Sushidokoro Ginza Fukusuke Main Branch

When it comes to affordable, accessible, and fresh seafood in Tokyo, the instinct is immediately to think of Fukusuke. The Fukusuke series of restaurants was first established in 1960 in Ginza by the high-end seafood wholesaler Tsukuten Shoten, which was itself founded in 1916, giving it over 100 years of history in serving some of Tokyo’s freshest seafood. The restaurant no longer exists under its original name, Uogashi Chokuei Fukusuke, but its legacy lives on in several other Fukusuke restaurants — including its main branch which continues to endure in Ginza as Sushidokoro Ginza Fukusuke (not to be confused with the branch in Ikebukuro). The original restaurant’s commitment likewise remains the same: a commitment to fresh seafood at affordable prices. More than 50 types of fish are on rotation at the restaurant, with the daily menu being decided on the freshest catch that can be procured from the market every day. Affordable prices don’t mean that the experience is compromised either. The setting oozes luxury: a Japanese-style space in shades of natural wood, earth and white, centered around a beautiful long counter at which expert chefs shape the daily catch into nigiri, maki and other small plates. With so many types of fish on offer, what are some of the must-try dishes? With luck, diners will find themselves seated at Sushidokoro Ginza Fukusuke’s counter with a nigiri of southern bluefin tuna before them. Fukusuke is also famously the only restaurant in the whole Kanto region that serves “plum sea bream,” a special type of sea bream from Wakayama Prefecture raised on plum vinegar extract. Perhaps counterintuitively, the restaurant is also especially proud of its California roll — an American invention brought back to Japan in the 1960s, which Fukusuke was only too happy to adopt — and perfect. A meal at Sushidokoro Ginza Fukusuke’s counter is both a history lesson, as well as one in sushi excellence.