How to book Shinbashi Shimizu

Shinbashi Shimizu is a small Edomae sushi bar in Shinbashi, in Tokyo's Minato ward, run by chef and owner Kunihiro Shimizu². He entered the trade at 18 and spent 11 years at Shimbashi Tsuruhachi, where Tokyo Table Trip says he learned under Hisataka Ishimaru, before opening his own counter in 1999^2,4. The same guide says he was soon grouped with Koji Sawada and Mitsuhiro Araki as the "three young stars" of sushi, and that chefs including Daisuke Matsumoto of Sushi Matsumoto and Fumie Takeuchi of Sushitake trained under him⁴.

The restaurant has an uneasy history with guides. A 2016 blog post reports that it received one Michelin star in 2012 and that the chef, who did not want to be listed, complained and had it taken away the following year².

In 2016 the room was a plain counter for eight guests, with wooden boards behind it listing the day's ingredients². The meal is omakase, and the rice is seasoned with red vinegar, which gives it a rosy colour^2,4. A 2019 Luxeat list called it about as "old school" as a sushi bar gets, with large rice and toppings in the older style³.

TableCheck lists a Nigiri Course at lunch (16,000 yen), an Abalone Nigiri Course at dinner (30,000 yen) and a chef's choice course with abalone (35,000 yen)¹. Bookings open daily at 12:00 noon for up to seven days ahead, for groups of one to three¹. Guests who do not understand Japanese must come with someone who does, diners must be 18 or older, and photos and videos are not allowed inside¹.