Although it's one of Japan's most historical areas, Ginza has always been a place of continuous development, incorporating the latest trends. The cityscape is full of charm and pairs modern buildings that make full use of the newest technology with those that have stood since ancient times to create a unique atmosphere.

The main streets are lined with malls, department stores, and boutiques showcasing high-end brands in a distinctly urban setting. Beyond the major thoroughfares, there are also fun narrow streets and small alleys.

One such side track is Ginza Corridor. It runs along the elevated Tokyo Expressway and train lines from Shimbashi Station to Yurakucho Station and is one of Tokyo's top gourmet streets with restaurants serving dishes from all over Japan and around the world.

Itamae Sushi Ginza Corridor is located near Shimbashi. Exit the station via the Ginza Exit, head north (toward Ginza), and (almost immediately) cross Sotobori-dori. Follow Route 405, cross beneath the Tokyo Expressway and immediately turn left at the Dobashi intersection and onto Ginza Corridor ("Ginza Korido-dori").

Follow the Corridor along the expressway, go through one intersection and Itamae Sushi will be on your right. The restaurant's wooden exterior is perfect for a sushi dinner, and your sense of anticipation is bound to rise as you enter the shop.

The restaurant has 3 tables and 15 counter seats. The counter seats will give you a great view of the chefs as they prepare your sushi. Or, sitting at a table, screens hanging above can be pulled down to create a private dining space.

Itamae Sushi famously made the winning prize tuna bid at Tokyo's Tsukiji Market auction for four consecutive years from 2008 to 2011. Tuna is one of the indispensable ingredients of Edomae sushi, and Itamae serves top-quality tuna daily.

With the "Strongest Bluefin Tuna Set" (2,780 yen, excluding tax) you can savor the delicious flavor of many different cuts.

A great meal for tuna lovers, the set consists of two pieces of kama-toro (front left), which is rarer than o-toro, three pieces of fatty chu-toro, five pieces of lean akami, a negitoro roll, a thick torotaku roll, soup and salad.

Kama-toro is the part of the fish behind the gills and only a small amount can be obtained from one tuna. With two of these rare cuts, the set's price is reasonable.

Once you get ahold of your chopsticks, start with the akami and relish the firm texture. Next sample the moderately fatty chu-toro and appreciate the synergy of the various tastes, which will pique your expectation for what's to come.

Lastly, move on to the main attraction of the meal – the kama-toro. It's a tad greasy, but the melt-in-your-mouth texture is exquisite and addictive.

Fresh tuna is procured every day and prepared in the restaurant. Patrons can enjoy fresh dishes at a fair price, and it's also exciting to see at how a big piece of tuna is handled.

For those who want more than tuna, and would like to try a little bit of everything, we recommend the "Selection Nigiri Set" (1,780 yen, excluding tax).

From the top left, negi (green onion), anago (conger eel), omelet, and negitoro temaki, and from the bottom left, red sea bream, shrimp, shabutoro salmon, squid, and mackerel purchased fresh daily from the Toyosu Market make up the main course of this meal, which also includes soup and salad.

In addition to sushi made with fresh seafood, you can also enjoy eel and mackerel rolls prepared Edomae-style (which uses marinated fish) for a thrilling variety.

Complementing the offering of standard nigiri sushi, beautifully prepared sushi rolls provide a harmonious combination of ingredients.

Itamae Sushi serves many types of rolls and the menu even includes items to appeal to vegetarians.

The three most popular rolls among Itamae's non-Japanese customers are (from the left): Salmon & Avocado Roll Half (3 pieces, 480 yen), Avocado & Veggie Roll Half (3 pieces, 580 yen), and California Roll Half (3 pieces, 480 yen. (All can be ordered separately; prices exclude tax.)

Salmon and avocado are a perfect match, with the richness of avocado countering the mellow salmon, and adding a delightful texture.

While the fully vegetarian Avocado & Veggie Roll has a profound taste that's different from that of fresh fish, and you can still get a full sense of traditional Japanese cuisine.

California Rolls with colorful tobiko (flying fish roe) are a staple of roll sushi. It's a fun morsel with a balance between the tobiko's bubble wrap-like texture and the other ingredients.

Itamae Sushi may bear the local neighborhood's character, but its customers come from all over the world. With that in mind, the menu is available not only in Japanese but also in English, Chinese, and Korean.

All include pictures and the prices are clearly displayed making it easy to understand what kind of sushi you're ordering, even for travelers who are trying sushi for the first time.

Abundant combo menus to make it easy to place large orders, but you can also ask for your favorites a la carte. To fully appreciate the fresh ingredients, requests for sashimi are accepted, and the menu also includes a wide variety of sake and various non-sushi dishes, too.

In addition to easy ordering for Japanese and non-Japanese alike, the menu is great not only for regular meals but also as the second or third restaurant of a Tokyo pub crawl.

Restaurants and pubs tend to conjure images of densely packed spaces, but Itamae Sushi Ginza Corridor Store has always had a spacious dining area. Currently, measures have been taken in accordance with the guidelines outlined by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for preventing the spread of COVID-19, such as setting a limit on the number of counter seats and maintaining an acceptable distance between patrons.

Conversations with sushi chefs are usually part of the fun, but you can also rest assured that they must wear masks. Proper hygiene is more important than ever and chefs are careful to thoroughly wash their hands before handling food. Customers are asked to disinfect their hands as they enter and are provided with disposable napkins, so they can keep their fingers clean throughout their meal.

Current measures against coronavirus infection include: Sterilization of the restaurant interior and equipment, available hand disinfectant solution, thorough cleaning every time a customer leaves, improved ventilation, use of coin trays, staff masks, hand washing and gargling rules, temperature measurement, adjustments to the number of guests allowed to enter the store at one time, eat spacing, refusal of customers who are in poor health, and a re-quest that customers wear masks.

Naturally, sushi is best served by a professional chef, for those who can't get to a restaurant or just want to make homemade sushi, it's easy. We asked a sushi chef for tips and recommendations for making delicious sushi rolls at home!

Point 1: Rice is the key to delicious sushi!
When it comes to sushi, people tend to focus on the fish and other ingredients, but it's actually the rice that determines the taste. Stickiness and moisture are taboo so making delicious sushi begins with the amount of water used when cooking!

Tips for making delicious sushi rice
・ Use 10% less water than when you cook regular rice
・ As soon as it is cooked, stir in the vinegar

・ Mix the rice to break it up (to prevent stickiness)
・ Immediately after mixing in the vinegar, cool it with an uchiwa (hand-held fan).
・ If possible, use a wooden bowl

Point 2: Use plenty of nori (seaweed)!
・ Use half a sheet of nori! (But only using 1/4 is half as delicious!)

Point 3: A surprising secret ingredient for a delicious taste.
・ Shiokara (salted, fermented seafood paste)

Point 4: Harmonious, irresistible combinations
・ Kohada (gizzard shad), minced ginger, shiso
・ Salmon roe, takuan (pickled daikon radish), white sesame

Be sure to try it out!

Itamae Sushi Ginza Corridor Store is a place where you can casually enjoy authentic Edomae sushi, evolutionary sushi, specially selected bluefin tuna, and fresh, delicious ingredients purchased daily from Toyosu Market at a reasonable price.

With painstaking preventative measures taken against the coronavirus and foreign language and vegetarian menus, why not come visit?

*Information accurate as of October 2020.

Written by Naomi Konishi, Dali Corporation. Translated by Gabriel Wilkinson.