Sushi Kanesaka sits in the middle of one of Tokyo’s best‑known sushi lines. Its chef trained at Ginza Kyubey; one of its own cooks, Takashi Saito, took over its Akasaka counter and turned it into Sushi Saito. Many of the cooks who passed through Kanesaka’s counters, in Ginza, at the Palace Hotel and at the group’s Sushiya, now run places of their own, and a second generation has trained under them. This guide lays out who they are and which of their counters you can realistically get into.
Sushi Kanesaka in Ginza
Shinji Kanesaka spent about ten years at Ginza Kyubey and opened Sushi Kanesaka in Ginza in December 2000. The house grew into a group: it ran a counter in Akasaka, which it handed to Takashi Saito in 2004, and a counter at the Palace Hotel, and it lists group counters in Tokyo, a branch in Kobe opened in 2019 and one in Okinawa opened in July 2026. Abroad, Shinji by Kanesaka opened in Singapore in 2010, followed by counters in London, Hong Kong and Seoul. The Kyubey side of the story is in our Ginza Kyubey guide.
The Ginza main house is not closed to visitors, but it is small and has firm rules:
- Eight counter seats.
- Guests must be 30 or older, a rule on the house’s own site.
- By phone in Japanese (03‑5568‑4411), on the house’s own web booking, on an English booking site, or on Ikyu.
- No release day. A month to six weeks ahead usually works.
- Hours: lunch 11:30–14:00, dinner 17:30–22:00; irregular closures.
- Cancellation: for up to three guests, the full charge applies from three days before.
We can request it in the name of the guest who attends, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it; if the house declines a booking arranged on a guest’s behalf, we will tell you and nothing is charged. It also takes bookings directly, including in English, so you can book it yourself. The current details are on the Sushi Kanesaka release page.
The family tree
Each line gives the counter, its area, and the training and opening dates we have on record.
- Sushi Kanesaka (Ginza) — Shinji Kanesaka, about 10 years at Ginza Kyubey; opened December 2000
- Sushi Saito (Roppongi) — Takashi Saito, Ginza Kyubey from 1991, then Sushi Kanesaka from 2000; given Kanesaka’s Akasaka counter in 2004, renamed it Sushi Saito and went independent in 2007, moved to Roppongi in 2014
- Sushi Ishiyama (Ginza 3-chome) — Takao Ishiyama, at Sushi Kanesaka from about age 20 and put in charge of it before 30, then head chef of the group’s Sushiya; independent 25 July 2018
- Sushi Oka (Nagono, Nagoya) — Soichiro Oka, 13 years at a sushi shop in Nagoya, then Sushi Ishiyama in Ginza; opened 17 March 2025
- Ginza Iwa (Ginza) — Hisayoshi Iwa, from the Kanesaka line; opened in June 2008 by one account, 2012 by others
- Sushi Iwao (Akasaka) — Iwao Okabe, former head chef at Ginza Iwa, with the Hilton Tokyo and the Four Seasons Hong Kong before that; opened 1 April 2022
- Sushi Tsukiuda (Ikejiri‑Ohashi) — Mitsuhiko Tsukiuda, Mana, then Ginza Iwa’s annex; opened 1 September 2016
- Sushi Kojima (Ginza 7-chome) — chef Kojima, four years as head chef of Sushi Kanesaka at the Palace Hotel; independent 2015, moved to Ginza 7-chome on 18 November 2019
- Kagurazaka Sushi Rin (Kagurazaka) — chef Yahagi, a Sushi Kanesaka alumnus; opened February 2013
- Akasaka Sushi Shino (Tameike‑Sanno) — Koichi Shinohara, trained at Kagurazaka Sushi Rin; opened 3 October 2022
- Daikanyama Sushi Takeuchi (Daikanyama) — Jun Takeuchi, about 10 years at Sushi Kanesaka, then 2 years at Sushi Saito; opened July 2017, first as a second counter of Sushi Sato
- Sushiya Ichiyanagi (Ginza 1-chome) — a Kanesaka group counter, listed by the group as opened in October 2012; chef Kazuya Ichiyanagi. Accounts of his training differ: one has him at Ginza Kyubey and then running Mana at the Hotel Seiyo Ginza, another gives about 10 years with Kanesaka.
- Sushi Mamoru (Ginza 7-chome) — Mamoru Hashimoto, from Sushiya, the Kanesaka group counter; opened 15 June 2023
- Sushiya Shota (Azabu‑Juban) — a Kanesaka group counter, opened November 2019 by Mun Gyeong‑han, a Korean‑born chef with 9 years in the Kanesaka group, the Palace Hotel counter among others, and a spell as second chef at Sushi Isshin in Akasaka. The house’s booking page now announces a second‑generation head chef, Yuhei Kono.
- Sushi Kanesaka Kobe (Kobe) — a branch run directly by the Kanesaka group; opened July 2019
- Ginza Sushi Kanesaka, PGM Hotel Resort Okinawa (Okinawa) — a branch run directly by the Kanesaka group; opened 3 July 2026
Two points that are easy to get wrong. The Kobe and Okinawa counters carry the Kanesaka name because the group runs them; they are branches, not restaurants opened by former cooks. And Sushiya Ichiyanagi and Sushiya Shota belong to the group too, so they are not independent counters in the way Sushi Ishiyama or Sushi Kojima are.
Counters that are easier to book
These are the counters in the tree where a seat realistically comes up. Each is its own restaurant with its own chef.
Sushi Ishiyama
- The chef: Takao Ishiyama, at Sushi Kanesaka from about age 20, later in charge of it and then head chef of the group’s Sushiya. Independent in July 2018.
- Price: head‑chef omakase ¥38,500; ¥35,200 at the second chef’s counter; lunch ¥16,500 or ¥22,000.
- How to book: online for the 18:00 and 20:30 dinner seatings and for lunch; other times, private hire and groups of eight or more by phone in Japanese. No release day. Fifteen seats: an eight‑seat counter with the chef and a seven‑seat private counter with the second chef. Children only if they eat the full course; no infants. Closed Sundays and Mondays. See the Sushi Ishiyama release page.
- Through us: yes. It sits outside our collection, so the fee is ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Kagurazaka Sushi Rin
- The chef: chef Yahagi, a Sushi Kanesaka alumnus, who opened the Kagurazaka counter in February 2013.
- Price: dinner omakase ¥20,000 plus 10% service; lunch ¥5,000–10,000. Same‑day cancellation is charged in full.
- How to book: online through the house’s booking page, on Ikyu and other booking sites, or by phone in Japanese; no release day. Groups of eight or more by phone. About seventeen seats at an L‑shaped hinoki counter, plus private rooms for four and six. Lunch 11:30–14:00, dinner 17:30–22:30; open daily except Obon and New Year. See the Kagurazaka Sushi Rin release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Sushi Kojima
- The chef: chef Kojima, four years as head chef of Sushi Kanesaka at the Palace Hotel. Independent in 2015; in Ginza 7-chome since November 2019.
- Price: dinner about ¥36,000. Cancellation is charged in full from seven days before.
- How to book: by phone in Japanese or on Ikyu; the house does not publish how far ahead dates open. Twenty‑two seats: a fourteen‑seat counter and an eight‑seat private room. Dinner 17:00–23:00 (last order 21:30), with seatings around 18:00 and 20:00; closed Sundays and holidays. See the Sushi Kojima release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Ginza Iwa
- The chef: Hisayoshi Iwa, from the Kanesaka line. The opening year differs by source: June 2008 by one account, 2012 by others.
- Price: not yet in our records. From four days before, cancellation costs ¥16,500 per person at lunch and ¥44,000 at dinner.
- How to book: online on two booking sites (a credit card is required; no debit cards) or by phone in Japanese; no release day, and a couple of weeks ahead usually works. Changes and cancellations must be made online at least five days before. Seven counter seats on two floors; lunch 12:00 and dinner 18:00, two hours per seating; irregular closures. No children aged 10 or under, and guests who cannot eat raw seafood are generally declined. There is little room for luggage. See the Ginza Iwa release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Sushi Oka
- The chef: Soichiro Oka, 13 years at a sushi shop in Nagoya, then Sushi Ishiyama in Ginza. Opened in Nagono, near Kokusai Center station in Nagoya, on 17 March 2025.
- Price: dinner ¥22,000, lunch ¥11,000. Cancellation costs 50% from the day before; arriving 20 minutes late without notice may count as a cancellation.
- How to book: on Ikyu and other booking sites, or by phone in Japanese; the house does not publish how far ahead dates open. Eight counter seats; lunch 12:00–14:00, dinner 18:00–22:30; closed Sundays. See the Sushi Oka release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Other counters in the family
The rest of the tree, including the counter that no one can book without an introduction.
- Sushi Saito — the Roppongi house is introduction only. Its family is in our Sushi Saito guide.
- Sushiya Ichiyanagi — fifteen seats on Namiki‑dori, omakase from about ¥30,000 plus 10% service; online (card required) or by phone, up to about eight months ahead, with no fixed release day. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat.
- Sushi Iwao — eight seats in the grounds of Jodoji temple in Akasaka; dinner ¥25,000 plus 10% service, lunch ¥6,600–9,900, booked by the day before; closed Sundays and holidays. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat.
- Sushi Tsukiuda — eight seats and a small private room near Nakameguro; dinner ¥24,200–28,380, lunch ¥16,500; the second chef runs Mondays, and a booking is final only once the house confirms it. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat.
- Sushi Mamoru — eleven seats, including small private rooms, in Ginza 7-chome; book by the day before; online bookings are for ages 12 and up and two guests at most; closed Mondays. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat.
- Akasaka Sushi Shino — nine counter seats near Tameike‑Sanno; courses ¥11,000–23,000 plus 10% service; dinner, with lunch on Sundays; irregular closures. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat.
- Daikanyama Sushi Takeuchi — eight seats; dinner about ¥20,000–23,000, weekday lunch from ¥6,600; closed Wednesdays. The house asks overseas guests to book only through one booking site, which works in English. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat: we do not book from your account, but our desk can phone the house and ask.
- Sushiya Shota — the group counter in Azabu‑Juban, now with a second‑generation head chef. It is not on our release calendar.
- Sushi Kanesaka Kobe and Ginza Sushi Kanesaka, PGM Hotel Resort Okinawa — the group’s own branches outside Tokyo. Neither is on our release calendar yet.
- Shinji by Kanesaka and the counters in London, Hong Kong and Seoul — the group’s restaurants abroad. They are outside Japan, so we do not request them.
Where we fit
We do not request the Sushi Saito main house, which is introduction only. Where a counter in this tree can be requested, we have said so above: send the restaurant and your dates on the request form, and we will tell you plainly what is achievable. If you would rather leave the family tree behind, the counters in our collection are requested at ¥6,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
SHOKU NOREN research, checked October 2026.
