Tasting a Tabelog Silver & Michelin-Starred Omakase | Sushi Ryujiro Review
We got incredibly lucky securing a reservation at Sushi Ryujiro, a silver-rated spot on Tabelog and Michelin-starred in 2020. The restaurant offers two counters: one with Ryujiro himself, and one with a second chef. While the sub-counter is fairly easy to book, Ryujiro’s own counter fills immediately. We even tried timing ourselves to the minute reservations opened and still almost missed it entirely — but on a refresh, one slot reopened (likely due to a dropped reservation), and we booked it right away.
The atmosphere is reserved and quiet. Ryujiro doesn’t speak English, and the staff’s English is limited, but everything ran smoothly and professionally. I'm not here for small talk — I'm here for the fish. So for me, this was no issue but if you’re hoping for more engagement you should consider this. At the end, he graciously allowed a photo, which felt special after such a focused and composed meal! He walked every person out.
During the dinner, he proudly shared that the meal featured a 143kg tuna he had personally broken down. That detail, plus the precision of each dish, made the experience feel even more personal despite the quiet tone.
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Slightly grainy, very hot, savory and lightly sweet with a subtle seafood taste. | 2.75/5
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Buttery and tender, with great rice-to-fish temperature balance. | 4/5
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Firmer texture with a clean, lean finish. Not really my type but still decent. | 2.5/5
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Eel was a bit dry with a small bone, paired with a light savory jelly. | 3/5
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My first time eating almost the entire fish. Was nervous but so glad I tried it! Perfect marinade, small crunch, incredibly flavorful. I think they removed the bones since it was so soft and tender, and the crunch came from the light fry. | 4.5/5
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Creamy and rich with a sweet jelly that helps cut through the fattiness. | 3/5
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Chewy texture, mild flavor. | 2/5
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Light flavor and bouncy texture. Small bones, but it was okay. | 3.5/5
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Slightly firm noodles that held sauce well. Herring was the star: soft, melt-in-your-mouth, and deeply seasoned. | 5/5
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It started off pretty dense and tough, but softened as you chewed. Ended up pretty good. | 3.5/5
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Bright, citrusy, and clean. 3/5
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Maybe bonito? if it is Light and soft, though a bit forgettable. 3.25/5
If it’s not just forgettable lol241028
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Maybe bonito? if it is Light and soft, though a bit forgettable. 3.25/5
If it’s not just forgettable lol241028
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Rich, flavorful, classic red tuna. 4.25/5
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Soft, fatty, and melt-in-your-mouth. The vinegar forward rice balanced out the richness and gave the bite a more lifted and lighter flavor 4.5/5
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Tough skin, overall fine but not a standout. 2.5/5
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So yummy! The extra vinegared rice elevated the light sweetness of the ikura despite it not being heavily marinated. Great balance, one of the best ikura I’ve had 5/5
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Very flavorful broth with deep seafood essence, slightly on the salty side. 3.5/5
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Creamy, buttery, sily, sweet, so good — not even a trace of fishiness. Like the otoro, the vinegar forward rice actually enhanced the bite and bring out the sweetness and cut through the heaviness 5/5
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It looks like a lot of cucumber but actually remained balance and worked together with the eel. Refreshing and a great palette cleanser before dessert. 3/5
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Served hot and bouncy/ slightly custardy in texture. A solid way to close the meal. 3.25/5
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Ordered separately. Refreshing, but a bit watery 2.5/5
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Although the fish quality was consistently high and there were a few outstanding bites (the fried green eye fish, arrowroot somen, ikura, uni, and toro), the rice distracted from fully enjoying the meal. It leaned harder in texture, colder in temperature, and was pretty vinegar-forward. While that flavor profile actually enhanced certain pieces — especially rich cuts like toro, uni, and ikura — I found it a bit too sharp for most other items, making it harder to appreciate the fish.
Still, I’m really happy we got to experience it — it’s definitely a meal I’ll remember.
Overall Rating | 8/10
Would I go back? | Probably not, but very worth the one-time visit
Visited | 1x
Total Cost for Two with 2 drinks each (4) | ¥67,100 (~$442.35 USD)
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