Invited by an old friend, I embarked on a three-day food tour in Matsuyama. I met up with my companion and we headed to the restaurant together.We had made a reservation at Sushi Ino, a place I had tried to book several times during a previous business trip to Matsuyama, but had never managed to secure a spot.I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had started accepting reservations through Tabelog, making it easy to see available times and book with just a few taps.We had reserved a sushi-only course for JPY 9040 for lunch. I warned my companion not to have overly high expectations for this price at a sushi restaurant as we entered.Oh, wait. We started with a small dish of vinegared shirasu (whitebait). I was caught off guard since it was a sushi-only course, but I quickly realized this was a clever way to entice us to order drinks, so I asked for a beer.Then came the sushi, starting with the early summer offerings. The spring child (sakura masu) was light and delicious.Next, we had two pieces of kohada (gizzard shad) and marinated isaki (grunt) with green onion. It’s rare to see white fish marinated, but surprisingly, it paired well.At this point, I had to retract my earlier statement to my companion. This lunch is seriously amazing. In Tokyo, this would be the price of standing sushi, but here, they are doing a fantastic job using high-quality local ingredients, so we can expect great sushi.Next up were squid, thick white sweetfish, refreshing red fish from Fukuoka, and freshly seared bonito just before serving.The superb horse mackerel and local exquisite red sea urchin, which doesn’t use alum, left me in awe. I learned that it gets even better during this season. The sea urchin is sourced directly from local divers, and they have to go to the port to pick it up. I felt like I was beginning to understand the system behind this restaurant's affordable yet high-quality ingredients.Then came the large sweet shrimp and melt-in-your-mouth anago (conger eel), followed by red miso soup. An interesting dish was the inari sushi topped with fried tofu, which had a delightful texture thanks to the dried gourd. What is this tofu? I had never experienced such a silky smooth texture before, and I couldn’t help but ask the chef about Matsuyama’s fried tofu.Next were two types of tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet). It was fun to compare the regular version with the Edo-style preparation.About 90% of the fish was local, cut generously, and the rice was substantial. They frequently switched between white and red vinegar rice to match the toppings.Let me say it again: This is JPY 9040. I can’t believe there’s such a dedicated sushi lunch in Matsuyama! It’s hard to find something of this level anywhere in Japan. While it may sound exaggerated to say it was shocking, it truly was a remarkable experience.Next time I come to Matsuyama, I can’t find a reason not to stop by. Such a fantastic sushi lunch, perfect for early summer in Matsuyama.