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Main view of Sushi Masashi, a Sushi restaurant in Tokyo

Tokyo

Sushi Masashi

鮨将司

After mastering the art of Edomae sushi at Sushi Masuda, a successor of the legendary Sukiyabashi Jiro, chef Masashi Yamaguchi has opened his long-awaited restaurant. Drawing on his experience at several renowned hotel sushi counters in Tokyo and Kyoto, Yamaguchi creates inventive appetizers and nigiri rooted in solid tradition. Guests are invited to experience his refined craftsmanship in an elegant space that embodies the essence of Japanese beauty.

Conveniently located near Gaienmae Station, the restaurant offers easy access from many of Tokyo’s luxury hotels. The area is also seeing a rise in high-quality dining establishments, distinguishing it from neighborhoods like Ginza or Akasaka, where sushi restaurants are already abundant.

The graceful restaurant sign, crafted from Jindai cedar, features calligraphy by Hanako Takamiya. Inside, a striking Nara cypress counter—exceptionally rare for its perfectly straight single slab—welcomes guests. Nine seats with white, cloth-covered chairs line the counter, creating a pristine and serene atmosphere. A private room accommodating up to four guests is also available. The gently curved white wall, designed to evoke the image of a wave, is a playful nod to Yamaguchi’s love of surfing. Unlike most sushi restaurants, natural light softly filters through shoji screens, transforming the ambience from day to night. Although an L-shaped counter was initially proposed during the design phase, Yamaguchi was insistent on a straight counter for its aesthetic purity and focus. Hanging on the wall is a Picasso artwork depicting a hand and a fish on a plate—graciously lent by a regular guest.

Earning a Michelin star within just one year of opening, the restaurant has already proven itself as a destination for the finest Edomae sushi, harmoniously blending tradition and innovation with exceptional craftsmanship.

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CUISINE

Enjoy the craftsmanship

There is only one omakase course. It starts with temaki, hand-rolled sushi, handed directly to the customers, "Since we are a sushi restaurant, we would like you to try the sushi first.” The ingredients vary depending on the day and feature impactful choices such as tuna, sea urchins, hairy crabs, and white prawns. Then, seven or eight appetizers and ten to twelve pieces of nigiri follow the course.

“The nigiri features an orthodox Edomae style, though I would also like to express the uniqueness of Sushi Masashi," comments Yamaguchi. There are classic appetizers such as abalone with liver sauce, while there are also dishes with a playful touch that combines seared fatty tuna with sukiyaki sauce and egg, which he calls “sukiyaki of a sushi restaurant". Truffles and caviar occasionally appear on the menu, which go well with champagne, as well as sake.

As for nigiri, he pays particular attention to highlighting the sweetness of the rice at the end, following the right amount of saltiness and acidity. The rice used is a blend of Koshihikari from Minakami in Gunma Prefecture and Koshihikari from Niigata Prefecture. The nigiri contains just the right amount of air as it seems to sink when placed on the table in front of the guests, crumbling lightly in the mouth.

When the restaurant first opened, it used only rice vinegar for the sushi rice, but now it is blended with an under-aged red vinegar to add depth, which gives the rice an umami flavor as if made with kelp. The salt is sourced from Noto, which is rich in minerals, and the vinegar and salt enhance the sweetness of the rice. The sushi rice appears white despite the red vinegar accordingly to the style of Masuda. The boiled soy sauce is blended with sake to create an aromatic, clean, and sharp finish.

Kohada always follows fatty tuna. The refreshing vinegared kohada washes away the rich fat of the tuna. The egg custard served at the end of the meal is made with Shiba shrimps and Yamato sweet potatoes, cooked for two hours, and features a superb, rare finish. Many guests rave it tastes like a rare cheesecake. <BR>
Abalone
Abalone from Boso, Chiba Prefecture, is slowly steamed in sake for three hours. The steaming liquid is boiled down with the liver to make the sauce. It is then served hot.
Fatty Tuna Sukiyaki
Tuna from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, is grilled on the surface with a rare finish, tossed in a sauce, and served. The tuna is then dipped in a raw egg for the "sukiyaki of a sushi restaurant".
Temaki Hand-Roll Sushi
The hand-rolled sushi is served at the beginning. On this occasion, tuna was mixed with pickled watermelon and topped with a generous amount of Bafun sea urchin from Hokkaido.
Spotted Halibut
From Chiba Prefecture, it has been left for a while and then cured with kelp.
Medium Fatty Tuna
A tuna weighing 150 Kg, caught with a longline from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. It has lighter fat during the summertime.
Kohada
A single, large piece made in Edomae style, finished with a firm texture.
Sand Borer
Cured with sake-washed kelp in Edomae style.
Egg Custard
Shiba shrimps and Yamato sweet potatoes are added and cooked for 2 hours for a moist finish.

INGREDIENTS
Yamaguchi sources most of the ingredients from the Toyosu market. The tuna is from Yamayuki, a provider for many renowned restaurants, while the choice of the seaweed is an Edomae style for its aroma and smoothness, and the kelp from Rausu for its crisp, distinctive flavor. The eggs are Okukujiran from Ibaraki Prefecture, with a bright beautiful orange colored-yolk, packed with more nutrients than usual eggs.

A dish from the cuisine at Sushi Masashi: Enjoy the craftsmanship #1
A dish from the cuisine at Sushi Masashi: Enjoy the craftsmanship #2

CHEF

Masashi Yamaguchi

Masashi Yamaguchi was born in Nakano, Tokyo in 1981. He grew up watching his father work at his grandfather's coffee shop. He has been an avid surfer since he was young, and his eagerness to surf in foreign seas has led him to develop his career as a sushi chef, despite having worked at an Italian restaurant in his teens, as it was the easiest way to obtain a visa. It was a light-hearted decision at first, which turned out to be his true calling, recalls Yamaguchi.

First, he learned the basics at a sushi restaurant in Nakano, then worked at the counter of Hinokizaka at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo in Roppongi for about five years, then moved to Sushi Masuda in Minami Aoyama. He learned the techniques from Masuda, who inherited the skills of Jiro Ono. Later, he launched Sushi Wakon at the Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto and the Peninsula Tokyo.

In June 2020, he fulfilled his dream of opening a restaurant bearing his name, and less than a year later, a star was awarded to the restaurant. He actively walks around Tokyo, dining at all types of restaurants on his days off.

VISION
He is aware that his position has changed from being an observer to the side of the observed, now that he is independent and has earned a star. He considers his involvement with the treasurable Japanese culture of sushi as a mission to ensure that it gets passed down to the next generation, and for this reason, he would like to also focus on training junior chefs. Additionally, he wanted to compete on the world stage as a sushi chef, for which he acknowledges the importance of training foreign chefs so he may open restaurants overseas in the future.

RICE

As for the rice, he uses a blend of Koshihikari from Minakami in Gunma Prefecture and Koshihikari from Niigata Prefecture, selecting rounded shapes, which the customers can feel the contours of the rice. He is so particular about it that he even asks the suppliers to pick the grains by hand. The two types of rice arrive in separate bags, and Yamaguchi makes his original blends on premise, according to the condition of the day.

Course

Lunch/ Dinner
Sushi Masashi omakase course
  • The price includes our booking fee of ¥8,000
  • The price includes our booking fee of ¥8,000
¥48,000
¥48,000
Reservation Request
Lunch / Dinner
Sushi Masashi omakase course with sake pairing
  • The price includes our booking fee of ¥8,000
  • The price includes our booking fee of ¥8,000
¥54,000
¥54,000
Reservation Request

Tokyo

Sushi Masashi

鮨将司

Map and access information for Sushi Masashi
PRICE
¥48,000
~
CHILD
0
& UP
PRIVATE ROOM
For 2-4
LUNCH
OPEN
MIN GUESTS
1
PERSON
~
GENRE
Sushi, Aoyama
ADDRESS
Gaien icho no mori building 7F, 2-9-9 Kitaaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0061, Japan View on Google Maps
OPEN
Lunch: 12PM, Dinner: 5:30PM- and 8PM-
CLOSED
Sunday
URL
NA
PHONE
NA

RESERVATION

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