I personally love all things miniature and if you’re like me, you’re certainly in for a treat!
In the slightly quieter part of Tokyo that is Asakusa, there may be many places you could go for good sushi but there is only one place to go to if you want to have the cutest sushi you will ever have in your life.
Tucked away along a small street is Sushiya no Nohachi (すし屋の野八), a modest and traditional looking sushi restaurant. All the staff of the restaurant (including the chefs) greeted me loudly when we stepped in, immediately making us feel very welcomed. The sushi bar was already fully occupied so an elderly staff member showed me to a private room. We were then given English menus and our orders were taken after I was ensured that I would be getting my plate of miniature sushi, because that was my priority.
We ordered the season’s special nigiri, which consists of 7 pieces of nigiri and one sushi roll. With that we also had the standard chirashi. It is important to note that the itty-bitty sushi is free of charge but may only be served at request with orders that total 5,000 yen or above and is usually served for couples, children or foreigners.
It took a little while for our dinner to arrive but it was totally worth the wait. Both the nigiri and chirashi arrived at the same time looking like works of art – it was so pretty and full of colours! And of course, the itty-bitty sushi was just as cute as I had imagined.
Each tiny sushi is made with only a grain of rice with a tiny slice of topping. The ones with the nori seaweed wrapped around the grain of rice are especially cute. The man behind these tiny works of art is Hironori Ikeno and to imagine the level of concentration and patience he requires to make these miniature sushi is frankly quite baffling. Of course apart from looking beautiful, it was also a very delicious dinner.
The restaurant is a family-owned business and everyone working there was so friendly and accommodating. Every time you go to the toilet, someone will be waiting for you outside to hand you a comforting warm hand towel – if that’s not hospitality, I don’t know what is.
Sushiya no Nohachi is located about 300 metres from Tawaramachi Station, which is only short walk away, so that's good news for all the miniature enthusiasts out there!
