I might be biased, but this is — hands down — my favourite sushi place in Tokyo. Uogashi Nihonichi is a fuss-free standing sushi bar that caters to busy Tokyo urbanites, with the aim of offering quality sushi in an efficient manner. Indeed, there are no seats here in this standing sushi bar, allowing diners to enter, eat some good sushi, and leave.

You enter to a chorus of greetings, before you find your place in between locals clad in business suits, or the curious tourist armed with a DSLR. Each diner is given a cup of green tea, and the chef places a leaf (topped with ginger and a dollop of wasabi) in front of you. Tip: don’t be shy to ask for an English menu.

The sushi comes in various price categories: grab some maguro ika, ebi, anago, or tamago sushi at JPY162 (~SGD1.70). Aji, salmon, and yaki-salmon-mayo (aburi salmon topped with mayonnaise) come at JPY216 (~SGD2.20), while hotate, unagi, and ikura go at JPY432 (~SGD4.40).

Indulge in on gyu-toro at JPY540 (~SGD5.50), or go all out with oo-toro, uni, or aka-ebi for JPY648 (~SGD6.60). All the sushi come in two pieces, and prices are inclusive of tax.

If you’re spoiled for choice, simply opt for one of the value-for-money sets, or top it all off with a handroll of your choice.

Ordering is easy: simply catch the eye of the chef standing in the central area, or get his attention with a gentle “Sumimasen” (Japanese for “thank you”).

Once you give him your order, he’ll make it on the spot. It really doesn’t get any fresher than this.

Just look at that glistening goodness!

The sushi here is admittedly pricier than the cheaper conveyor belts, but it’s worth every penny in my opinion. In fact, my family loves it so much that we make it our first stop at the start of every day.

There are plenty of outlets all over Japan, but my favourite one is at West Shinjuku, behind the West Express Bus Terminal. Otherwise, you’d also find outlets at Ikebukuro and Shibuya. Itadakimasu!