From the counter
Eating Sushi in Tokyo: What to Know Before You Book
Almost nothing that goes wrong at a small sushi counter has anything to do with the food. It is the payment, the timing, or the door. Here are the practical things, written by a nine-seat shop that has watched visitors run into all of them.
01Book earlier than feels necessary
A counter with nine seats serves perhaps eighteen people in an evening. There is no capacity to absorb a walk-in. Many small shops take no same-day reservations at all — we ask for at least one day's notice — and the better-known ones are full weeks ahead.
If a booking page shows nothing available, that is usually the honest answer rather than a technical fault. Try a weekday. Monday through Thursday is a different city.
02Ask how they take payment
Japan is often described as a cash country, and for small restaurants that used to be reliably true. It is no longer. Two opposite situations now exist, and both will catch you out:
- Cash only. Older shops, often with no card terminal at all. Take yen.
- No cash. Increasingly common. We are one of these — credit cards, transport IC cards and QR payment only, and we cannot accept banknotes.
Thirty seconds on the restaurant's own page saves a difficult conversation at the end of a very good meal.
03The course starts for everyone at once
One chef, one counter, one sequence. A guest arriving twenty minutes late does not get a delayed start — they get a compressed meal, and everyone else's pace changes too.
Tokyo trains are reliable, but they are not infallible and the stations are large. Build in fifteen minutes. If something does go wrong, message the shop rather than hurrying in silence; most will hold the opening dishes if they know.
- Tell them what you cannot eat when you book, not when you sit down
- Allergies, shellfish, raw fish, alcohol used in cooking, anything you simply dislike. An omakase is bought and prepared that morning. Before the fish is cut there is room to rearrange; afterwards there is much less.
04Budget beyond the course price
The advertised price is the food. Drinks are separate and at a sushi counter they add up quickly — sake is usually sold by the 180ml measure, and a good bottle of wine can cost more than the meal.
What you will not pay is a tip. Tipping is not customary in Japan and is usually declined politely.
05Expect a door you could walk past
Small Tokyo restaurants advertise badly on purpose. A wooden nameplate, no English, no photographs outside, sometimes no window at all. Several reviews of our own shop say some version of “I nearly walked past it.”
Use the map pin rather than the street address — Japanese addresses are block-based and do not run sequentially along the street. Look for the name in Japanese characters, and if you are two minutes late because you circled the block, so is everyone.
Small things that matter more than you would think
- Skip the perfume. At a counter you are an arm's length from the fish. This is the one piece of etiquette regular guests genuinely care about.
- There is no dress code at most counters, including ours. Come as you are after a day of walking.
- Photographs are usually fine — ask first, and no flash. Then eat the piece. It was made to be eaten in the next minute.
- Eating alone is completely normal. Counter seats exist for exactly this.
- Cancellation fees are common at small shops, because an empty seat cannot be resold. Cancel as early as you can.
Questions people ask
Do sushi restaurants in Japan accept credit cards?
It varies, and it varies in both directions. Some are cash only; others, including ours, accept no cash at all and take only cards, transport IC cards and QR payment. Check the restaurant's own page before you go.
Do you tip at a restaurant in Japan?
No. Tipping is not customary and is often politely refused. Good service is not contingent on it.
Can I book a sushi restaurant in Japan for the same day?
Often not. Small counters prepare for the number of guests booked, so many require at least one day's notice. We do.
How far in advance should I book sushi in Tokyo?
For a small counter, a few days to a week is usually enough on weekdays. Fridays, Saturdays and the weeks around public holidays go much earlier.
What if I am allergic to something?
Say so when you reserve. Most chefs can replace pieces if they know before they buy and cut. Be specific — “no shellfish” is more useful than “some allergies”.
Is it rude to arrive late?
It is a practical problem more than a social one. A set course is served in sequence to the whole counter, so a late arrival shortens your own meal. Message the shop if you are delayed.
Read next
- What Is Omakase?What the word means, and what two hours at the counter look like.
- What Is Edomae Sushi?The preparation work behind the counter, and why so little of it is raw.