Sushi is the most popular dishes among Japanese and foreign visitors, and it is usually enjoyed on special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. Sushi refers to any dishes that include cooked white rice flavored with seasoned rice vinegar. There are many types of sushi that consist of nigirizushi (hand-formed sushi), makizushi (rolled sushi), and chirashi (sushi rice topped with raw fish).

Among of them, makizushi is the most common sort of sushi. They are made by wrapping fish, vegetables, or meat into seaweeds using a bamboo mat. With nigiri rolls, the rice is hand-pressed into a mound and then a slice of fish or seafood is placed on top of it. Meanwhile, chirashi is sushi rice mixed with sweetly simmered carrots, lotus root, dried shiitake mushrooms and cuts of sashimi or julienned thin egg crepe. Before eating, people use their chopsticks to place a small amount of wasabi on each piece of sushi. However, it is quite common for foreigners to mix their wasabi in soy sauce as a dipping sauce for the sushi.

Sushi is an essential part of Japanese cuisine and you cannot leave Tokyo without enjoying it.

Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi

A trip to Tokyo will be incomplete without visiting the world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market. Every day, there are only 120 people allowed to visit the market and no one forgets to have sushi breakfast there. Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi attract the largest number of diners because of their amazing sushi. You can order your preferred pieces but most people would like to try the omakase course with 10 pieces of sushi chosen by the chef plus one piece fish of your choice with one sushi roll, rolled egg and miso soup.

Photo by Wally Gobetz

People normally have to wait 2 or 3 hours to purchase sushi at Sushi Dai. In order to prevent from the long queue and to enjoy sushi with similar quality, you can move to Daiwa Sushi, which is run by a son of Sushi Dai’s owner.

• Opening time: 5 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• Address: 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Nearest Station: Tokyo Metro Tsukiji (5-minute walk)
• or Toei Subway Tsukiji Shijo (3-minute walk)

Uoriki Kaisen Sushi

Photo by stu_spivack

Located in the basement of Tokyu department store in Shibuya shopping district, it is a small sushi restaurant which serves some of the freshest sushi and sashimi with seafood taken from the Tsukiji Fish Market.

The restaurant provides different choices for diners, such as the basic set with 10 pieces of sushi and tuna set which comes with maguro nigiri, maguro gunkan and otoro nigiri. The soft raw fish matched well with the sweetness of the rice. Before leaving, make sure that you have tried Chirashi-don which comes with huge slices of cuttlefish, salmon, tuna, mackerel, sea bream, sweet shrimp, uni, sea urchin and salmon fish roe.

• Opening time: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
• Address: B1 Tokyu Department Store, 2-24-1 Shibuya
• Nearest Station: JR Shibuya Station

Umegaoka Sushi No Midori

Photo by Hajime NAKANO

Do not get surprised when you arrive at the restaurant in the peak time and see a long queue. Most of the people spend around one hour waiting for the table available. The restaurant is famous for high-quality sushi at reasonable prices. They have an English menu with only basic items. Seasonable and special dishes are written in Japanese on the wall or in the separate menus.

When you sit down in the cozy restaurant and have a bite of their sushi, you realize that it is worth for the wait. The sushi sets are served on large wooden platters. The tuna selection here is a good value for those who like tuna with types of pieces of regular tuna, chopped tuna, semi-oily and oily tuna sushi.

• Opening time: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
• Address: 1-12-3 Dogenzaka, Shibuya Mark City East 4F, Shibuya 150-0043, Tokyo
• Nearest Station: JR Shibuya Station, Hachiko Entrance

Nemuro Hanamaru

Photo by rc!

The kaiten sushi (conveyor belt sushi) restaurant is a good option for enjoying sushi if you are in the Chiyoda area. Like other great dining places in Japan, you have to join the line of people waiting outside. You need to write down your preferred dishes with a number of plates and with or without wasabi before handing it to chefs. The whole conger eel dish, the seared salmon, and crab soup are must-try.

• Opening time: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
• Address: 2-7-2, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
• Nearest Station: JR Tokyo Station, Marunouchi South Entrance

Tokyo is home to the world’s best sushi restaurants. Therefore, remember to have the most memorable dining experience in the bustling city if you are a sushi lover.