Sushi Tomo

In the northeastern part of Fukuoka City, far from the bustling shopping districts of Tenjin and Hakata, is Kashii. This part of Fukuoka is perhaps known best for Kashii-gu, a magnificent Shinto shrine whose brilliant vermillion architecture draws hundreds of visitors a day. But Kashii’s other main draw is Sushi Tomo, one of Fukuoka’s most beloved sushi restaurants. Its relatively remote location is actually no small factor in its popularity; just two minutes from Kashii-jingu Station and five minutes on foot from the shrine itself, it’s one of the locals’ best-kept secrets. The quaint, tatami-floored interiors of the restaurant instantly put guests at ease, with counter, table and private room seating all available. Rather than soy sauce, Chef Tomonaga’s signature is sushi with salt, a distinctly Kyushu style of enjoying sushi — and very different from what many preconceived notions of sushi are. Using natural salt from the Goto Islands off the Nagasaki coast and a generous squeeze of citrus juice, Chef Tomonaga’s ingenious combination of the two adds an entirely new dimension to the sushi toppings’ natural flavors. Chef Tomonaga is especially proud of Fukuoka’s local ingredients — especially its squid sashimi, a delicacy of northern Kyushu, and bluefin tuna — and would like nothing more than for guests to discover precisely how tasty they can be. To this end, he is especially fastidious about his ingredients. As a region with warmer seas, Fukuoka is less known for its sea urchin, so Chef Tomonaga chooses his from ports in Hokkaido — specifically those that are free of preservatives, which are commonly added to preserve the urchin’s shape. Mandarin-speaking guests will be pleasantly surprised: due to his time spent studying and running a restaurant in Shanghai, Chef Tomonaga can also speak Mandarin Chinese to some degree, letting him communicate his passion for sushi to an even wider audience.