Three-MICHELIN-Starred Sushi Master Masaaki Miyakawa Opens a Tokyo Outpost in the Sky

"Discreetly tucked away on the 38th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, this nine-seat omakase counter is a jewel-box retreat: a soft, sanded-down sushi bar hewn from a 350-year-old Hinoki cypress, kumiko chairs and a lattice by Nobuo Tanihata, and a minimalist mud-wall artwork by Syuhei Hasado, all framing sweeping views over Nihonbashi to the Tokyo Skytree. Opened this spring and guided by sushi master Masaaki Miyakawa—whose Sapporo namesake holds three MICHELIN stars—the Tokyo outpost is helmed by his longtime protégé Kazuo Oguro and takes omakase, and all its details, to new heights. During my visit, summer fireworks glittered in the distance—we caught one—but the pyrotechnics and city lights never distracted from the food. The menu honors edomae tradition with a seasonal herring and eggplant with miso (the fish carefully vinegar-treated overnight to retain pure, fresh flavors and paired with rich miso and lush, juicy eggplant), steamed abalone with a creamy liver sauce made richer with its own cooking liquid, Miyakawa’s signature sea urchin risotto served in a petite ceramic bowl with ocean-spray salinity, citrus, and nori, and Japanese tiger prawns whose bright-orange striping gives way to a light saltiness and a familiar prawn flavor that slowly seeps onto the tongue in a subtle, non-aggressive way. The shari rice—cooked in a traditional apparatus and seasoned with a precise measure of red vinegar—anchors the nigiri. Most products are sourced from Toyosu market in Tokyo, with sea urchin and salmon roe coming from Hokkaido, and a sommelier keeps things playful with a distinguished sake selection poured into exquisite, colorful “edo kidiko” glasses. In a city flush with sushi, this understated room is one of the most ambitious openings in years." - Joe Harper