Sushi Shigetomi

Sushi Shigetomi sits a short walk from Marutamachi Station, tucked into a quieter stretch just off Karasuma Marutamachi. Despite being close to the intersection, the location feels strangely hidden, the kind of place easy to miss unless you already know it is there. The restaurant is small, almost understated from the outside, with none of the signals usually associated with destination sushi counters.

Inside, the atmosphere is closer to a neighborhood sushi shop than a formal Kyoto restaurant. Six counter seats, several tables, and room for around twenty guests in total. During one recent visit, the entire place remained quietly empty except for the owners themselves. Chef Shigeru Ogawa and his wife Hitomi run the restaurant together, and the name "Shigetomi" combines their names. Ogawa previously trained at Tomizushi in Kyoto's Uradera area, long respected locally as one of the city's classic everyday sushi shops, and that lineage can still be felt here.

The restaurant works best when approached casually. There is no pressure to order an omakase or build the evening around a strict course. Guests move naturally from a quick drink to nigiri, then perhaps another small plate, another round of sake, maybe one more roll before leaving. The flexibility is part of the appeal.

A popular starting point is the horoyoi set: draft beer, a small appetizer, and sashimi for under ¥1,000. On this occasion, the appetizer was shishamo roe mentaiko salad alongside slices of tai sashimi, simple and direct in the way good neighborhood sushi snacks often are.

The upper nigiri set included horse mackerel, bigfin reef squid, amberjack, sea bream, young tuna, sillago, uni, and toro. The shari stays intentionally restrained. Vinegar and salt never push forward aggressively, allowing the fish itself to remain the focus.

Several pieces stood out in particular. The aji carried clean fat and freshness, the yokowa had a soft texture with balanced flavor, and the kisu showed the kind of quiet quality that often tells you more about a sushi shop than toro ever can.

Additional orders are available in two piece portions unless requested otherwise. Seared sanma, kohada, hamo yubiki, and a surprisingly good chanja roll all fit naturally into the flow of the meal. The chanja maki especially works better than it sounds, salty and rich enough to pair well with sake without overwhelming the rice.

One unexpected signature is the hamo ramen. The broth is made from pike conger, with grilled aburaage and pieces of hamo floating inside. The result is closer to a gentle nyumen than a heavy ramen, mild enough that it still makes sense after sushi rather than competing against it.

Sake is another quiet strength of the restaurant. Ogawa clearly enjoys it himself, and the selections feel chosen by personal preference rather than distributor obligation. A three sake tasting might include Bijofu from Kochi, Toyo Bijin from Yamaguchi, and Zaku from Mie. Recommended pours such as Suigei Junmai also appear regularly.

Pricing remains one of the restaurant's strongest points. Even with drinks, most guests can eat comfortably for around ¥5,000. Seafood sourced directly from Maizuru helps keep the quality notably high for the category, especially among blue backed and white fish.

Worth planning ahead for. We are happy to help secure a table through TableEX.