentice. The full meal lasted 45 minutes, longer than the first time. Memorable nigiri: cuttlefish and needlefish. The extra orders were delicious: otoro; big scallop; engawa; giant clam; long spike sea urchin. 38.500¥ (24.200¥ for 13 pieces + cost for extra 5 pieces).
• Sushi Fukuzuka (Tabelog 3.75 / Google 4.6). 4 of 6 seats were filled and all of us were foreigners. Uses very strong vinegar rice with salt and at high temperature. You can smell the strength of the vinegar in the air. Memorable appetizers: fresh whitebate (shirasu); Japanese sea perch (suzuki); sweet shrimp (botan ebi); shrimp head; boiled sea urchin with soy sauce and sugar. Memorable nigiri: kohada; kawahagi; a vertical roll with three types of tuna and kanpyo. The tamago was unique here and had three types of egg preparation. They provide note cards with pictures and names in both Japanese and English. The chef is very particular about sushi. Booked through OpenTable, but available through other platforms. 43.010¥.
• Takamitsu (Tabelog 4.47 Silver / Google 4.5). There were 5 foreigners and 5 Japanese. Some of the uni was excellent but not all of the other types of uni. Overall, it was a bit underwhelming for the uni pieces. Memorable appetizers: rice with uni, tuna, and white truffles. Chutoro was fantastic and probably the best nigiri at this meal. Rice bowl with roe and uni was delicious. An extra piece of a roll with a specific kind of uni was amazing. A regular booked for me. 49,500¥, but I paid around 58.000¥.
• Nihonbashi Kawaguchi (Tabelog 3.52 / Google 4.7). Visited through a local and I was the only foreigner. It's a husband-wife team. The chef trained at Jiro and follows the traditional style. They are definitely going for the edomae authenticity for both the restaurant ambiance and food. Memorable pieces: the very sweet mantis shrimp and the massive portion of uni. 33.000¥.
• Sushi Shota (Sapporo; Tabelog 4.07 Bronze / Google 4.5). I was the only foreigner at the seating. Memorable pieces: Bafun uni; swordfish appetizer; otoro; mackerel (saba); baby corn + tilefish appetizer. Booked through Omakase. 33.000¥.
• Sushi Saito Azabudai (Tabelog 3.78 / Google 4.1). I was the only foreigner at the seating and ate the nigiri only lunch. Kurumaebi was fantastic. Booked through Omakase. 16.500¥.
• Kobikichou Tomoki (Tabelog 4.02. Google 4.8). There were 4 locals and 3 foreigners, with 2 empty seats. It's a husband-wife team. The meal began with one appetizer and then nigiri. I was super excited because it would be a nigiri-heavy meal. But this is in the Sho-style with alternating appetizers and nigiri being served. Altogether, there were 11 appetizers, 11 nigiri, and tamago. Memorable appetizers: icefish or noodlefish (shirauo; engawa; saba. Memorable nigiri: sayori; 3-day aged roe sourced from Hokkaido; meguro; baby squid; shima-aji. Booked through Omakase using a Japanese number. 66.000¥.
• Araki (Tabelog 4.22 / Google 5.0, but only one review). Memorable appetizers: red snapper from Hyogo; dried sea cucumber roe.  Memorable nigiri: chutoro; otoro; noduguro; bigfin reef squid (aori ika); marinated tuna; shanghai snow crab; seared otoro with hand pulled matsutake mushrooms (unique piece and quite large); tuna roll with lots and lots of tuna (extra order). The tamago is also unique which included (I think) abalone, tiger prawn, and eggs. A regular booked for me. 60.000¥.
• Sushi Yuki (Tabelog 3.79 / Google 4.6 / 1 Michelin star). There was a mix of foreigners and Japanese. Memorable pieces: sayori; anago. Booked through Omakase. 33.000¥.
• Sushi Miyuki (Tabelog 3.87 / Google 4.4). Visited with a local and this is extremely difficult to book. This is a sister restaurant of Hashimoto (I think) and Hashimoto used to be at this location. I was the only foreigner at the seating. I ate the nigiri only lunch which had very generous portions. Memorable pieces: salmon; kinmidai; sawara; chutoro; massive portion of purple sea urchin. 10.000¥.
• Sushi Ryujiro main counter (Tabelog 4.33 Silver / Google 4.5 / 1 Michelin star). I visited the main counter after visiting the sub-counter. While I did not like the sub-counter meal much, I loved the main counter. I was one of 2 foreigners. The tuna nigiri were amazing. Booked through Omakase. 32.450¥.
• Sushi Gosuian (Tabelog 3.74 / Google 4.7). I was the only foreigner and they did not fill every seat. It's a husband-wife team, I believe. Memorable pieces: squid; kasugo; kohada (sweeter type from Kyushu); aji; the very creamy uni. Booked through Ikyu (no fee). 27.500¥.
• Ichiu (Tabelog 3.75 / Google 4.7). I was the only foreigner. Memorable pieces: blue marlin (kajiki); squid; yellowtail; sweet shrimp; mantis shrimp. Booked through Omakase. 25.000¥.
• Sushidokoro Yamato (Tabelog 4.18 Bronze / Google 4.0). Caught a last minute reservation for lunch due to cancellation. Some Japanese patrons, but most were foreigners. Chef does not speak English but seemed friendly. Booked through Omakase. 24.200¥.
• Sushi Kimura (Tabelog 4.4 / Google 4.4). Last minute cancellation for lunch through Omakase in the summer. There were only 2 foreigners and the rest were Japanese speakers. Chef speaks some English, but only for the name of the fish, no info on aging. 44.000¥.
  • Sushi Kimura (Tabelog 4.13. Google 4.5). Second visit in the winter, also because of a last minute cancellation. I was the only foreigner. Memorable appetizer: rice with seaweed and some seafood which I did not understand; noodles with shirako sauce (I think). The risotto with hamaguri could have been creamier and I don't think this would be considered a good risotto by Italian standards. Memorable nigiri: botan ebi; kinmidai; kawahagi with its liver; mantis shrimp; striped marlin (makazaki); tamago. While the aged ikura is very good, I prefer the one from Inomata. Overall, I still prefer the taste of aged sushi of Inomata to Kimura. 44.000¥.
• Tomidokoro (Tabelog 4.00 Bronze / Google 4.3). I was the only diner at the second dinner seating and it was a quick 30-minute meal. Unlike Jiro Roppongi, I did not feel rushed here. The chef does not speak English but some fish names were provided in English. The assistant speaks more English. Booked through Ikyu but has moved to Tablecheck since my visit. The price was less than 25.000¥.
• Sushi Akira (Tabelog 4.31 Silver / Google 4.8) Last minute cancellation through Omakase. I was the only foreigner in that seating. It's noticeably a more lively restaurant. 36.300¥.
• Takaoka Chiba (Tabelog 4.26 Bronze / Google 4.6). There were 4 foreigners and 2 Japanese patrons. The chef was very friendly even with limited English. I had a conversation about different cuisines using Google Translate with him. This was in Tokyo with the head chef. Booked through Tablecheck. 35.000¥.
• Sushidokoro Yamada (Tabelog 3.83 / Google 4.3). I was the only diner at the second dinner seating. I selected the nigiri-only option. Memorable nigiri: bonito; golden snapper; amberjack; aged tuna; ankimo. Booked through Ikyu (no fee). 55,000¥.
• Sushisho Masa (Tabelog 3.74 / Google 4.8). Sho style. Everyone was a foreigner. I don't have a lot of notes from this restaurant and they serve a lot of interesting stuff. Booked through Pocket Concierge. 33.000¥.

Mid-tier (part 2): 6 restaurants. While the sushi is pretty good, I don't plan to return to these restaurants.

• Sushi Yoshitake (Tabelog 4.22 Bronze / Google 4.4 / 2 Michelin stars). I was one of 3 foreigners with the rest being Japanese. Cannot take pictures. Memorable appetizers: kawahagi with soy sauce and its liver; young tuna marinated in soy sauce, radish, flowers; female snow crab with rice, uni (I think), and seaweed. Memorable nigiri: sea bream; chutoro; otoro. It seemed like a lot of the fish were cut in the back by apprentices instead of the head chef. Booked through Omakase using Japanese phone. 56.000¥.
• Takagaki no sushi (Tabelog 3.74. Google 4.4). There were 7 seats with 4 Japanese guests and 3 foreigners. Ate the lunch nigiri-only course. The chef trained at Shimizu, but I much preferred Sushi Take in terms of Shimizu apprentices. Memorable nigiri: sumika; akami (has nori inside); chutoro; buri. Booked through Omakase. 19.800¥.
• Azabujuban Hatano Yoshiki (Tabelog 3.83 / Google 4.5). Most of the patrons seemed to be foreigners, with maybe 2 or 4 Japanese speakers. 33.000¥.
• Sushi Hashiguchi (Tabelog 4.12 Bronze / Google 4.6). There was a mix of foreigners and Japanese. It's a husband-wife team, I believe. Cannot take pictures. Booked through JPNEAZY (3.000¥ extra fee). Meal costs around 46.000¥.
• Sushi Muto (Tabelog 3.55 / Google 4.9). There was a mix of foreigners and Japanese. The chef trained at Sushi Ao. The grouper appetizer was fantastic. The tamago here had a unique consistency and was fantastic. Booked through Omakase. 30.000¥.
• Sushi Sohei (Tabelog 4.05 / Google 4.5). I was the only foreigner at the seating. You can take pictures of the nigiri, but not of the appetizers. Memorable appetizers: flounder (hirame); steamed abalone with its liver cream. Memorable nigiri: Japanese thornyhead (kinki); aji; otoro; herring. Booked through Omakase. 33.000¥.
• Nishiazabu Sushi Sho (Tabelog 3.76/ Google 4.7). While the restaurant has "Sho" in the name, it was not a Sho-style meal. The chef's name is Sho. There was a mix of foreigners and Japanese. Memorable pieces: tuna; aji; uni from Aomori was sweet and great. The restaurant has closed since my visit, but he has opened a new store called Mitsui. 33.000¥.
• Sushi Ryo (Tabelog 3.33 / Google 4.3). Probably a bit expensive for only 10 nigiri pieces. I was the only diner at lunch and I think they opened the restaurant because I made the reservation request. The octopus appetizer was probably the best octopus I've had in Japan. Isaki was also fantastic. Booked using Pocket concierge (no fee). 25.000¥.

Bottom-tier: 12 restaurants. This doesn’t mean the sushi was necessarily bad. The sushi overall was decent, for the most part. I just didn’t like them as much as the other restaurants. If you go to only one of these restaurants, you’ll probably have good tasting sushi. I won't re-visit these.

• Sakai (Fukuoka; Tabelog 4.53 Gold / Google 4.7). There was a mix of foreigners and Japanese. It’s a large counter with a lot of staff. I did not understand the hype around this restaurant, especially being a Tabelog Gold. I had far better tasting sushi meals at many other restaurants. Memorable pieces: shima-aji; flapjack; akami; and chutoro. For what it's worth, this is the best of these 12 restaurants for me. Booked through Tablecheck. 44.000¥.
• Sushisai Wakichi (Sapporo; Tabelog 4.30 Bronze / Google 4.6). I was the only foreigner at the seating. They serve a LOT of appetizers, which I'm not fond of. Memorable pieces: Nishin pacific herring and kinki. I probably would've enjoyed the meal more if there were fewer appetizers. Booked through Tablecheck. 36.000¥.
• Sushi Takeru (Tabelog 3.88 / Google 4.9). There were a couple of foreigners and the rest were Japanese speakers. The tuna here tasted different and weird to me, compared to the other restaurants. I don't know how to describe it. Booked through Omakase. 48.000¥.
• Namba Hibiya (Tabelog 4.52 Silver / Google 4.6). Visited through a local and I was the only foreigner. Like Sakai, I did not understand the hype here. While the horse mackerel and tuna were delicious, the rest were decent but not generally memorable. The pieces were also tiny. Even though the Yotsuya branch apparently gets the ingredients from the Hibiya store, I did not have the same experience as Yotsuya. 45.000¥.
• Susukino Sushikin (Sapporo; Tabelog 3.98 / Google 4.3). There were 4 of us and all foreigners. It's fine, but nothing memorable to me. Booked through Tablecheck. 33.000¥.
• Sushi Ryujiro sub counter. (Tabelog 4.28 Silver / Google 4.5). I was the only foreigner at that seating. I visited this before visiting the main counter. I am counting this as a separate restaurant from the main counter. 31.900¥. 
• Hakkoku (Tabelog 3.9 Bronze / Google 4.3). Ate the lunch menu, with a sous chef. All foreigners. Portions were noticeably smaller than at other restaurants on this list. If I get the chance, I would try with the main chef. Booked through Omakase. 25.000¥.
• Kioicho Mitani (Tabelog 3.95 Bronze / Google 4.5). There were 13 seats with 7 of them assigned to one chef (sous chef?) who speaks some English. The other chef (head?) served a different set of Japanese speakers. Most of the plates used also seemed to be different between the two chefs. I was the only foreigner. My chef hands you the nigiri pieces while the other chef does not. My chef said this is his style for his devoted repeat customers. The sushi was fine but nothing memorable for me. Booked through Omakase using Japanese phone number. 39.600¥.
• Sushi Arai sub counter (Tabelog 4.6 Gold / Google 4.6). Ate lunch and all of us were foreigners. This is technically a different restaurant than Arai, so the Tabelog/Google ratings are likely not accurate, even though people are rating both restaurants under the Arai name. I booked through Tableall and found out later that this is available also on Omakase. The quality of the meal does not correlate to the price, especially when including the non-transparent Tableall fees. The tuna here also tasted different like at Takeru. I asked the chef about what's different between the two restaurants and he said the rice. I would try the main restaurant though, if I could. 50.000¥ through Tableall and 38.500¥ through Omakase.
• Udatsu (Tabelog 3.75 / Google 4.4). This was with the second chef and the seating was with all foreigners. This was my least liked restaurant from this list during my first sushi trip. The food tasted decent but it’s nothing special. 33.000¥.
• Saeki (Kyoto; Tabelog 3.73 / Google 4.4). Every nigiri piece seemed to taste very sweet. It's a long counter, with a divider in the middle. It seemed like most of us were foreigners. They only served 6 appetizers and 10 nigiri; which I think is too expensive for the price. There were a lot of staff at the restaurant. This is the only restaurant in Japan with sweet tasting sushi, in my limited experience. The bill also requested tips, but I believe they've since implemented a 10% service charge. Cost is around 34.000¥.
• Sushi Kanesaka (Tabelog 4.0 / Google 4.0 / 2 Michelin stars). I think everyone was a foreigner. I liked the uni appetizer. Everything else was okay and on the weaker side, nothing special or memorable. As the cherry on top, the final dessert (ice cream) was tasteless. It is way too expensive for what it is and this was the most disappointing meal I've had in Japan so far. The chef also seemed to forget his serving order and we had to remind him that he already served a piece to several of us. 60.000¥.

A few other general thoughts on my sushi experience so far:

• I noticed that restaurants with just 2-3 staff members (e.g. husband-wife with an apprentice) behind the counter had better tasting food than those with lots of staff members. Not saying there is any correlation or causation here, of course, just a casual observation. Perhaps it does matter when there are too many cooks in the kitchen.
• I generally cannot tell the difference between the amount of vinegar in the rice; so that is not a metric for me. Not sure if I'm the odd duck or if some people are just more sensitive to the vinegar taste. I only noticed the vinegar if it was excessive, but I don't have a preference for the amount of vinegar. Like with everything about food, it's whatever someone prefers.
• There is no "best" sushi restaurant in Tokyo or anywhere else. Tabelog ratings are not superior to Google, or vice versa, in the context of high end sushi restaurants. Both have different criteria for the final score, but overall, I did not find that every 4.0+ restaurant (or those with an award) on Tabelog to be amazing. Tabelog ratings seem to be more "influencer" based. Google seems to be more democratic.
• Whether you like a restaurant depends on what you like. Other people's opinions are as valid as your own opinion. Food reviewers' opinion on a restaurant is just like anyone else's opinion. In the end, you just need to try it for yourself to see if you like it. Everything in the context of taste is subjective. There's a saying that "there are no bad kitchens, it's just what you like."
• I wonder if some restaurants are very expensive primarily because they have a lot of staff. Somehow some restaurants seem to do everything well with just 2-3 people.
• There is a lot of commentary about the dreaded gaijin corner. As a foreigner, I have been seated at the farthest seat away from the door, the seat closest to the door, in the middle right in front of the chef, and in between. If I was the only foreigner, I have sat in front of the chef, almost every time. If there were other foreigners, I was grouped with them, which makes perfect sense. I have not felt anything discriminatory so far. I also don't speak any Japanese, so if others are shit-talking about me, I am blissfully ignorant. I am also not above being shit-talked.
• Whether you see availability on Omakase depends on your phone number or your phone number combined with visit history (there may be other criteria for a small number of restaurants). Some restaurants are in fact restricted to Japanese phone numbers, regardless of visit history. Others are restricted to Japanese phone numbers and visit history. I ended up having 3 Omakase accounts with phone numbers from 3 continents.
• While I was in Japan, I saw many cancellation emails or availability without emails for the following restaurants. I couldn't book them because I wasn't quick enough, or I had other obligations. If you're in Japan for a decent amount of time, you can get into difficult-to-book restaurants if you happen to see openings. Keep checking Omakase. You may not receive an email for the cancellations, even if you have a restaurant set as a favorite on Omakase.
  • Namba Hibiya and Yotsuya
  • Hashimoto
  • Kurosaki main counter
  • Sawada
  • Sugita. I received multiple emails for openings but I wasn’t quick enough to reserve it, or I lost the clicking battle.
  • Shunji
  • Tenzushi

If you have connections, please take me to the following restaurants!

• Amamoto
• Harutaka
• Ikko
• Jiro main store
• Mitane
• Meino
• Sushi Saeki
• Saito
• Sushi Sho Yotsuya
• Shunji
• Takumi Shingo
• Terakoya Sushi Sho