Hokkaisushi and Tempura Sushiyama Shinjuku

A trip to the mountains and forests of Hokkaido might be difficult to manage for some people, but the next best thing might just be a few hundred meters from Shinjuku’s bustling Golden Gai. Centered around the concept of a “one-day Hokkaido trip”, Kabukicho restaurant Hokkaisushi and Tempura Sushiyama intends to give visitors a little taste of Japan’s northern breadbasket, through menu offerings that make heavy use of Hokkaido-sourced seasonal ingredients. Its seafood, in particular, is shipped directly from Hakodate’s morning market every day, where it is appraised by Sushiyama’s expert chefs before being made into nigiri. Every course starts with seafood chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) to whet the appetite, before giving guests tantalizing tastes of Hokkaido through servings of sushi, tempura and small plates. The vegetables in the tempura are specially chosen not just for their flavor, but also for their vibrancy, making them a treat not just for the taste buds, but also for the eyes. Each individual dish on the menu serves as a single brushstroke, all of which come together to paint a culinary picture of the prefecture. Like its predecessor KIBORI, Sushiyama also boasts over 1,000 carvings of Hokkaido brown bears scattered throughout the restaurant, looking down at guests from shelves or wall fixtures.