Sushi Mizukami: Space Full of Elegancy and Gentleness

Sushi Mizukami hides in plain sight. It occupies the ground floor of an unremarkable building in Ichibancho — a quiet residential pocket of Chiyoda, a few minutes on foot from Hanzomon station and just around the corner from the British Embassy. There’s no spectacle at street level, which feels deliberate. The elegance is saved for the counter.

The sushi

The chef-owner, Michinobu Mizukami, trained at Sukiyabashi Jiro in Ginza, and the lineage is unmistakable. This is Edomae sushi in the Jiro idiom: restrained, exact, and built around the rice. Mizukami seasons his shari with very little sugar, so it reads as warmth and vinegar rather than sweetness, letting the fragrance and umami of each topping carry the bite. This style of sushi matches extremely well with neta like shellfish for example Torigai, Akagai, Aoyagi and all kinds of Hikarimono.

A few pieces from the counter

Worth the trip

If you want to try Jiro style sushi in a relaxing atmosphere, it is the best place to go in Tokyo. The tsumami is a bit plain, but sushi is extraordinary. The sushi only course for lunch is ¥22000 which I highly recommend.

Tips before visiting

You can book the seat online, but you can’t choose between main counter and sub counter, sub counter is served by the souchef. I suggest make the reservation by phone, the okami-san (manager of restaurant) can speak good English very well, you may ask her to accomodate you to the main counter, so Mr. Mizukami will serve you. Make sure you arrive on time, if you can’t make it, don’t ghost. Mr. Mizukami went to Australia when he was young, so don’t hesitate to talk to him in English if you have questions.