Experiences / Dining
An omakase sushi counter
鮨の おまかせ すしのおまかせ
High-end · Food · Book ahead
Eight to ten seats, one chef, no menu: twenty pieces arrive one at a time, each placed in front of you at the temperature and moment the chef chooses, over about two hours. Tokyo has more of these counters than anywhere and at every price — the Ginza and Nihonbashi names that need a hotel concierge to book, and the neighbourhood counters in Ebisu or Kagurazaka that are a third of the price and often better value. Lunch omakase is the same food at half the cost.
- How to arrange it
- Book weeks ahead for the famous counters (via a hotel or a booking service); say any allergies at booking, arrive on time, and do not wear perfume.
- Price band
- ¥¥¥¥
- Allow
- 120 min
Where to book it
Ginza
Kyubey Ginza
銀座 久兵衛
¥¥¥¥ · 90 min · English: yes
Founded in 1935, Kyubey is one of Ginza's most storied sushi houses, still run by the founding family across its honten and annex on the same block. It is a genuine chef's-counter omakase house rather than a hotel add-on, with a full English-language site aimed at visiting guests.
Ginza
Umegaoka Sushi no Midori Ginza
梅丘寿司の美登利 銀座店
¥¥ · 45 min · English: partial
A branch of the well-known Umegaoka Sushi no Midori chain, prized locally for serving generous, high-quality Edomae nigiri at prices far below typical Ginza sushi counters. The Ginza shop keeps the brand's original hands-on, no-frills counter format rather than a tourist-oriented set menu.
Named operators, each verified against its official site. We list the booking route and whether English is spoken; hours and prices live on the official site. All operators
Places
The Ginza bar streets銀座のバー通り
Where the Japanese cocktail was perfected — six seats, one bartender, ice carved by hand.
90 min · Ginza (Ginza / Marunouchi / Hibiya lines)
Ebisu Garden Place and the Ebisu restaurant streets恵比寿ガーデンプレイスと恵比寿の飲食店街
A district named after a beer, with the brewery museum, a photography museum, and the densest streets of small good restaurants in Tokyo.
180 min · Ebisu (JR / Hibiya line); Garden Place by the Skywalk from the east exit
Toyosu Market and the tuna auction豊洲市場とマグロの競り
The world's largest fish market behind glass — tuna auctioned at dawn, sushi counters upstairs, and a rooftop lawn on the bay.
150 min · Shijo-mae (Yurikamome), direct by walkway