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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.

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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.

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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.

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from ordinary to avant garde, tsumamigui is focusing on their rolls

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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.

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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

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