Totoro — Restaurant in Himeji

I found this shop on Tabelog and decided to give it a try, since I was in the area photographing Himeji Castle.

This is a standing bar style sushi spot - the counter seats (or stands) about 10 people, and there are a couple of private tables in the back for slightly larger groups.

I got here around 6:30PM, and already, there was a line wrapping around the building, maybe 20 people deep. It took about 50 minutes of waiting to get seated, but your wait time will heavily depend on the size of groups ahead of you. An employee will hand you a menu while you're in line for you to order from, and the sushi will be ready for you when you get inside. They do have an English menu, should you need one.

I ordered the special deluxe nigiri set, with the added draft beer + edamame set. The nigiri set came with flounder, spear squid, raw jumbo shrimp, ark shell clam, tamago, yellowtail otoro, salmon otoro, tuna otoro, and a whole piece of anago in nigiri form.

All the fish was incredibly fresh and tasty - the fatty pieces in particular literally melted on the tongue.

Total cost of the set was 2,250yen (+380 yen for the beer set), which is absurdly good value for the quality of fish you're getting.

If you're ever in the area, I would consider this a must-visit. Don't be daunted by the line - this is well worth your time.

Note: the restaurant is cash only, and has a small seating area up front for...

We were on our way to Himeji Castle and decided to have lunch at 1230hrs. There was already a line of over 15 people, and the wait could be over an hour. We decided to come back at 1645hrs and waited in line for the restaurant to open at 1700hrs. It is a cozy standing sushi bar with room for about 10 customers. The sushi was definitely value for money and extremely fresh. It is not a place to linger while you eat as there was already a long line waiting both inside and outside the restaurant. You order your food while waiting in line, and the sushi is ready when you take your standing seat. It's definitely worth the experience if you happen to be visiting Himeji Castle. The restaurant is about a 5 minute walk from Himeji...

This place is worth the wait. I arrived at about 11:30 on a Saturday and waited around 1 hour before being served. Your food comes out almost as soon as you get to the counter. It is eaten while standing. The staff spoke little English but were very patient with me and helped me understand everything with no issue. They handed me an English menu while I was in line, and I ordered the Special Grade Sushi Set. It comes with wasabi already on it, but they asked if I wanted it taken off (I did not). You stand at the counter and eat. Then when you are done, you walk around the corner and pay. The sushi was incredible - easily the best I have ever had. It was an...