Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Old-school Edomae counter. Book early.
A Michelin one-starred sushi counter in Shiba, Minato City, Sanosushi makes a deliberate case for old-school Edomae craft: generous rice, thick toppings, and tuna nigiri served in sets of three. At ¥¥¥, it delivers serious quality without the top-tier price tag of Tokyo's most prominent counters. Book well ahead — demand is strong and reservations are not easy to secure.
Securing a table at Sanosushi takes planning. This Michelin one-starred sushi counter in Shiba, Minato City draws serious repeat visitors, and with a Google rating of 4.8 from 78 reviews, word has spread well beyond the neighbourhood. Book as far in advance as your schedule allows — and if you land a counter seat, take it without hesitation. The counter is where this restaurant makes its case most clearly.
Sanosushi sits on a quiet stretch of Shiba that has nothing to do with Tokyo's high-gloss dining theatre. There are no neon signs or tasting-menu showrooms nearby. The restaurant's identity is rooted in the opposite impulse: a deliberate return to the sushi shops that defined the neighbourhood before the omakase boom turned the format into a premium spectacle. The bold sign, the wooden menu board on the wall, the no-frills name , these are not styling choices, they are a position statement. Sanosushi is operating as a neighbourhood anchor in a part of Minato City where that kind of continuity still means something.
The sloping counter with a groove along one side , designed to catch soy sauce before it can spill , is the kind of detail you find in a room shaped by long experience rather than by an interior designer. That groove came from the chef's mentor, and it is still there. Spatially, the restaurant reads as intimate and purposeful: a counter that puts you close to the preparation, in a room that does not perform warmth so much as simply have it.
For a special occasion in Tokyo, this kind of setting is rarer than it sounds. Many of the city's Michelin-starred sushi counters have migrated toward a quieter, more austere aesthetic , beautiful, certainly, but sometimes cold. Sanosushi's old-school physicality gives a date night or a celebratory dinner a different quality: the feeling of being somewhere that has earned its reputation over time rather than designed for one.
The kitchen's approach is consistent with the room's philosophy. Sushi rice is slightly sour and portioned generously, in the style that predates the era when minimalism became a marker of seriousness. Toppings are thick. Tuna is treated as the centrepiece it historically was in Edomae sushi , served with care in sets of three nigiri. These are not accidental choices; they reflect a deliberate reading of what made Tokyo sushi shops worth visiting before the format was refined into something more rarefied.
For a special occasion, that framing matters. You are not booking a technical showcase or a chef's personal narrative in 20 courses. You are booking a counter where the craft is applied to a clear, confident set of standards , and where the experience of eating is allowed to be direct rather than mediated by ceremony. That is a meaningful distinction in a city where ceremony has become the default register for this price tier.
At ¥¥¥, Sanosushi sits below the top tier of Tokyo sushi pricing. That makes it a credible choice for a celebratory dinner where the food should be serious but the bill should not require a conversation. Compare this to Harutaka or Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongiten, both of which operate at ¥¥¥¥ and carry the full weight of Tokyo's most prestigious sushi circuit. Sanosushi's Michelin star at a lower price point is the argument for booking it over those venues if budget is a factor and old-school Edomae execution is what you want.
For sushi specifically, the clearest local peer is Sushi Kanesaka, which also holds Michelin recognition and operates in the traditional Edomae register. If you want a sushi counter with a more contemporary approach to the format, Edomae Sushi Hanabusa is worth considering. For a broader Tokyo dining context , kaiseki, French, or Japanese tasting menus , see Hiroo Ishizaka and our full Tokyo restaurants guide.
If you are building a Japan itinerary around serious restaurants, Sanosushi pairs well with a visit to Gion Sasaki in Kyoto or HAJIME in Osaka for a contrasting approach to Japanese fine dining. Further afield, Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong and Shoukouwa in Singapore represent how the Edomae format travels , useful reference points if you are comparing across the region.
Book at minimum four to six weeks in advance, and longer if your dates are fixed. A Michelin star at ¥¥¥ pricing creates strong demand , this is not a walk-in restaurant. Because Sanosushi does not appear to have a public website or phone number, your most reliable route is through your hotel concierge or a specialist Tokyo reservation service. For a special occasion, treat the booking logistics as part of the planning, not an afterthought.
Yes, given the price tier. At ¥¥¥, you are getting Michelin-starred Edomae sushi with a clear identity , generous portions, thick toppings, properly sourced tuna served in sets of three nigiri. The value case is strongest when you compare it to ¥¥¥¥ counters like Harutaka where the experience is excellent but the price reflects it. Sanosushi gives you serious execution without the top-tier bill.
Based on what is known about the kitchen's approach, the tuna nigiri is the item to pay attention to , it is served in sets of three and treated as the centrepiece of the meal, which is consistent with classic Edomae priorities. The sushi rice is slightly sour and portioned generously. Beyond that, trust the counter format: at a restaurant like this, the chef's sequence is the meal. Arrive hungry and let the kitchen lead. Specific menu details are not publicly confirmed, so avoid planning around dishes not verified in the venue's record.
Yes , and it is a better fit for a date or celebration than many of its Michelin-starred peers in Tokyo, precisely because the room does not feel like a performance. The counter is intimate, the style is direct, and the old-school atmosphere gives the meal a sense of occasion without formality. At ¥¥¥ it is also a more manageable spend for a celebratory dinner than the ¥¥¥¥ tier. If you want a quieter, more austere room for a high-stakes business dinner, consider Sushi Kanesaka instead.
No specific information is publicly available about how Sanosushi accommodates dietary restrictions. Given the traditional Edomae format and the kitchen's commitment to old-school sushi practice, the menu is almost certainly built around fish and shellfish with limited flexibility. If dietary restrictions are a factor, contact the restaurant directly , ideally through a concierge service that can communicate clearly in Japanese , before committing to a booking. Do not assume flexibility that has not been confirmed.
For more dining options across the city, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide, our Tokyo hotels guide, and our guides to bars, wineries, and experiences in Tokyo. If you are travelling beyond the capital, consider 1000 in Yokohama, akordu in Nara, or Goh in Fukuoka for strong regional alternatives. For something further off the main circuit, 6 in Okinawa is worth a look.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanosushi | From the outset, the chef resolved to create an old school sushi restaurant. The no-nonsense shop name, the big, bold sign and the wooden menu board hung on the wall all hark back to the sushi shops of old. The sloping counter with a groove along one side prevents soy sauce spillage—an idea from his mentor. Sushi rice is slightly sour and generously portioned, toppings thick, like in the good old days. Tuna, as a star topping, is served with great care in sets of three nigiri.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | ¥¥¥ | — |
| Harutaka | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| RyuGin | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| L'Effervescence | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| HOMMAGE | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Florilège | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥ | — |
Comparing your options in Tokyo for this tier.
Sushi counters in the traditional Edomae format are not well-suited to dietary restrictions. Sanosushi's menu is built around fish and shellfish, with the chef setting the sequence. If you have severe allergies or avoid seafood entirely, this is not the right format for you. check the venue's official channels before booking to clarify what can be accommodated.
At ¥¥¥ pricing and with a Michelin star behind it, Sanosushi sits in a bracket where you are paying for craft and consistency, not theatre. The kitchen's focus on generously portioned nigiri with slightly sour rice and thick-cut toppings is a deliberate nod to pre-minimalist sushi tradition, which makes it a strong call for anyone who finds modern omakase overly restrained. If you want architectural presentations and lengthy coursework, look elsewhere.
The menu is chef-led, so ordering is not the decision you will make here. Tuna is treated as the centrepiece and arrives in sets of three nigiri — it is the kitchen's signature and the clearest read on the chef's priorities. The sushi rice itself is a marker of the old-school approach, so pay attention to the balance of seasoning and portion alongside the topping.
Book as early as you can. Michelin-starred sushi counters in Tokyo at this price point fill weeks in advance, particularly for prime evening slots. No booking platform or phone is listed in our current data, so start with a search for the restaurant's reservation channel before your trip window closes. Last-minute availability is unlikely.
Yes, with the right expectations. The room's old-school aesthetic — wooden menu board, sloping counter — is understated rather than celebratory, which suits two people who want the food to be the occasion. It is not the choice if you need a flashy setting or a venue accustomed to marking birthdays with fanfare. The Michelin recognition gives it weight, and the tuna-forward counter format works well for a dinner that is about precision rather than performance.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
