Sushi Arai (鮨 あらい) Tokyo

See that little white "shaded" area on this piece of tuna? That is a sliver of suji (tendon), indicating this is "hagashi" - tender belly meat cut from between the sinew for maximum "melting" tenderness. Most people reading these captions probably know what hagashi is, but it's always nice to see some visual evidence of this ultra-luxurious cut.
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Arai offers a nigiri-only lunch a few days every week, and that was the menu I enjoyed here back in September. It's pretty substantial for lunch course and at around ¥40k is decent value when the volume, variety and overall quality is considered. Here's a rundown of the course:
1. Mitsuba w/agedashi tofu
2. Karei konbujime
3. Sumi ika
4. Kisu
5. Kohada
6. Shiro amadai
7. Mirukui ("black" mirugai)
8. Huge "oni" aji
9. Katsuo-don
10. Akami
11. Chutoro
12. Chiaigishi
13. Hagashi jabara
14. Nakazumi (large kohada)
15. Wild kuruma ebi
16. Mushi kuro awabi
17. Asari clam broth
18. Ikura
19. Aka uni (Amakusa)
20. "BBQ"-style anago (Amakusa)
21. Tamago Less

I last visited Sushi Arai in 2015. At that point, he had just ceased using two types of shari, and was still in a basement space that would later become a second counter helmed by @mei3158. The restaurant was surprisingly austere - wooden tiles on the wall with the day's menu, low ceilings, and no pottery or ikebana. It reminded me more of #鶴八 or #新橋しみづ than one of Ginza's sushi temples, or #すし匠 , where Arai-san spent the bulk of his training years. It was only a few years later, when Arai-san became yet another impossible booking, that a regular told me this was deliberate choice - that he sought not to emulate his master Nakazawa-san, but rather the style of sushi he personally loved. That Arai-san's vision was a sort of hyper-high-end traditional sushiya.
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The ensuing years have only made bookings here more difficult, and I had basically given up on the idea of returning until a friend who is a regular invited me. The "inside joke" of only allowing pictures of maguro gives the impression that Arai-san is a maguro specialist. And that's not entirely wrong - on some nights as many as 7 or 8 different tuna cuts may be served. But it's still definitely a joke...because Arai-san has incredible range. Flavors are powerful (strong shari, big nigiri), classic, and executed basically flawlessly across the full range of edomae techniques, from sujime (kohada) to konbujime (karei) to various cooked items (kuruma ebi, awabi, anago). The ingredient quality across the board is about as high as it gets, yet - just like the sushiya Arai-san emulates - nothing necessarily stands out or steals the show. For me, most items here approach a personal platonic ideal. The impact is almost like ur-sushi - a template for comparison for all others.
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Arai-san's current space is a few floors upstairs and brighter but still fairly basic, with the exception of a beautifully reflective laquer counter. There is one apprentice whose only job the entire meal is to polish continuously after each nigiri is served - the sort of grunt work that is probably even below the level of plating tsumami or preparing the shari. It is so extraordinary you can see your own reflection while eating. Less

Arai san is arguably in the top tier of Edomae sushi restaurants in Tokyo. He used to host his guest in the basement of a mindern building in Ginza. Now he has emerged from the cellar to the second floor and created a very beautiful space. The basement was now given to his apprentice Mei Ko hos is now ruling the former main counter.
With the move came now rules. No photos and phones (except the maguro).
Irregardless of these rules the quality and execution is still flawless and so tasty.
The shari has a higher acidity than his peers, the grains are longer and therefore the ball becomes a little looser. It works very well with some of the neta.
The absolute stunner this evening was the oyster. It can be a tricky piece as texture sometimes can be off putting but not this time. Slight chewy on the outside, soft on the inside. Once you bite into it it releases an explosion of sea umami. It is was so good we had to have an encore! Less

鮨 あらい
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Consistent, top level sushi for me. The punchy shari and quality neta hit at the right balance and one of my favourite places for otsumami in Tokyo.
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#料理 #レストラン #東京 #食事 #food #foodie #foodstagram #stuffieat #kevcheeats #kevchetokyo #kevche #kevchesushi #sushi #kevcheginza #鮨 #寿司 #すし #あらい TL4.51-G M1* Less

High end Sushi Arai has two counters. The side counters is manned (or in this case womanned) by the head apprentice of the head chef. You get the same fish, same preparation and shari, but obviously a different nigiri forming personality. Mei Kogo is one of the very few female sushi chefs in a high end shushiya in Japan. This is because of this absurd myth that females have not the correct body temperature for forming the nigiri. Not only did she manage to become the head apprentice but she will soon be headlining her own sushi restaurant in Ginza. Apparently there are more than 1200 sushi restaurants in Ginza, so competition is fierce.
Based on this meal I am sure she is going to be successful. She has a flawless technique and a gently touch when forming the nigiris. Her shari changes during the meal as the oilier fishes get served the shari has less acidity. A very balanced combination. Good luck to her. Less