If you’ve ever been to Tokyo, you’ll know how busy their metro stations can get. With so much foot traffic within these stations, it should come to no surprise that you can find a wide array of different shops, stores, and restaurants inside. And since I’m heading to the airport today early in the morning, my friend invited me to grab one last meal before I make my way back home.
So after arriving at Tokyo Station, we made a quick detour to Arisozushi (before transferring over to the Narita Express) for my final meal of the trip. Let’s find out if this meal wraps up the trip on a positive note. How Good Is Arisozushi Actually?
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🍱 A la carte Orders 🍱
As the last meal I’ll have in Tokyo for a while, of course I was gonna order the things I really enjoy. Let’s have a look at what I got at Arisozushi.
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🍣 Minced Tuna Roll / Negitoro Temaki (¥980) 🍣
Starting off with my all-time favorite sushi – Negitoro, this time in Temaki / Hand Roll form. Roughly chopped pieces of Maguro with sliced green onions, served on rice and a sheet of nori seaweed. I usually have my Negitoro as Maki or Gunkanmaki, so I was pleasantly surprised with how light this dish was (as the roll was loosely wrapped).
The Maguro was meaty and sweet, balanced by the slight acidity of the rice, and finished with some added crispiness from the nori – overall just a very satisfying thing to eat. By far the best thing I had today, and is definitely worth the higher price tag.
I’ll mention it upfront so I don’t have to repeat it everytime, but the rice they use here is surprisingly nice. The texture was nice and light, and the rice vinegar here adds a subtle hint of acidity and sweetness. They say the rice in sushi is just as important as the toppings itself, and just by trying out the rice here, I’m already impressed with what they have to offer.
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🍣 Tuna / Akami (¥450) 🍣
For a traditional sushi choice, here’s the Maguro. It’s served on the thicker side, and the flavor really shines through. (I’m guessing it’s Hon Maguro?) The deep flavor of the Akami is really pronounced here, and you could probably go without soy sauce for this one. It’s nothing fancy, but the quality speaks for itself.
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🍣 Horse Mackerel / Aji (¥400) 🍣
Out of all the Hikarimono toppings, Aji is one of the brighter-tasting options. You still get some acidity from the rice vinegar and strong flavors of the fish, but the flesh is more towards the firmer side – and an overall ‘clean’ profile compared to its other mackerel relatives.
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🍣 Gizzard Shad / Kohada (¥390) 🍣
Coming into this trip, Kohada / Gizzard Shad was among my most anticipated sushi options to try, and I’m surprised it took this long for me to come across one (The fish is quite small, so there’s a lot of precision involved in making it.)
If you’ve ever tried other Hikarimono like Saba and Iwashi, Kohada shares a lot of their base flavors (high fat content, strong flavor, and a touch of acidity from the vinegar.) If I had to detail one of Kohada’s differences, I’d say the flavor profile is on the mellower side, with a slight note of sweetness from the fish. It’s not as strong as Iwashi, so it’s quite beginner-friendly if you’ve never tried Hikarimono before.
As I like to say with all uncommon sushi toppings. If you’re in Japan, definitely use the trip to explore all the different options they have here. Maybe you’ll discover something new to add to your sushi tier list.
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🍣 Omelette / Tamagoyaki (¥250) 🍣
And just to round off my meal here, I also ordered the Tamagoyaki. Not much to say here, it’s quite nice and a good way to end off the meal.
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🍱 Nigiri Set #4 (5pcs.) (¥1,780) 🍱
As my friend doesn’t have to worry about a last meal here (since he lives here… lucky man) he simply went for one of the sets on offer, featuring seasonal ingredients from different prefectures across Japan. This 5-piece set includes the following
🍣 Kinmedai (Red Snapper) from Chiba & Shizuoka 🍣
🍣 Shime Saba from Ibaraki & Nagasaki 🍣
🍣 Tsubugai (Whelk) from Hokkaido 🍣
🍣 Gasa Ebi (Mantis Shrimp) from Fukui 🍣
🍣 Shiro Ika (White Squid) from Aomori. 🍣
Set menus aren’t usually my thing, and I often just go for things I already enjoy. But if you’re adventurous, not only will you get to try out a variety of options here, but this set seems to be quite worth the value for money as well.
(Random personal note: This set covers just about every category of sushi. If you want one of everything, maybe consider grabbing an additional piece of Maguro to fill out that “Red Meat” slot. Just an observation.)
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⭐VERDICT⭐
So how good is Arisozushi actually? After primarily focusing on budget-friendly sushi the whole trip, this place was genuinely quite the surprise. Between the quality of the ingredients and the profile of the sushi rice, each piece was just a pleasant experience, and light enough for a quick meal before going about your day.
Of course, there’s higher-end sushi shops that are probably better than here (this is Japan, after all,) but when you look at it from a value and convenience perspective, the place is pretty great. So if you’re around Tokyo Station and need a good sushi place for a quick bite, then head on over to Arisozushi.
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🚗HOW TO GET THERE 🚗
Arisozushi is located within the ticketed area of Tokyo JR Station. After arriving at the station, head over to the 1st Floor towards Gransta Tokyo, and the shop should be right around the entrance to the area. It is within the station, I should note, so if you want to try out Arisozushi and aren’t passing by Tokyo Station, they also have stores at Haneda Airport, alongside Itami Airport at Osaka, and a higher-end reservations-only store a walkable distance away from Tokyo Station.
Arisozushi – Gransta Tokyo Store
🌏 Location 🌏
1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005
🗺 Map 🗺
https://goo.gl/maps/vMBsX3DTC4w2LV5V8
⏰ Opening Hours ⏰
8:00 A.M. to 10:30 P.M. (Last Order 10:00 P.M.)
💻 Website 💻
https://www.arisozushi.com/
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