On every trip to Niigata, one stop is non-negotiable: Kyodai Sushi.

The chef looks sharp and slightly intimidating: a V-neck vest at the counter, slicked-back hair, reposting thanks on Instagram stories while crossing out guests who write “Kyodai Sushi” in the wrong script.

He is also one of only two Michelin 2-star restaurants in Niigata (the other is UOZEN), and a Tabelog Bronze sushi restaurant for four consecutive years.

It is excellent, genuinely excellent, the kind that keeps creating new memory points each time you return.

The sushi is finely lined and highly focused. Each fish shows its character clearly. Precise, restrained, elegant.

Founded in 1960, Kyodai Sushi is now run by second-generation chef Tatsushi Honma. After high school, he trained in Tokyo’s Edomae sushi circuit for about a decade, then returned to Niigata around 2011 to rebuild the family business.

His goal was never to copy Tokyo, but to build “Niigata-mae sushi”: Edomae technique with local Niigata seafood, and even rice, water, vinegar, and sake sourced within the prefecture whenever possible.

It had been six months since my previous visit, and this time I even booked under a different name. Still, from the moment I walked in, almost everyone greeted me with energy.

“Long time no see. Thank you for the gift.” Being remembered felt immediate and warm.

A small fried starter opened the palate with sake, then sushi began without extra talk.

Red sea bream from Sado Island: pristine white fish, springy texture, long finish, a clean sweetness that opens gradually.

Spanish mackerel: a light smoky touch, just-soft-enough flesh, with fat sweetness gently lifted by the fire note.

A major joy at the counter is watching technique in real time. That day, a whole eel was deboned and broken down on site; Honma’s knife work was clean and decisive.

The fire brought out the fibers exactly right, with a slight near-raw feel close to the bone; the skin stayed tight and crisp; salt and wasabi sharpened flavor without stealing focus.

From prep to bite, every sensory beat had purpose. Nothing excess.

Sweet shrimp is one of the house signatures. Three peeled shrimp are stacked; right before service, the shell is pulled free in one motion.

As creamy and sweet as ever, yet firmer in this season; beyond sweetness and crunch, the shell-derived umami also shows more clearly.

Then came nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch). Softness and freshness were perfect at half-raw doneness, plus a compelling ecological connection in the aftertaste: nodoguro naturally feeds on these sweet shrimp. At this counter, shrimp before nodoguro is a deliberate sequence.

“Hope your photo didn’t miss the moment?” I raised my camera as sushi landed and got teased instantly.

The tuna was distinctive too: 80kg, fixed-net catch from Sado, brought straight to the table without passing through Toyosu.

Lean cut: tight texture with slight blood acidity and protein snap, clean and direct. Medium fatty cut: sweeter, richer fat, softer mouthfeel.

After two high-focus tuna pieces, the rhythm pivoted to a creamy sake bomb: grilled cod milt.

The exterior wasn’t only charred aroma; it had a slight tendon-like chew. Texture moved from elastic outer bite to near-overflowing cream inside, with very clear layering and long, clean umami.

Salt landed exactly where needed, closing the concentration cleanly. Milt can be creamy, but here it was also precise and elegant.

Then came a streak of over-performance.

Soy-marinated squid with otoro gave a beautiful contrast: melt-away fat with a slight tendon bite, like a thin line running through rich oil.

Aji (horse mackerel) was cross-cut and pre-filled with scallion paste. Crisp skin first, then bright blue-fish flavor, then spreading scallion aroma, with silver-skin umami floating above; shari cinched the finish.

A bite of charcoal-grilled shiitake reset the palate. The stem was the surprise: fresh, crisp, forest-like texture.

Then a heavyweight crab roll: intense roe richness, strong crab aroma, explosive impact. Compared with prior uni service, thinner nori was used so all attention stayed on crab freshness.

The meal ended with fish-bone miso soup. The final drink had to be a Kamo Nishiki custom brew made for Kyodai Sushi.

Many sushi chefs have presence and polish. But when it comes to flavor itself, few can truly be called elegant. Kyodai is one of them. This custom sake matches Honma’s style exactly: delicate yet powerful.

I usually get fully stuffed at a standard “6 + 10” sushi pace, but that night I still added three more pieces. Very full, yet still waiting for the next bite.

After my third visit, I booked the next one immediately. Every time, even when expectations are already high, the experience still exceeds them.

Honma’s strength is not a mysterious secret formula. It is ingredient selection and control at every step, balancing freshness, aroma, fat, and sweetness of Niigata seafood to the limit.

And delivering all of it in a genuinely comfortable dining experience.

✦