Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Serious sushi, easier to book than expected.
Sushi Imamura in Tokyo's Shirokane neighbourhood is an OAD-recognised counter run by Chef Kentarou Imamura, ranked among Japan's top restaurants in both 2024 and 2025. Booking is relatively accessible by Tokyo standards — plan one to two weeks ahead. The Sunday lunch sitting is the smartest entry point for a first visit, with evening sessions Thursday through Saturday for a return.
If you are planning a serious sushi dinner in Tokyo's Shirokane neighbourhood, Sushi Imamura belongs on your shortlist. Chef Kentarou Imamura has built a reputation steady enough to earn back-to-back recognition from Opinionated About Dining's Leading Restaurants in Japan list — ranked #185 in 2024 and #231 in 2025, with a Highly Recommended nod the year before. That trajectory tells you something useful: this is not a one-season discovery. The caveat worth stating upfront is that price range data is not confirmed in our records, so budget planning requires a direct enquiry before you commit.
Sushi Imamura operates from a precise address in Minato City — 6 Chome-5-9 Shirokane , a quieter residential pocket of Tokyo that sits at a deliberate remove from the tourist-heavy Ginza omakase circuit. Where venues like Sushi Kanesaka or Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongiten draw diners into the centre of the city, Imamura rewards the effort of travelling slightly off the beaten path. For explorers who read a neighbourhood as part of the experience, Shirokane gives the meal a less performative context than Ginza's dining-district density.
The room is not documented in detail in our records, but the visual register of a serious Tokyo sushi counter , hinoki wood, considered lighting, the counter itself as the central object , is a reasonable expectation at this level of recognition. What you are looking at when you sit down is the work itself: nigiri shaped and served at the pace the chef sets. That rhythm is the point.
Sushi Imamura opens Thursday through Saturday from 5:30 pm to 11 pm, and on Sunday it runs both a lunch service (12 pm to 1:30 pm) and an evening sitting. Monday and Tuesday are closed. Wednesday has a 5:30 pm to 11 pm service. That Sunday lunch slot is the detail to focus on if this is your first visit: it is the only midday service available, and it gives you a distinct experience from the evening format , lighter pacing, often a shorter wait to secure a reservation, and a different atmosphere than a Tokyo dinner that runs late into the night.
For a second visit, the evening sessions from Thursday through Saturday are the natural next step. If you are planning a Japan itinerary that includes dining across multiple cities, Sushi Imamura fits well as the Tokyo anchor, with options like Gion Sasaki in Kyoto or HAJIME in Osaka providing contrast in format and cuisine further along the trip.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy at Sushi Imamura, which is genuinely useful information in a city where the most decorated sushi counters can require months of lead time or a local contact. That said, Easy does not mean walk-in territory at a venue with OAD recognition , plan at least one to two weeks ahead, and if you have a specific date locked, book as soon as that date is confirmed. No phone number or online booking link is available in our records, so confirmation of the reservation method is a necessary step before you travel. The Sunday lunch sitting is worth prioritising on a first trip: it is the session most likely to have flexibility and gives you the clearest read on whether an evening return is worth planning.
If Sushi Imamura is full, Edomae Sushi Hanabusa and Hiroo Ishizaka are worth checking in the same part of the city. For the broader Tokyo picture, Harutaka remains one of the most respected sushi counters in the city at the leading price tier.
See the full comparison below. For the wider Tokyo dining picture, browse our full Tokyo restaurants guide, or plan the rest of your trip with our Tokyo hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide. If your Japan trip extends beyond Tokyo, Pearl covers 1000 in Yokohama, akordu in Nara, and Goh in Fukuoka, as well as 6 in Okinawa. For serious sushi travellers benchmarking Tokyo against the rest of Asia, Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong and Shoukouwa in Singapore are the reference points worth knowing.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Sushi Imamura | — | |
| Harutaka | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| RyuGin | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| L'Effervescence | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| HOMMAGE | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Florilège | ¥¥¥ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is a genuine advantage for a Tokyo sushi counter with OAD recognition. A few days to a week ahead is typically sufficient, though Sunday lunch — the only midday sitting — fills faster given its shorter window. If you have a fixed travel date, book as soon as your itinerary is confirmed.
Harutaka in Ginza is the natural comparison for serious omakase at a higher difficulty and price ceiling. If you want something outside the sushi format entirely, Florilège offers chef-driven French cuisine with its own critical standing. For a broader Tokyo shortlist, Sushi Imamura's OAD ranking — #231 in 2025, up from #185 in 2024 — places it clearly among the city's tracked counters rather than the ultra-exclusive tier.
Sunday lunch runs just 12 pm to 1:30 pm, making it a tighter sitting with less flexibility. Dinner service, available Thursday through Sunday from 5:30 pm, gives more time and is the format the kitchen runs four nights a week. For a first visit, dinner is the lower-risk choice.
A sushi counter format is well-suited to solo diners — you sit directly in front of the chef, the pacing is set by the kitchen, and there is no social overhead that a table-format restaurant requires. Sushi Imamura's Shirokane address keeps the atmosphere quieter than Ginza-area counters, which adds to the solo-friendly feel.
No dress code is documented for Sushi Imamura, but a traditional Tokyo sushi counter context — particularly one with OAD ranking — generally calls for neat, understated clothing. Avoid anything casual that would feel out of place in a focused, chef-led environment. When in doubt, dress as you would for a considered dinner rather than a casual meal out.
Yes, with the caveat that the format works best for small groups or couples who are comfortable with an omakase structure. Chef Kentarou Imamura's OAD trajectory — Highly Recommended in 2023, ranked #185 in 2024, #231 in 2025 — signals a kitchen with consistent critical attention. The Shirokane location is quieter than central Tokyo, which suits an occasion where the meal itself is the focus.
Sushi Imamura operates as an omakase counter, meaning the menu is set by Chef Kentarou Imamura and not chosen by the guest. There is no à la carte selection to navigate. Come prepared to follow the chef's lead — that is the format this counter is built around.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
