Sushi Sohei

Sushi Sohei is a rising sushi destination in Hokkaido, a region rich in some of Japan’s most prized ingredients. Chef Sohei Matsukura trained under Keiji Nakazawa, the famed master of Sushi Sho, now based in New York. After helping open Sushi Sho Waikiki in Hawaii, he went on to work at Shikon in Hong Kong, a sushi restaurant produced by Sushi Yoshitake. In 2022, he returned to his wife’s hometown of Hokkaido to open his own restaurant.

What Matsukura aims to achieve is a seamless blend of Edomae techniques with the bounty of Hokkaido’s local produce. He sources top-quality fish from all over Japan, including from Daiyama Fish Shop in Karatsu, Saga, known as a master of shinkeijime (nerve-stunning), and from Sasue Maeda Fish Shop in Yaizu, Shizuoka.

But for those traveling to Hokkaido, it’s the local catches that make the experience uniquely special.

Daikoku shishamo smelt from Akkeshi
Hokkigai (surf clam) from Tomakomai
Sawara (Spanish mackerel) from Funka Bay
Ōsuke (wild king salmon) from Abashiri
Thick-cut Nishin (herring) from the Sea of Okhotsk
Ikura (salmon roe) from Rausu

These are the stars of the show — ingredients that surprise even seasoned sushi lovers.

The shari (sushi rice) is prepared with either red vinegar or rice vinegar, depending on the neta (the ingredients). Even the nikiri shoyu (sweet soy glaze) is customized for each type of fish — whether it’s maguro, hikari-mono, shiromi, or ika. That level of detail is part of what makes Sushi Sohei so compelling.

It’s also rare and exciting to see sushi sho classics — like ohagi (minced tuna with scallion and pickled daikon) or ankimo suika (monkfish liver with pickled watermelon rind) — served in Hokkaido. These little masterpieces, once only found in Tokyo or abroad, now shine in Matsukura’s northern sanctuary.

Matsukura says he hopes to one day craft an entire course using only seafood from Hokkaido. With his international experience and refined insight into customer preferences, it will be fascinating to watch how he continues to express the region’s potential from his counter.