Sushi Ikko

While you’ll find plenty of sushi chefs and their staff out in the early morning, sourcing the finest fish from that day’s catch, few go to the same lengths as Chef Kudo Junya, the chef at the famed Sushi Ikko in Ginza. Formerly the holder of two Michelin stars in the Michelin Guide Hokkaido 2017, many Hokkaido-based sushi enthusiasts were devastated at Sushi Ikko's closure in early 2024 — but conversely Tokyo gourmets rejoiced at the restaurant's reopening in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district later that same year, just a block from Ginza Six and Higashi-ginza Station. Chef Kudo is known to be especially particular about the ingredients used in his restaurant. In Sapporo, he was previously known to board the fishing boats himself to confirm the quality and source of his ingredients first-hand. Not only that, but this second-generation sushi master will also only use certain varieties of fish if they are slaughtered following particular methods, allowing him to age them for up to a month. Chef Kudo has extensive knowledge of every species he serves, even down to their seasonal feeding habits, which affect the taste of the flesh throughout the year. It would be no exaggeration to say that this results in some of the best quality sushi imaginable — and a definite contributor to what made Sushi Ikko one of the most respected restaurants in Hokkaido for years, earning it its well-deserved Michelin stars and a mention in the list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. The ambiance is luxurious and intimate, with gorgeously simple decor featuring a Japanese cypress countertop that seats a maximum of eight guests.