Hoshinoya Tokyo continues to captivate guests with its stunning Japanese atmosphere and hospitality, even though it is located in the heart of the city. The opening of Sushi Otemon within the facility is great news for ryokan lovers.

Eat and get drunk and go to bed right away

The main reason for opening a sushi restaurant was that, as a sushi restaurant located inside a Japanese inn, he wanted Japanese guests to taste and appreciate his sushi.

Listening to the words of General Manager Masataka Ikegami, you can fully sense the spirit of Hoshinoya.

"Guests can enjoy their meal in the ultimate relaxed state, barefoot and wearing their nightwear, after soaking in the hot springs. Those who like to drink can have as much as they want, then return to their room and go straight to bed. I think that's the great thing about having a sushi restaurant inside a ryokan."

Start with six attractive snacks

The sushi itself is Edomae style, but the ingredients are seasonal seafood carefully selected from around the country, as well as from the Tokyo area.

This sushi restaurant has three distinctive features as a dining establishment.

The first is that, reflecting the training of head chef Masaru Nishimura in Japanese cuisine, the menu begins with an appetizer and six types of "sake and snacks," which of course change depending on the season.

A specific example is the "returning bonito roll," which consists of autumn eggplant and Chinese chives, returning bonito, thinly peeled pickled daikon radish, shredded egg, and nori seaweed, from the center to the outside.

The sweetness of the eggplant, pickled chives and daikon radish, and shredded egg soften the sea creature of the bonito, enveloping it and blending it all together. The chives are particularly strong. The combination is exquisite, and the idea of ​​eating it with mustard soy sauce is excellent.

The "Fried Spiny Lobster and Fig" is an elaborate dish that consists of deep-fried spiny lobster, figs, lotus root buns topped with salmon roe and seaweed tsukudani, and surrounded by bean paste.

The meat of the spiny lobster is bouncy and sweet, and the figs bring out a different, more mellow, plant-based sweetness. I discovered that the figs become even more flavorful when deep-fried. The rich, dashi-flavored filling matches these sweet flavors perfectly.

The "Oyster Dengaku" was also excellent. Grilled oysters, spinach, and baked apples were hidden in the miso sauce. Oysters are also eaten as miso-grilled oysters, and they pair perfectly with dengaku. The tartness of the baked apples and the accompanying white cream cheese mixed with sake lees created layers of fermented umami.

Dazzling alcohol pairings

The second feature is the pairing of sake and wine. On the day I visited, a special selection of sake and wines was offered, including a wide selection from Mukai Sake Brewery in Ine, Kyoto, the closest place in Japan to the sea, as well as wines from Italy, Spain, and France, all paired with six appetizers and 12 rolls of sushi, accompanied by commentary from the in-house sommelier.

The sake from Mukai Sake Brewery was particularly excellent, and although most of it was served cold, it was sometimes served hot, which was a wonderful touch.

In particular, the "Ine Mankai Ancient Rice Sake" paired with the "kelp-cured sweet snapper" appetizer is so rich it's like a rosé in Japanese sake. The "Masara Takeo Special Junmai Genshu Yamahai-style" hot sake served at 65°C with the "sardine kabayaki rice" appetizer is mellow and soft. The "Kyoto no Haru Junmai Daiginjo" paired with the "simmered clams" and "conger eel" sushi has a good balance of acidity and sweetness.

Personally, I preferred sake to wine, but in both cases, the combination of food and alcohol doubled the flavor of the food in my mouth.

In the future, they will also be selling sake and shochu from various prefectures, but during November they plan to offer a total of around eight types, including two from Mukai Sake Brewery and wine from Nardello Winery in Verona, Italy, so it's not to be missed.

Sushi is a blend of Edomae and local food culture

The key to nigiri is the vinegared rice, but the head chef came up with a novel method: he blended two types of vinegar and let the pickled plums and lemon sit in it for about two months. Perhaps because of this, the saltiness in the vinegar tasted beautifully clear on the tongue.

The swordfish squid, which had been meticulously cut with a knife, brought out the full umami and sweetness of the ingredients. Other dishes, such as the lean meat, which had been quickly pickled for just three minutes, and the kelp-cured scorpionfish, were also excellent, but the chef's expertise extends beyond the Edomae techniques used to garnish pickled and vinegared dishes.

The sea urchin placed on top of the rice is generously sprinkled with light snow salt and a squeeze of sudachi citrus. Finally, it is wrapped in a large piece of nori seaweed and eaten, a technique I had never seen before, and it was an encounter with a new flavor. Since sea urchin grows by eating seaweed, it is an excellent match with nori seaweed.

Additionally, our original nigiri sushi, inspired by local food culture, are unique to our restaurant.

Mebari sushi is a dish eaten in Wakayama, and locals say it is similar to onigiri, made by filling rice with hijiki seaweed and wrapping it in pickled takana leaves. I adapted this dish by layering ingredients such as chopped fatty tuna, scallions, and salmon roe on vinegared rice, and finally wrapping it in takana leaves. It was a fun and delicious dish that I will never forget.

Enjoy inn-quality service

The third feature is that while you are enjoying this exquisite dining experience, you will be treated to hospitality honed through the service of a traditional Japanese inn. What's more, the stage on which you enjoy this service is a counter made from a single piece of Aomori cypress wood that is over 200 years old, and the room itself is an extremely beautiful and comfortable space.

The good news is that anyone can enjoy Sushi Otemon by making a reservation from outside, even if they are not staying overnight. This is another new challenge that is typical of Hoshinoya, which never stops moving forward.

Titles omitted

Sushi Otemon ((Inside Hoshinoya Tokyo)

Address: 1-9-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 050-3134-8091 (Hoshinoya General Reservations)
Time: Part 1 17:30, Part 2 20:00
Price: Chef's choice only 36,300 yen per person (tax and service charge included, accommodation fee not included)
Capacity: 8 people per session

Sushi Otemon Dinner Included Accommodation Plan
Period: Monday, October 27, 2025 - all year round *Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only
Price: From 123,661 yen per person (for two people sharing a room, tax and service charge included)
Included: 2-day, 1-night accommodation (15% off the regular price), dinner at Sushi Otemon (course meal only)
*October 27th (Monday) to November 29th (Saturday), 2025A special menu will be prepared for the event during this period.
*Special pairing: 12,100 yen per person (tax and service charge included)
(Approximately 8 types of sake and wine)The fee is not included in the plan.

Dinner time: 17:30 (first session), 20:00 (second session)
Capacity: Each time XNUM X name
Reserve:Official WebsiteReception at

Note: Menu contents may vary depending on the situation.Some ingredients may be subject to change.
Children under 11 years old are not permitted to accompany guests.