The omakase offers an extravagant meal of 18 courses, weaving together seasonal appetizers and nigiri using local seafood. Committed to promoting his home region, he sources almost all his ingredients from within the prefecture. He is also very particular about the flavoring of the rice, and prepares them in different ways to match each topping.

The Yutaka Koshihikari rice, grown in the chef’s hometown of Shibata, is cooked with pristine spring water and seasoned with a blend of rice and red vinegars. In search of the perfect combination, the chef prepares as many as four to six different rice varieties daily. The homemade persimmon vinegar rice is used for young sea bream and sillago, while rich red vinegar rice is used for tuna. Some rice is flavored with shaved sudachi citrus peel or infused with fish bone broth.

“Niigata is a rice-producing region, so I wanted to highlight that in my cuisine,” he says.

Nanban shrimp nigiri is a local delicacy where the shrimp is salted with its shell on. The shell is blended with boiled soy sauce, and then dried to create a flavorful coating. A flavorful miso paste made from the shrimp is hidden within the sushi rice. Tokiwa Inari is inspired by Niigata’s traditional rolled sushi with candied walnuts. It features sweet and spicy fried tofu filled with vinegared rice and candied chestnuts.

The snow crab and taro bun is a chef signature, where the soft bun is wrapped in crispy burnt rice left at the bottom of the pot and fried in oil. Crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside, the buns are draped with a thickened sauce made with crab meat, dried shiitake mushrooms and miso. You can also taste a hint of butter that adds depth and richness.

INGREDIENTS
Tokiwa Sushi sources fresh seafood from Sado and other ports across Niigata Prefecture. Tuna is only served when the fish is available from Sado. The akami is in excellent condition during the peak months from March to July, while the winter catches are rich and fatty. With the opening of the Niigata location, Kobayashi plans to source the tuna himself by taking the first ferry to the island port.

The Yutaka Koshihikari rice, grown exclusively in Shibata, stands apart from standard varieties with its large, firm grains and a pronounced sweetness that deepens when chewed. It is cooked using soft spring water from the local Akatani mountains, where Kobayashi often goes to pick Japanese parsley and other wild herbs. The vinegar is sourced from Murakami Iwafune, and the wasabi comes from Azumino in Nagano. Yasuda Yogurt’s fermented butter is served as a delicious tsumami.