Most of the houses in this series are famous because they are hard to get into. Sushizen is different. It is a large house in Sapporo that takes bookings without much fuss, and its place in the story comes from how many cooks it has trained. Some stayed for more than a decade before opening counters in Sapporo; others went home to take over family sushi shops in Hakodate, Asahikawa, Fukui and Shiga; one went to Tokyo. This guide lays out who they are and which of their counters you can realistically get.
Sushizen in Sapporo
Tsutomu Shimamiya spent three years at a sushi shop in Yokohama and then trained under Kazuo Nakata at Nakata. He came back to Sapporo in 1968, opened Sushizen in the Susukino district in 1971, and moved the main house to Maruyama in 1984.
The main house is not hard to book:
- 62 seats, with a counter for guests 13 and older.
- The house’s own web form takes requests from two days to two months ahead. Send it at least three days before your date; the booking is confirmed only when the house replies by email, within two days.
- By phone in Japanese (011‑612‑0068) for nearer dates, and for any change or cancellation.
- No release day. A week or two ahead usually works; the most popular times fill one to two months out.
- Hours: lunch and dinner on Mondays and Thursday to Sunday; closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The main house can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it. The current details are on the Sushizen release page.
The family tree
Each line gives the counter, its area, and the training and opening dates we have on record.
- Sushizen (Maruyama, Sapporo) — Tsutomu Shimamiya, three years at a sushi shop in Yokohama, then trained under Kazuo Nakata at Nakata; opened in Susukino in 1971, moved to Maruyama in 1984
- Sushi Sakai (Odori, Sapporo) — Hiroyuki Sakai, from Fukushima; began training in Tokyo, was introduced to Sushizen in Hokkaido and stayed 11 years; independent in Odori in August 2015
- Kaneyoshi (Maruyama, Sapporo) — more than 30 years at Sushizen, as its manager; independent in 2020
- Sushi Hidetaka (Susukino, Sapporo) — Hidetaka Yamada, Sushizen; independent in June 2012
- Umeno Sushi (Kashiwagi‑cho, Hakodate) — the second‑generation owner, seven years at Sushizen in Sapporo before taking over the family shop
- Sushi Minato (Asahikawa) — seven years at Sushizen, then second generation of the family shop
- Sushi Jubei (Fukui) — Tetsuya Tsukada, six years at Sushizen; second generation of the family shop in 2013
- Kyogoku Zushi (Nagahama, Shiga) — the third generation of a shop founded in 1953; after university, trained in Hokkaido (at Sushizen), Tokyo and Fukui, including about a year at Sushi Jubei through the Sushizen connection, then returned to the family shop
- Aoyama Sushisen (Minami‑Aoyama, Tokyo) — Keiichiro Koizumi, about five years under Shimamiya at Sushizen from age 22, then Seattle and Los Angeles; opened in Aoyama in 2000
- Tsuki no Ki (Oita) — Keiichiro Akamine, four and a half years at a sushi shop in Aichi and five years in Japanese cooking, then worked at Aoyama Sushisen in Tokyo (with seasonal work at a mountain lodge) and at a sushi shop in Hiroo from 2002; independent in Oita in 2005
Three points that are easy to get wrong. Sushi Ginza Onodera is sometimes counted in this family, but it is a restaurant group, not a Sushizen branch or a counter opened by one of its cooks; its first head chef, at the 2013 opening, had trained at Sushizen. Kyogoku Zushi’s chef trained both at Sushizen and, for about a year, at Sushi Jubei, so he sits in the tree twice over. And Tsuki no Ki’s chef worked at Aoyama Sushisen, not at Sushizen itself, which makes his counter a grand‑apprentice of the Sapporo house.
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 Sakai
- The chef: Hiroyuki Sakai, 11 years at Sushizen. Opened in Odori, Sapporo, in August 2015.
- Price: lunch in the ¥2,000–2,999 range, dinner in the ¥12,000–14,999 range. Same‑day cancellation costs the full price, or ¥10,000 per person for a seat‑only booking.
- How to book: on a booking site or by phone in Japanese (011‑596‑8703); the house does not publish how far ahead dates open. Thirteen seats: seven at the counter and a semi‑private area for up to six. Lunch 11:30–14:30, dinner 17:00–23:00; closed Wednesdays and on irregular days. See the Sushi Sakai release page.
- Through us: yes. It is outside our collection, so the fee is ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Kaneyoshi
- The chef: more than 30 years at Sushizen, as its manager. Independent in 2020, near Maruyama Park.
- Price: dinner in the ¥10,000–14,999 range; one diner in January 2026 booked a lunch course at ¥6,500.
- How to book: by phone in Japanese (011‑215‑5677); the house does not publish how far ahead dates open. Nine counter seats. Lunch 11:00–15:00 Thursday to Sunday; dinner 17:00–22:00 every day except Wednesday; closed Wednesdays. See the Kaneyoshi release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Sushi Hidetaka
- The chef: Hidetaka Yamada, from Sushizen. Independent in Susukino in June 2012.
- Price: about ¥20,000–25,000.
- How to book: on the house’s official online booking page or by phone in Japanese (011‑200‑0677). No release day, but the eight‑seat counter fills a few weeks ahead. Dinner Monday to Saturday from 18:00; closed Sundays. See the Sushi Hidetaka release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Umeno Sushi
- The chef: the second‑generation owner, who spent seven years at Sushizen in Sapporo before taking over the family shop in Hakodate.
- Price: about ¥10,000–19,999.
- How to book: by phone only, in Japanese (0138‑55‑3133; 12:00–14:00 and 17:00–22:00). The house does not publish how far ahead dates open. A counter and tatami private rooms for two to eight. Lunch 12:00–14:00 (last entry 13:00), dinner 17:00–21:30 (last entry 20:00); closed Sundays and one Monday a month, announced on the house’s website. No preschool children. See the Umeno Sushi release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Kyogoku Zushi
- The chef: the third generation of a Nagahama shop founded in 1953. He trained at Sushizen, in Tokyo and in Fukui, where he spent about a year at Sushi Jubei, before returning home.
- Price: omakase nigiri ¥6,600 or ¥8,800; the omakase sushi‑kappo courses, ¥13,200 or ¥15,400, are served at the counter only.
- How to book: by phone only, in Japanese (0749‑62‑3265), up to two months ahead; guests who rebook while dining can go six months ahead. The six or seven counter seats need a reservation, and the phone can be hard to reach at busy times. Open 11:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00); closed Tuesdays and the third Wednesday, with extra closures around holidays, New Year, Golden Week and Obon. See the Kyogoku Zushi 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 two counters that take the most planning.
- Sushi Jubei — an eight‑seat cypress counter in Fukui. Online or by phone in Japanese (0776‑24‑3080; 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:00) up to 60 days ahead; in addition, at 10:00 Japan time on the 1st of each month, extra seats for the following month go up online, and the phone does not take bookings that day. No children of elementary‑school age or younger; a same‑day cancellation costs the course price. Closed Sundays and on irregular days. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat, by phone, so not for the seats released online on the 1st.
- Sushi Minato — eleven counter seats and private rooms in Asahikawa. Phone only, in Japanese (0166‑22‑7722), taken up to about six months ahead; the counter goes two to three months out, while private rooms last longer. Dinner Monday to Saturday, 18:00–23:00; closed Sundays. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat.
- Tsuki no Ki — eight counter seats and a private room in Oita. Omakase ¥14,300, tax included. By phone in Japanese (097‑532‑1738); ask for the counter. 18:00–22:00, to 21:00 on Sundays and holidays; irregular closures; cancellation fees apply. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat.
- Aoyama Sushisen — a six‑seat counter near Gaienmae. Omakase ¥33,000, standard course ¥22,000, nigiri ¥19,800, tax included. Booked online, with a card; only parties of five or more and private hire go by phone. Dinner Monday to Saturday, 18:00–22:00 (last entry 20:00); closed Sundays and holidays; no children under 12. 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; if no seat can be secured, nothing is charged.
- Sushi Ginza Onodera — the Ginza flagship of the Onodera restaurant group. It is not a Sushizen offshoot; its first head chef, at the 2013 opening, had trained at Sushizen.
Where we fit
Unlike most of the houses in this series, Sushizen itself can be requested, and so can the counters its cooks opened; we have said so above for each one. Send the restaurant and your dates on the request form, and we will tell you plainly what is achievable. Aoyama Sushisen books online; we do not book from your account, but our desk can phone the house and ask. 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.
