Wakana Sushi — Restaurant in Tokyo

It's a nice, quaint little hidden gem of a sushi place tucked away in a narrow street. Blink and you may just miss it. I almost did, almost mistaking another restaurant nearby for it. I had to double-check a photo of this place just to be sure.

Once confirmed, I opened the door to what seemed like a full place. I was with my missus, and there was only one seat available out of six seats. So both of us opted to wait. We stubbornly waited about roughly 45 mins in the rain, but I felt the wait was worth it for what I had experienced.

The place was small with only six wooden seats available in front of a sushi bar. Walking space alone is quite cramped, so don't go hauling your luggage's there. The place was serviced by a sweet little old lady, and the menu was simple - Special, Regular and Standard. We obviously went with Special (3000 yen X 2) after going out of our way to make the trip just for the sushi. It was definitely worth it. The sushi meats were of generous size, and the rice of reasonable portion. I don't normally bother much with ginger at sushi places much less pickled cucumber, but at this place, I ate up EVERYTHING!!! I tried to wriggle out of trying a pickled plum when she invited me to try one (claiming I was full), but eventually gave in just for the experience. 😅 And what a strange experience in taste it was. Very sour. I mean, it was okay, but I'd not eat more than one. For the adventurous, just give it a try. It is not an everyday experience.

All in all I'd say a very nice authentic sushi place where the food was very obviously prepared with care and love by the owner who took great pride in her work. You can watch her work on your order behind the counter. It's a wonder...

Hi, I'd like to share some tips I learn from a number of times of visiting this sushi bar to make myself comfortable here.

Opening hours: The bar occasionally takes unscheduled break or closing mainly depending on the chef's condition. I'd suggest staying around here for several days to maximize the chance to have the sushi. During the business time, you'll see the curtain in front of the gate. See my attached photo. No curtain means they are not open, so please don't knock the door. The chef feels scared to hear that after one of tourists forced to open the locked door and broke it.

Ordering: As soon as you have a sheet, mouse watering and you may want to show your phone screen, pointing it to order what you saw in your favorite social media! But, let's hold on for a while to calm down. The chef will come to you to ask for the orders when she is ready. And it's the same to the payment time. While waiting for it, if you see the cutting board over the counter, looking at the flow of making sushi, from shaping rice balls, filleting a fish, or rolling up seaweed, the chef's such skills will impress you. Or, simply indulging into the quiet atmosphere inside, you'll feel the time goes slower there.

Food waste: The size of the sushi is far bigger here than standard one. Feel free to ask for the chef to make it smaller as your body. It would be appreciated, if you tell ingredients you can't eat. Not like some cultures in other countries, it's always encouraged in Japan to finish all the served food. That's the way to show your respect to the preparations for the plate of the sushi.

I hope these tips help your time in the bar more enjoyable and...

Very quiet place with only like 3-4 stools.

When I visited the place at around 5:30PM, it was operated by a single old lady who was super sweet.

I had the special set, which was around 3000 yen, and sushi was great. It tasted fresh, and rice was nicely seasoned. She even gave me extra makis!

It seems like this place was brought to attention from social media, and a lot of foreigners that couldn't speak any Japanese came to her establishment.

The attention thar her restaurant received seemed to have burdened her, and she sounded rather happy that she doesnt get as much attention.

There are other sushi restaurants that sell large size sushi for around 3000 to 4000 yen, there are many izakaya and local restaurants with unique atmosphere in Japan, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend coming all the way to this sushi restaurant, for the sake of very old lady.

However, if you happen to be at the neighborhood, I think it is a great...