Chef

Yuichi Arai

Chef & Owner, Sushi Arai

Discipline: Chef
Based in: Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Arai · Restaurant

Known for

Omakase sushi with seasonal fish from Hokkaido scallop to bluefin tuna
Red vinegar-seasoned shari rice
Hand-painted tableware and separate areas for English/Japanese speakers
Ice box and handwritten wooden plates displaying daily catch

i. Biography

Edomae sushi is a discipline of small margins: seasoning, temperature, texture, timing, and the sequence in which each piece is served. Within that language, Yuichi Arai has worked as chef at Sushi Arai in Tokyo since 2015, building a Ginza counter around classic nigiri omakase rather than display. Training at Ginza Kyubei, Sushi Sho, and Sushi Takumi placed Arai in kitchens where repetition, observation, and restraint are part of the method. At Sushi Arai, that lineage is carried through seasonal produce, the rhythms of the sea, and a course structure that depends on progression piece by piece.

The Climb

Apprenticeship in sushi is less about collecting recipes than developing judgment under pressure: how fish changes with season, how rice meets the hand, and how a single piece of nigiri can be complete without excess. Yuichi Arai’s training at Ginza Kyubei, Sushi Sho, and Sushi Takumi put that judgment inside established Edomae practice, where precision is built through repetition and close observation. The Ginza counter Arai opened as Sushi Arai in 2015 kept the focus on Edomae-style sushi. The working frame is direct: the counter, the chef’s hands, and the measured order of an omakase. The meal is not arranged as a display of isolated pieces; it depends on continuity, with each nigiri carrying its own weight while preparing the next.

Today

Edomae-style Sushi Arai in Tokyo is served as a nigiri omakase course, with Yuichi Arai as chef from 2015 to the present. The structure puts progression at the center of the meal: pieces are read not only individually, but by how they follow one another. The operating idea is exacting: sushi should be something diners do not tire of, even over a lifetime. That standard leaves little room for excess. Technique has to carry the experience quietly, through the warmth of rice, the clean impression of fish, the balance of seasoning, and the placement of each piece within the course. Seasonal produce functions as part of the Edomae vocabulary rather than as decoration. Within the omakase format, Arai uses texture, richness, and clarity to build the meal gradually, keeping the emphasis on cadence instead of a single dramatic point.

Signature

The signature set at Yuichi Arai’s counter includes bluefin tuna in winter, Chu-Toro (Medium Fatty Tuna), Hokkaido scallop, lean bluefin tuna (akami), and smoked sea eel. The range is Classic Edomae in its demands: tuna for depth and intensity, Chu-Toro (Medium Fatty Tuna) for fat and softness, Hokkaido scallop for cool sweetness, lean bluefin tuna (akami) for directness, and smoked sea eel for lingering savor. The handling is aimed at showing character without crowding the ingredient.

Recognition

Recognition for Yuichi Arai includes The Tabelog Award Gold winner (2026) and Selected for Tabelog Sushi TOKYO "Tabelog 100" (2025). In Tokyo sushi, those markers sit against a peer field where consistency, refinement, and the ability to sustain attention across a full nigiri sequence are central measures.

Profile updated July 2026

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