I’d heard there was a famous standing sushi bar in Tsukiji, so I went along. It was originally a well-known shop in Shinbashi, but they opened a Tsukiji branch, and the queue is shorter on the Tsukiji side, which makes it much easier to drop in. The concept here is standing sushi — not cheap sushi, but proper, serious sushi at a modest price. My bill came to about 7,000 yen, and it genuinely tasted like a big-name place charging over 10,000. That said, being Edomae, the everyday neta were unremarkable while the special ones were seriously good.

The sign

It’s small and easy to miss, and it’s down in the basement.

A spot like this..

I took this on the way out. In a tiny space you get to eat while watching the sushi chef perform. And the performance is quite something — he shapes the rice with his right hand while picking up the neta with his left, turning out sushi at real speed. A bit like watching a top-class bartender, I suppose.. Taste and price aside, it’s a fun experience, so if that appeals to you it’s worth a visit.

Waiting chairs like these..

I turned up a little early just in case and joined the queue, and they handed me one of these. It wobbled a bit, but when you have to stand in line for an hour, a chair like this is a total godsend.

Folded up

Oh.. clever bit of design. Looks great for outdoor use.

Today’s picks

Before you go in you have to tick off what you want to eat in advance. You can’t have everything, so I went for the highlights only — around 12 pieces left me pleasantly full.

A beer to start

The way the sushi comes out is interesting. Say four people ordered otoro — the chef makes four otoro and hands them over together, and anyone who didn’t order it just stands there watching.. So whoever ordered a lot gets to eat nonstop, while whoever ordered a little can end up spending more time watching than eating.. I reckon ordering roughly 10 pieces or more keeps it balanced.. Some people order the entire list, of course. Seven customers go in at a time, and that’s probably the maximum one chef can handle. In fact, a couple of wrong pieces went out and a couple got skipped along the way.

Kinmedai

A light start.. The rice isn’t white, so they must be using red vinegar. I’m not really a fan of red-vinegar rice myself, though, so it was just okay for me. The knife work is good, as you’d expect from Edomae, but the flavour is a little faint. That’s the Edo tradition for you.

Aori ika

Squid this fresh can’t help but taste good..

Kohada

I love hikarimono, so I ordered it — nicely done.

Shiroebi kobujime

Piled high with Toyama shiroebi, which are in season around now. They’re prepped properly, so they’re easy to eat. How on earth do you peel shrimp that small..

One more

They were out of kuruma-ebi that day, so I ordered another shrimp piece, but the ordering system had me confused. I ticked something more or less at random and got a gunkan-maki. Tasty all the same.

Shiroamadai kobujime

This one was so-so.. White-fleshed fish really are mild in flavour, which is a slight letdown.

Hokkigai

The sweet clam meat is delicious.

Ma-aji

Hikarimono through and through.

Chutoro

Now the main event begins. Toro is that familiar taste everyone knows..

Kegani

This is the one you absolutely have to try — hairy crab picked out of the shell and piled up in a mountain on the rice. If you like crab, there’s no way this disappoints. It’s not often you get to eat crab meat as enjoyably as this.

Hokkaido bafun uni

It melted so fast that there was barely time to savour it. This is the only piece they place straight into your hand, which made it hard to photograph, so I asked the customer next to me to take the shot.

Nodoguro

Nodoguro gets better the bigger it is, and while the nodoguro you normally see sold is about palm-sized, this shop takes a giant one the size of a sea bream, grills it rare and puts it on rice. Top-grade fish that’s hard to get hold of, cooked boldly — of course it’s going to be good. There were some ordinary neta early on, but the closing three-punch combo starting with the kegani knocked me out.

Beyond the taste, it’s a sushi place with a fun structure and presentation. And since you eat standing, the crowd skews young and the mood feels bright. If you’ve got the stamina, it’s somewhere worth trying at least once. (Though of course, paying a bit more and going to a traditional sushi restaurant is also an option..)

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