In shortAmakusa-fish omakase at a ten-seat counter run by a couple. Reservations run in Japanese and are hard to place from abroad, so our Tokyo desk requests the table for you, by phone and in Japanese.
Price
Lunch omakase ¥15,400, dinner omakase ¥22,000, tax included; drinks extra. Online lunch bookings are charged in full by card at confirmation
Fujisakigu-mae (Kumamoto Electric Railway); one minute from the Tsuboi police box, by the river
Sushi Nakamura is a small house in every sense the phrase can carry:
a husband and wife, a ten‑seat counter, and a menu that is simply
“omakase” at lunch or dinner. Masahiko Nakamura opened it in March
2016 in Kumamoto’s Joto‑machi and earned a star in the Michelin Guide
Kumamoto‑Oita 2018 special edition there; in April 2023 the house
moved a few streets north to a riverside spot in Tsuboi, where the
window looks onto the water that feeds the castle moat. The fish is
the point. The house says it uses Amakusa and near‑Kyushu catch as
far as it possibly can, and the regulars who fill the counter — one
Tabelog reviewer logged a seventh visit in August 2026 — come for
exactly that.
What you eat
Two omakase, and nothing else. The lunch omakase (¥14,000,
¥15,400 with tax) is nigiri‑led and served on Sundays, Tuesdays and
Wednesdays with a single 12:00 entry. The dinner omakase
(¥20,000, ¥22,000 with tax) adds a run of tsumami before the nigiri
and is served only on Fridays and Saturdays, entry between 18:00 and
19:00, finishing by 22:00. Reviewers describe generous pieces built
on a slightly larger shari than Tokyo houses use — the chef adjusts
on request — with Amakusa red uni in summer and local white tilefish
among the things people come back for. Allergies must be declared
when booking; the house does not accommodate them on the day, and
says it may decline guests with many dislikes.
The booking reality
The rule is the clearest in Kumamoto and worth quoting plainly: each
date opens 90 days ahead, parties are four or fewer (five or
more may be refused), and every booking must be made by 22:00 the
day before. Dinner is telephone only — 096‑277‑4710, in Japanese,
and the couple cannot always answer during service. Lunch can be
booked on the house’s own online calendar, which confirms by e‑mail
within two or three business days and takes the full course price
by card when it confirms — ¥15,400 a head, not a deposit. Phone
bookings reach that calendar with a delay, so a date showing open may
already be gone, and the house asks that you not send Instagram
direct messages; it does not read them. Our desk calls the house in
Japanese and takes the dinner book on your behalf.
Read the cancellation terms before you commit: 30% from seven days
out, 50% from five, 100% from three days and for no‑shows, and a
party fifteen minutes late without a call is treated as cancelled.
Small children are not admitted, perfume is asked to stay at the
hotel, and guests who need to leave quickly are told in advance that
the house cooks at its own pace. Cards are accepted. The house took
The Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze alongside its place in the Sushi WEST
100.
Travelers routing through Kumamoto for the castle, Aso or the
Amakusa islands who want the region’s fish handled by a seasoned hand
in a room where you will hear the conversation at every seat — and
who can plan a Friday or Saturday night, or a midweek lunch, three
months out.
Free release-date alerts: the day before, on the morning of release day (08:00 JST) and about 30 minutes before when the time is known — or a weekly summary if the house opens a little every day.
Sushi Nakamura: common questions
Can you book Sushi Nakamura from abroad?
Yes, through our Tokyo desk. Dinner by phone in Japanese only; lunch online on the house site or by phone. Each date opens 90 days ahead. We call the restaurant for you, in Japanese, and the ¥6,000-per-seat fee is charged only if we confirm your table — no seat, no fee.
Some of these links are referral links: if you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Restaurants never pay us to be listed or ranked. Editorial policy
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Facts on this page were checked by our Tokyo desk. You are welcome to quote them with a link:
