2014's Tsukiji Food Representative “Uogashi Yokocho” – Unannounced Survey Ranking

Text and photos / “The Weekend Essence Special Edition No.001 for Adults” Digital Version, Huayun Digital Publishing

※ Restaurants inside the market generally do not charge service fees, do not accept reservations, and do not take credit cards. For details, please inquire directly at the restaurant.
With many tourists and long lines—Tsukiji’s inner market, packed with delicious restaurants, is like a “food theme park.” When you come all the way to Tsukiji, you naturally want to enjoy its food to the fullest. The staff of this magazine also went all out in conducting unannounced interviews in 2014. Where are the shops you definitely won’t regret visiting? The hottest and latest ranking is about to be revealed.

[Sushi Section]

1st Place 6th Building Sushi Dai It’s worth waiting in the long line even if you have to endure it.

Dish: “Now might be the best time!”
“Sushi Dai” is a famously ultra-popular shop where it’s said that waiting for hours is only natural. We kept calculating when the long queue would shorten. Just before they stopped accepting people in line at 2 PM (by the way, since they close at 2 PM on Wednesdays, they stop letting people line up around 10–11 AM), we managed to get in line. Although it was already autumn, the sun that day was extremely harsh, and its rays gradually sapped our strength. The people in line with us, including foreign visitors, had become our “comrades,” and just as a sense of unity transcending borders began to emerge, the heavenly words “Please come in!” reached our ears.

M: “2 hours and 40 minutes. What a long battle...”
Once seated, the chef at the shop said to us: “You two really worked hard!”
(Yeah, tell me about it) we murmured weakly to ourselves. But then, as if shining with light, the sushi started arriving right away, and before we knew it, all the hardship of waiting in line had completely vanished.

Dish: “The natural otoro has such delicate sweetness in its fat!”

M: “The scallop meat curls slightly over the vinegared rice.”
It’s not just the high-quality sushi ingredients that shine here. The sake with the alcohol boiled off, salt, seasonings, and the sushi ingredients are combined to bring out the best in each ingredient’s natural flavor. Even foreign visitors seem drawn to this taste, letting out exclamations with every piece of sushi. This is the kind of place where you can proudly say: “People of the world, behold—this is Japanese sushi!”

Premium sushi ingredients and vinegared rice. The moment they enter your mouth, they instantly meld into a naturally unified whole.

▲ Chef’s Special Set (店长おまかせセット) Part of the 4000 yen set

1. Natural otoro (天然大とろ) 2. Red snapper (真鲷) 3. Choshi-grown golden eye snapper (铫子产金目鲷) 4. Natural yellowtail (天然ブリ) 5. Saltwater sea urchin (塩水ウニ) 6. Fresh salmon roe (生イクラ) 7. Scallop (赤貝) 8. Pacific saury (サンマ) 9. Marinated tuna (マグロのヅケ) 10. Cucumber and tuna roll with cod roe. The set also includes a grilled eel nigiri. The shop will also serve you one piece of your preferred sushi (with tamagoyaki and soup).

Even on weekdays, waiting 2–3 hours is only natural, so be mentally prepared before you go.

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2nd Place 6th Building Yamazaki (Sushi Q Nadeshiko) – Flavor and thoughtful service both shine brilliantly

Looking back at the unannounced surveys previously conducted by this magazine, “Sushi Ya Yamazaki” in Uogashi Yokocho, which hadn’t been particularly remarkable in the past, showed rapid growth this year.
When we ordered the nigiri sushi set “Chrysanthemum” (3900 yen), the first thing that appeared was the natural yellowtail nigiri.

Dish: “Wow, there are knife marks on the sushi topping too.”
The chef put careful effort into it, so that the elastic fish would effortlessly meld with the vinegared rice once it was in your mouth. In addition, the white squid was delicately scored, lightly seared, and beautiful like a flower blooming on the sushi counter. Sprinkling yuzu peel on it and serving it with salt was an excessively wonderful presentation.
Dish: “By the way, the size of the vinegared rice changes depending on the sushi topping.”
For lighter-flavored toppings like crucian carp, flounder, and shrimp, larger vinegared rice is used, whereas richer toppings like otoro, chutoro, and natural yellowtail have the rice shaped much smaller.

M: “Sushi that emphasizes the presence of the ingredients—the sushi, the toppings, and the vinegared rice are all in expertly balanced harmony. The chef...
It must be presented in these two ways to showcase different layers!"
Although the master is still young, it’s clear he has excellent skills. In addition, the proprietress serves hot tea to guests waiting outside—such thoughtful service that I completely missed at the time. My apologies.