tsumamigui, the new nendo-designed sushi shop in Tokyo | photos by Akihiro Yoshida (products) and Jimmy Cohrssen (space)
If you want sushi in Japan you’ve got kaiten-zushi on the low end, the conveyor belt sushi that circles around and you pick out what you want. If you want a more authentic experience there are also plenty sushiya, a shop typically comprised of tables and a counter where a sushi chef will slice the fish on the spot. It’s better quality but it also comes with a hefty price. Now, a new type of sushi shop want to fill the void between the two.
their clever logo incorporates a pair of chopsticks to form the first letter of the name tsu (ツ)
Tsumamigui is a new sushi shop that opened earlier this year in the trendy Nakameguro area of Tokyo. It’s operated by Sushiro, a major sushi shop chain with over 300 kaitenzushi shops across Japan. The store, whose name means eating with your fingers (but connotes a casual style of “grabbing” food) is an experiment in what the company calls “smart sushi dining.” It’s an attempt to put a modern twist on traditional cuisine while maintaining quality, design and price.
To help pull off their vision, Sushiro hired uber-popular design firm nendo to create not only the interior, but the full identity from logo and plates to the worker’s outfits.
from ordinary to avant garde, tsumamigui is focusing on their rolls
Tsumamigui’s flagship menu item are the “bite-size” rolls that range between 100 – 300 yen for two pieces. You can mix and match the rolls to create your own meal, or order from one of their preset meals. A la carte nigiri pieces (100 – 500 / piece) are also available. And to appeal to a broader audience (read: the working career woman).
Tsumamigui is also offering a series of salads and hors d’oeuvres. And all the ordering and customization is done through a tablet on each table. Despite claims of being user-friendly, this could, however, be an obstacle for Japan’s increasingly greying population.
So far the ratings on tabelog, Japan’s yelp-like review website, look favorable: A good bang-for-your-yen.
Tsumamigui
1-30-10 Aobada, Nakameguro-ku, Tokyo (Gmap)
Tel: 03-5720-5431
Open 7 days a week 11:00am – 11:00pm
