Sushi Koma in AkitaI attended a special event held by Sushi Koma in Tokyo (Sō Tōkanda), located in Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture. This limited three-day event was available by reservation only through OMAKASE.This collaboration featured Chef Kensei Ikoma, who honed his skills as a sushi chef in Ginza and New York before opening Sushi Koma in Yurihonjo, and his brother Yuichi Ikoma, who runs a nearby udon shop.--- Related Shops (for reference only) --- Sushi Koma ★ This time Udon IchikomaI rarely have the opportunity to visit Akita, but since this was a limited event in Tokyo, I participated as if I were traveling to Akita.On Tabelog, Sushi Koma has been recognized as one of the top sushi restaurants in 2021, 2022, and 2025, receiving Bronze in 2023 and Silver in 2024, 2025, and 2026, consistently earning high praise since its opening in 2011.In Akita, they often serve seafood from Miyagi at incredibly reasonable prices, but due to the Tokyo event, the udon collaboration, and the alcohol pairing (which is optional), the course price is relatively high.Course with Alcohol Pairing: JPY 49,500 (tax included) *** ◇ Appetizers ◆ Sushi/Rolls *** ◇ Purple Sea Urchin / Horsehair Sea Urchin ◆ Grilled Sawara (Spanish Mackerel) with Salt and Sudachi ◇ Hatahata (Sandfish) with Fresh Sesame Tofu and Fish Sauce ◆ Sweet Sea Bream with Scales ◆ Young Ayu (Sweetfish) with Hojicha (Roasted Green Tea) Cooked Innards and Sudachi ◇ Herring with Bracken Stems and Bracken Miso ◆ Grilled Sardine Sushi with Scallions, Ume Paste, Sesame, and Shiso ◆ Sweet Shrimp with Salted Innards and Simmered Head and Tail ◆ Black Anago (Conger Eel) with Sweet Soy Sauce and Sansho ◇ Chestnut Crab Chawanmushi (Savory Egg Custard) ◆ Mehikari (Small Fish) with Vinegar and Grilled Skin ◆ Grilled Silver Salmon with New Onion Grated Sauce ◆ Aori Ika (Bigfin Reef Squid) with Squid Ink Rice, White Sesame, and Sudachi ◇ Simmered Oyster with Rice ◆ Mebaru (Rockfish) with Simmered Innards ◆ Swordfish with New Onion Soy Sauce ◆ Negitoro Roll: Grilled Tuna with Iburi Gakko (Smoked Daikon) and Long Green Onion Kamadama Udon (Egg Udon) / Tonnburi (Akita Caviar) / Caviar Spring Turnip and Yuzu Udon Hinai Chicken Udon Sake Lees Gelato / Junsai (Water Shield) / Black Honey Kinako (Roasted Soybean Flour)5 Appetizers / 12 Sushi Pieces / 3 Types of Udon / DessertBeverages (included in the bill) Alcohol Pairing: Jōzan (Fukui) Murakami (Aomori) Kagekage (Niigata) Abekan (Miyagi) Kuro Ryu Gohyakumangoku (Fukui)Since I have not visited the Akita location, I cannot make a direct comparison, but my overall impression was that it was diverse, and the alcohol pairing along with the three types of udon left me quite full.The Tsukinowaguma (Asian Black Bear) part that was presented midway might have been served in the latter udon, but I lost track due to the drinks (laughs).The ingredients included local Akita produce as well as selections from Hokkaido, Aomori, Miyagi, and Ishikawa, with the sake pairing chosen to match these regions.Chef Ikoma's philosophy is to provide variety rather than sticking to a fixed pattern, so both the sushi and appetizers were different from the usual offerings, keeping things interesting.Typically, there’s often a trio of tuna served at some point, but here, the only tuna provided was in the form of the swordfish and negitoro, starting instead with the purple sea urchin and horsehair sea urchin, showcasing the richness of Tohoku's ingredients.The rice is primarily red vinegar-based, but for the aori ika, squid ink was mixed in, utilizing every part of the seafood without waste.Conversely, everything was so delicious that I couldn’t pick a favorite (laughs).The udon, freshly made by my brother right at the counter, was diverse, chewy, and had great texture—truly the best!I would love to visit when I go to Akita.It was a great meal.
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