Since this restaurant moved from Kawaguchi to Tokyo, it has become one of my favourite sushiyas. This was my second visit, in November.

The meal is pure, orthodox Edomae: no small appetizers, no side dishes, just a focused progression of nigiri from the first bite to the last.

The restaurant itself is quietly stunning. Inomata-san, who spent around a decade running “Sushi Inomata” in Kawaguchi (Saitama), opened this new spot in Kōjimachi (Tokyo) in February 2025. Hidden inside a traditional house with a small garden and surrounded by tall office buildings, it feels like a pocket of calm cut off from the city. The room is minimal and intimate, centred on an eight-seat counter made from 300-year-old hinoki (white cypress) whose surface is so smooth and gentle it feels almost like fabric. At the back, a single vase with a persimmon branch sets the tone: simple, seasonal, and precise.

Inomata Takeshi-san and his wife Naoko-san create an excellent friendly atmosphere in which one can enjoy their sushi

Over the course of just under two hours, he served roughly twenty pieces of nigiri, including:
• Sumi-ika
• Kawahagi
• Shima-ebi
• Uni
• Katsuo
• Kobako-gani (female snow crab)
• Kobashira
• Sawara
• Sayori
• An elongated, open-style ikura gunkan
• Maguro akami
• Whale tail
• Maguro chutoro
• Maguro otoro
• Kohada
• A hand roll combining otoro, akami and chutoro
• Kanpyō maki
• Ebi “tamago yam”
• An additional serving of
ikura gunkan
Kawahagi
Sawara

What stood out in particular:
• Many of the white-fleshed fish had an almost unbelievable smoothness and richness, with a gentle, lingering sweetness.
• The silver-skinned fish were a lesson in clarity and control: visually immaculate, with flavours that were sharp but never aggressive.
• The sequence of the meal was masterfully judged. He moved from white fish to hikari-mono, into tuna, and back again with a flow that felt completely natural.
• The female snow crab nigiri was served very hot, showing how temperature and texture can push flavour to another level, beyond intensity alone.
• The ikura was handled in a way that removed the usual glassy shine and instead gave it a soft, matte appearance and almost buttery mouthfeel.
• There were no simmered items at all; the focus stayed firmly on raw and lightly treated neta over shari.
• The tuna was of outstanding quality and, interestingly, did not come from the well-known Yamayuki (Yukitaka Yamaguchi) supply line but from an 185 kg block sourced through Hityo in Aomori Prefecture.
• The nori was exceptional: crisp, aromatic, and deeply flavoured, contributing as much to the experience as the fish itself.

Photography is not allowed, which somehow suits the atmosphere: you are simply there, in the moment, with the sushi.
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