I went to a sushi restaurant that I had been curious about for a while. It's located in Fushimi, Kyoto. There are various parking lots around, so the location of the restaurant is convenient. The name of the restaurant is "Kikumoto". I visited during lunchtime, but the restaurant was empty with no customers. I entered cautiously and was seated at the counter. However, the view behind the counter was messy and unorganized, giving a bad impression. I ordered the following sushi: my wife had the Shanghai Seafood Chirashi for 1800 yen (excluding tax) and I had the Deluxe Sushi for 2600 yen (excluding tax), totaling 4840 yen. The fish in the Deluxe Sushi was fresh and decent. The problem was with the rice in the Shanghai Seafood Chirashi. The way the chef handled the rice was strange - shaking off the rice that stuck to his hands and returning it to the container. As a result, the rice in the seafood bowl was completely mushy and not tasty. The seaweed and sesame seeds were mixed by hand, which was unappealing. Overall, the unclean and unprofessional handling left a bad taste in my mouth, making it a disappointing lunch experience.

Today's dish is chirashi sushi. When I sat down, I was asked, "Would you like some hot tea?" No, not in this steamy weather. I ordered the regular chirashi sushi (1300 yen) instead of the more expensive seafood chirashi (1800 yen). The kitchen is visible from the seating area, and watching the chefs at work is one of the highlights. They prepare the rice in a bowl, adding seaweed and sesame seeds, then finely chop the eel and egg before mixing it all together. Meanwhile, they also prepare sashimi. The presentation of the chirashi sushi is simple yet visually appealing with its balanced colors and arrangement. The vinegar rice with eel is delicious, but some of the toppings could be omitted. The ginger slices were unexpectedly thick, adding a strong cooling sensation. The sashimi served on the side consisted of tuna, Thai snapper, and striped jack, all fresh and beautifully presented. Is it really only 1300 yen for this quality? Checking with others, I noticed that some had shiitake mushrooms on their chirashi, but the sashimi was presented more simply. Perhaps this is how they balance the dishes.

This is my second time here. The interior of the restaurant is dark, with mysterious ornaments placed around. The only light comes from the kitchen, and natural light enters around the garden at the back. The seating is designed to illuminate just enough for the counter tables, and the aisles are dark. This time, I splurged a bit and ordered the nigiri sushi set (1800 yen). When asked about the difference between "regular" and "premium," the explanation was that the premium set includes sea urchin instead of steamed shrimp, which accounts for the price difference. The size of the toppings is also different. Watching the skilled chefs behind the counter, the sushi-making process is like watching a performance on stage. The tuna, flounder, fatty tuna, grilled conger eel, horse mackerel, saury, octopus, steamed shrimp, and squid were all expertly prepared. The squid was sliced with such precision that it was hard to tell it was cut. The shrimp was smooth and lacked visible openings, almost unnaturally so. When eaten, the topping and rice blend together seamlessly. Some sushi may crumble when picked up, but these held together perfectly in the mouth. The mackerel was also beautifully cut in front of us. Although someone mentioned the night prices being comparable to Gion district, the quality certainly lives up to it (apparently they have an outlet in Gion as well). However, the assorted sushi sets with boxed sushi and rolls may offer better value. As before, the feeling of being served food as a mistake by someone who wandered in during preparation still lingers in this restaurant.

It's a shop I visit occasionally. I saw on social media that the chirashi sushi looked delicious, so I ordered it. I watched the chef pounding the conger eel and then mixing it with seaweed to make a tataki. This tataki is mixed with rice. The chirashi included shrimp, salmon roe, and shiitake mushrooms. The other three types of raw fish were served on a separate plate. It seems that some customers don't like their raw fish on rice. It felt quite luxurious enjoying the meal. Thank you for the feast.

According to the official website, the restaurant was established in Koubai in 1960. In 1973, they opened a branch in Gion, and in 2009, they relocated here. It is located down the shopping street from Keihan Momoyama Go-ryou-mae, at the first corner after turning, just past "Un-no-Kami". From the outside, it is hard to tell if it is open or not, making it somewhat intimidating to enter. Upon entering, the area near the entrance is pitch black, with strange objects that are hard to understand. Turning right, you will find the counter space, where the lighting is dim, but the kitchen is quite bright. There is a courtyard in the back, with greenery and natural light streaming in. It is a strange spatial design. The restaurant operates as a hidden gem, with the chef not visible in the kitchen, and only appearing when called out. I ordered the lunch assortment, and watched as the fish was cut, rolled, and crafted into sushi at the counter. The chef's movements were skilled, rhythmic, and precise. The sushi consisted of sea bream, tuna, and yellowtail. The deluxe assortment includes fatty tuna and premium white fish like shrimp. The quality of the fish was excellent, and the sushi was expertly crafted, with the rice holding together perfectly. The pressed sushi had a delightful flavor of Japanese pepper with flounder, and the eel was meticulously prepared. The hand-rolled sushi was also well-made, with a balance of ingredients that harmonized well. The miso soup with seasonal vegetables and tofu skin was tasty, but seemed mismatched with the exquisite sushi. When asked about the evening budget, the chef mentioned around 4000-5000 yen for sushi alone, and up to 10,000 yen if including drinks and other dishes. The restaurant seems to attract more customers from nearby areas like Yahata, Kuzuhara, and Hirakata than locals. Some reviewers have mentioned a strange feeling or sense of unease, but I personally didn't experience it until leaving the restaurant, where the surrounding world felt surreal for a few minutes. It could be that the lighting, layout, and decor of the restaurant subtly induce such a mental state. Nevertheless, this may be a subjective reaction, and overall, the restaurant comes highly recommended.

It's been 4 years since I last visited. I wanted something light for lunch, so I decided to come in. I was the only customer. I ordered the assorted sushi platter. The chef made pressed sushi, arranging various ingredients inside a box. The way they placed everything was impressive. They also made a delicious grilled conger eel with a sweet and crispy texture. The sushi rolls were huge and beautifully crafted. The nigiri sushi, especially the bonito, was above a certain standard in taste. However, the portion was quite large. It felt like it could have been a light dinner instead. I couldn't help but notice the menu board in front of me too much. I also had a soup with young bamboo shoots and a turban shell, but the price was not listed. I remember paying around 1500 yen for the soup in the past, but this time I paid 1400 yen including tax before leaving. Something just didn't feel right. Dining is all about the mood.

Delicious! Relaxing!

This is my second time here. I ordered the deluxe sushi set which included boxed sushi, nigiri, and a special large roll for a total of 1,940 yen including tax. They don't usually display prices, so it can be a bit intimidating to come at night, but during lunch, prices are listed on the menu so you can eat with peace of mind. They cook your order after you place it, so it's fun to watch the process. The taste was great and I left satisfied! The chef sometimes chats with customers. The special large roll and mackerel sushi are their specialties. I want to try the mackerel sushi but it's a bit pricey. The first time I passed by, I couldn't tell if they were open or closed just by looking at the storefront, but I'm glad I finally decided to go in.

I found this restaurant through Tabelog and decided to visit for lunch. When I entered, I was surprised to see that there was only a small space with a counter and a staircase leading to the second floor. The counter was quite similar to other places. I ordered the assorted sushi for 1300 yen as recommended. There was a group on the second floor. The menu board listed items like shirako and wakatake. The pressed sushi was beautifully made, and the futomaki had a variety of fillings like mitsuba. The sushi pieces were creatively made from the same fish, but the taste was good. The miso soup with water shield was excellent. While eating, I noticed a menu item for a deluxe assorted sushi for 1800 yen and worried that I might have ordered the wrong thing. In the end, the bill came to 1400 yen. When I asked if the price included tax, there was no response. As someone else mentioned, this restaurant does leave a bit of a strange impression.

I had been thinking that a sushi restaurant had opened, but when I saw the entrance with a sign showing sushi in a bucket, I thought it might be a place where sushi is the main dish. Personally, when I go to a sushi restaurant, I like to relax with some drinks and interesting side dishes, and maybe have a little bit of sushi. So I decided to go in and found the place quite clean. However, there was a somewhat uncomfortable feeling... Maybe it was the height of the counter seats, or the closeness to the sushi chefs behind the counter, I'm not sure. I ordered a sashimi platter, turtle hot pot, chawanmushi, and other dishes. The quality of the ingredients was average. But none of the prices were listed, so when the bill exceeded ¥10,000 per person, I felt a bit dissatisfied... Maybe I ate and drank too much, but I thought I was just having a normal meal like always.

I went to a sushi restaurant called "Kikumoto" in Gion, which recently moved from Oubaku. I had a feeling that a good sushi restaurant had opened since its opening, but I was hesitant to enter a sushi restaurant at first sight, so I had been avoiding it. On this day, I was planning to go to another Japanese restaurant nearby, but it was closed, so I decided to drop by "Kikumoto" instead. When I opened the door and inquired that there were two of us, we were welcomed in. The interior was clean, but there were about 8 seats at the counter and no other customers, which made the atmosphere a bit uncomfortable. (Is it common for sushi restaurants to be crowded at around 7:30 pm during dinner time?) We were served ikura soy sauce marinated and edamame as appetizers. The small ikura was sweet and elegant. We ordered beer and sweet potato shochu. We are quite heavy drinkers, so we asked for a bottle of shochu to save money, but we were told that they only serve by the glass. It was unusual for a sushi restaurant? Indeed, there was no indication of prices on the menu or in the restaurant, so I was a bit unsure about how much it would cost... However, I couldn't be stingy at this point. I decided to enjoy the food and drinks. First, we ordered the chef's choice sashimi for two. It included sayori, tai white meat, maguro red meat, tako, and about 5 kinds of sashimi. They were delicious, but nothing particularly stood out. Next, we ordered several daily specials from the board inside the restaurant, including duck roast and steamed fish. There was no indication of prices for these either. The duck roast was sliced and served in a sweet soy sauce marinade. They all looked like high-end dishes, but the taste was just good. I chose sake to drink. When I asked for something spicy, they said they didn't have anything like that from Fushimi. (laughs) It seemed that they mainly focused on local Fushimi sake, such as Tamanohikari and Momonodzuki, which were quite sweet. I was hesitating, and they brought out sake from Akita, which was still spicy. So I went with that. It was a smooth and easy-to-drink sake with a sharp finish. I had two cups with the meal, and when I asked for another cup, they said, "We're out of that..." My companion had about three cups of watered-down sweet potato shochu, but the intensity seemed to be predetermined, with half a glass of shochu in each cup, so they had to adjust it themselves with water as a chaser. (laughs) It didn't quite match, especially considering the high-class atmosphere of a traditional sushi restaurant, it was a bit disappointing. I need to be pleasantly drunk to spend a lot of money. Finally, we ordered hosomaki as a finale, nibbled a bit, and settled the bill. I didn't have the sushi chef make sushi for us, but they recommended the mackerel sushi. The total came to just under 17,000 yen for two people, about 8,000 yen each. It's not surprising for a sushi restaurant, but with no other customers coming in until the end, in this area, it feels very expensive. It might be a bit difficult to revisit.

I tried to go to a udon restaurant that had a good reputation recently, but I found two other restaurants next to it. When I saw the words "sushi" and "kappo," I couldn't help but be drawn in. I will visit the udon restaurant another day. The exterior of the restaurant looked quite nice, and when I opened the door, the smell of vinegar greeted me in a pleasant way. The sushi chef quickly noticed me and guided me to the counter seat. I ordered the lunch set "assorted sushi" for 1,300 yen. The tableware was neatly arranged, creating a pleasant atmosphere. The sushi made by the two chefs was rhythmic and energetic. There was another person in the back who seemed to be making red miso soup. The assorted sushi set included 3 nigiri, 3 rolls (half of one roll), 3 box sushi, and 2 thick rolls. The rice in the nigiri was slightly less than what I like, and the toppings were fresh. The rolls were spicy tuna, the box sushi was three different kinds, and the thick rolls were filled with various ingredients and were about 3 cm thick. The red miso soup contained water shield and yuba. The restaurant opened last summer, but before that, it had been in business for 35 years in another area. I am now looking forward to going there for dinner as well.

We visited the restaurant for lunch with our family of three. We were seated at the counter, where my wife and I ordered the assorted sushi plate (1300 yen) and our daughter ordered the chirashi bowl (also 1300 yen). We don't often eat at sushi restaurants with a counter, so it was a nice change to watch the chefs at work while waiting for our food. The chirashi bowl was beautifully prepared with diced roasted seaweed, diced simmered eel, and other toppings on a bed of sushi rice, topped with finely chopped tamagoyaki, simmered shiitake mushrooms, and shrimp. The assorted plate included three tekka maki rolls, three boxed sushi varieties, three nigiri pieces, and a large futomaki roll on a big plate. The futomaki was made right in front of us, with nori seaweed, sushi rice, kanpyo, tamagoyaki, simmered eel, and mitsuba rolled skillfully by the chef. All the sushi was delicious and the assorted plate was quite filling. The restaurant was clean and provided a pleasant dining atmosphere. I look forward to trying some other dishes next time.