Uogashi Nihon-Ichi (魚がし日本一 新宿西口店)
Many travelers come to Japan to try sushi. I mean, I sure did. However, many travelers also have this perception that sushi is prohibitively expensive and inaccessible for most people. And to be completely honest, I get it. Some of the top sushi restaurants in Tokyo- as well as all over the world- can sometimes charge upwards of hundreds of dollars and can be near impossible to secure a reservation (looking at you, Jiro).
However, you’ll be relieved to find that inexpensive and quality sushi exists, safely away from the overly-hyped lines at Toyosu that start at 3 AM for Sushi Dai (I’m sure it’s good but waiting for sushi before sunrise is insanity). One of the more popular areas for nearby residents to eat at is Uogashi Nihon Ichi, a standing sushi restaurant in the busy main streets of Shinjuku. And yes, while there are a few branches of Uogashi Nihon Ichi, this one will be focusing on the Shinjuku location specifically.
Now to be fair, there are many, many, many (did I say “many” already?) sushi joints in Tokyo that focus on their own unique specialties, and also have quality food at great price points. However, to try all of them would not be humanly possible, and so here we are.
Recommended by a friend who studied abroad in Asia, Uogashi Nihon Ichi is a standing sushi bar inside a small restaurant where the chefs make exactly what you want from a given menu. Diners can order various pieces of nigiri and drinks, as well as three different kinds of miso soup to accompany the meal. Arriving at peak dinner times, the wait was about ten minutes, but it’s not uncommon for it to take far longer on some days than others. Right after we got inside, a long line quickly stretched out onto the street behind the door.
Right away the waiter cleaned and set up our spots, bringing out miso soups while doing so. The miso soup was delicious and the most noticeable part was that it had sea lettuce rather than your typical kelp strips. For those that haven’t tried sea lettuce, the texture can best be described as a jumbled clump of shredded seaweed that is soft when eaten- kind of like moss- and tastes almost exactly like normal seaweed in miso soups that are found in Japanese-American restaurants.
When ordering, one can either choose to get individual pieces at a time (I say pieces, but really one “order” is usually two pieces of nigiri from the chef), or order a set in various sizes. While one is not necessarily more economical than the other, especially given people’s different appetites, it’s fun to start with the set and then venture out and order more pieces that you may not have tried yet. I personally started with the “Tsubaki” set, costing ¥1,280 (roughly $8 USD at the time) and coming with an assortment of nine nigiri pieces, including popular ones such as shrimp, tuna, and salmon. A safe option for those that may be unfamiliar with or new to sushi.
And guess what? It was honestly pretty damn good. I am not a Japanese native and I do not claim to be any expert on sushi, but I’ve had my fair share throughout the years. And suffice to say, the quality from this restaurant is more than satisfactory and noticeably better than most run-of-the-mill (and often overpriced) sushi restaurants that I’ve tried in America. Take the tamago (egg), for example. I usually never order tamago in American sushi restaurants because they usually come out cold and rubbery with a taste that indicates it’s been sitting out for a bit. However, Uogashi Nihon Ichi’s version is simple, clean, and had a bit of sweetness to it that made me change my outlook on it. In terms of the fish, my personal favorite was the aburi-unagi (cooked eel with sauce) and oo-toro (fatty tuna belly).
To echo the point above, there were other casual sushi restaurants that we tried over the next few days in the same area with similar prices that just didn’t cut it. Uogashi Nihon Ichi’s simple, but quality offerings ensure that the restaurant can provide the best sushi to its customers at this price point. Pair that with the restaurant’s friendly and attentive service, and you’ve struck gold.
By this point I don’t really know what more I could add. The fish was of high quality, tasted great, and was had at an unbeatable price (around $2-3 USD per pair for most of the menu items). It seemed to be a popular spot for local salarymen and women looking for a quick dinner after work, and the lines were always long whenever we passed by the area over the next few days. And while the sushi isn’t of the meticulous, “bespoke” quality as Kusakabe (check out our review!), at around $15-20 USD for an average person looking for a high-quality sushi meal, you can’t be disappointed. The best thing is, if the first few pieces of sushi aren’t to your liking for whatever reason, nothing is stopping you from leaving and finding another restaurant in the area as there is no order minimum.
I highly recommend this place especially if you want a first dip into Tokyo’s inexpensive sushi scene. Maybe you’ve just gotten off the plane at Haneda Airport, or had a long day at work nearby. Regardless, I am sure that you will (probably) not be disappointed by this spot, and I highly recommend that you try it when in Shinjuku.
