Kyoto Sushi Matsumoto

Edomae sushi — a distinctly Tokyo style of sushi — in Kyoto? Not exactly a foreign concept, thanks to Sushi Matsumoto, which initially started out as a single Edomae sushi specialty restaurant in Tokyo’s cosmopolitan district of Akasaka. The restaurant shot to fame in 2019 with its receiving of a Michelin Star in the Tokyo Michelin Guide, and received a renewed burst of attention when it repeated the feat in 2020. Overwhelmed with the sudden influx of visitors to the Akasaka restaurant, Sushi Matsumoto began expanding across Japan, which led to the restaurant becoming known as one of the most famous Edomae sushi restaurants not just in Tokyo, but even in the central Kansai region, with outlets in Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto, with the restaurant having enjoyed immense popularity even as far as Fukuoka. The Kyoto branch of Sushi Matsumoto finds itself just as much of an attraction as the other famous landmarks surrounding central Kyoto Station, perched in the shadow of Kyoto Tower, across the road from the Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. There, guests can indulge in some of the most decadent takes on Edomae sushi crafted by Sushi Matsumoto’s expert chefs, including a sea urchin tasting course and rice bowls with blackthroat seaperch (nodoguro), an expensive and rare deep-sea delicacy.