Kizushi in Ningyocho: Edomae Sushi in Old Tokyo

Ningyocho is one of those great Tokyo neighborhoods where the Edo vibe can still be felt with old houses, shops, and restaurants that date back to that period. The famous "Amazake Yokocho" street, with its nostalgic Edo stylings, is in Ningyocho. And there are of course some great sushiya in the area, including the famous Kizushi, nestled in a lovely old timber-frame house that was originally used as an oriya, a lodging house for geishas. For 94 years, Kizushi has served the same traditional Edomae sushi in the same location and is as "old school" as it gets, serving mouthwatering sushi dishes prepared Edomae style, and using traditional techniques, such as marinating the fish in salt or vinegar, from back when sushi was more about preservation than than the raw sashimi experiences of today. A leader in Tokyo's culinary scene, chef Ryuichi, who was born in 1942 is the third generation master of Kizushi, assisted by his first and second sons, Kazuhiro and Koji, who took care of us the evening we visited long-established sushiya in Ningyocho district. The small space with a beautiful counter made of Japanese cypress from Kiso, only sits about eight people, so making reservations well ahead was essential, but Kazuhiro made us feel very welcome with his big smile and wonderful sense of humour. The omakase was sensational, and when I asked Kazuhiro about one piece of nigiri that I didn't recognize, he smiled, thought for a moment and suddenly disappeared. When he returned, he showed us an amazing book from his culinary library with every imaginable kind of Japanese fish and was able to find the english translation for Akagi, which is Japanese red clam. I learned a new word, and made a new friend with our mutual love affair with fish. Dōmo arigatōgo Kazuhiro.

Chef Kazuhiro Ryuichi slicing the sashimi for our first course of Kizushi Omakase

Sashimi of Japanese prawn, tuna, scallop and perch with shiso blossom

Decanter of chilled Sake 

Cut crystal sake glass

Shima Aji - Yellow Jack Nigiri

Tuna

Ika - Squid

Akagi - Japanese Red Clam

Uni from Hokkaido

Iwashi - Japanese Sardine 

Anago - salt-water eel

Tamago with rice, folded in half like an old Japanese wooden bridge

Tuna and cucumber rolls

Prawn flavoured Okara, or soy pulp with uni

Chef Kazuhiro Ryuichi is the fourth generation of his family running Kizushi and his great grandfather entertained the emperor's in the restaurant