Tabelog ratingA self-taught chef started out behind the standing bar of a liquor shop and built it into Saitama's highest-ranked sushi counter, with the Tabelog Award Bronze in 2024, 2025 and 2026. He buys his own fish at Toyosu market and builds seasonal Edo-style courses on red-vinegar shari. The sake list is deep and the pairings are inventive. Regulars single out kasugo (baby sea bream) and an unusual kappa maki made from a whole, uncut cucumber.
Nearly every review praises the hikarimono, the silver-skinned fish: kohada (gizzard shad), aji (horse mackerel) and iwashi (sardine). Anago with a deep, sweet glaze, kuruma ebi (tiger prawn) and generous uni also come up often. One diner named the ankimo monaka, monkfish liver with persimmon in a wafer, their dish of the year. The chef readily takes extra orders once the course is over.
Not every evening goes smoothly. Several diners met a silent, tense chef, and one walked out after he spent the meal disparaging other restaurants. One guest found the nigiri sent out three at a time on the ¥27,500 course. A Chinese reviewer found the rice over-seasoned, and a Japanese diner thought some mid-course fish watery and the portions small.
Between 2024 and 2026 reviewers paid around ¥16,500 for the lunch course. At dinner they paid ¥17,000–18,700 for the shorter omakase and ¥25,300–27,500 for the full course. With sake and extra pieces, totals came to roughly ¥20,600–30,000 per person. The listing puts typical spend at ¥15,000–19,999 for lunch and ¥20,000–29,999 for dinner. A service charge is added to the bill.
Reviewers consistently call it good value, saying the same quality would cost 1.5 to 2 times as much in Tokyo. Add-ons such as kanpyo maki or kappa maki stay affordable, though one diner felt the top course was a stretch.
- Getting there: about 10 minutes' walk (526 m) from the west exit of Omiya Station. The entrance is unmarked, in a shabby building, up steep stairs to the second floor.
- Booking: needed; walk-ins are not practical. Book via TableCheck, by phone (048-871-7244) or via LINE. Saturday lunch requires a reservation, and lunch bookings are accepted until the Friday of that week. Same-day openings are sometimes posted on Instagram.
- Arrival: the door opens only at the booked time, so arrive on the dot.
- Payment: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX and Diners. No electronic money and no QR payments. A service charge is added.
- Seating: 8 counter seats and no private rooms. The whole restaurant can be booked for private use.
- Children: welcome on request.
- Dress code: remove strong perfume before entering.
- Smoking: non-smoking, with a separate smoking room.
- Parking: none, but there is coin parking nearby.