Sixteen courses at the quietest counter in Kyoto

There are omakase counters that perform and omakase counters that simply work. Sakura is the second kind. No music, ten seats, a master who has made sushi in this room for thirty years and greets you like a guest rather than an audience.

The sixteen courses move with a logic you feel rather than notice — warm rice against cool fish, richness answered by acidity, a bowl of dashi at the exact moment you need resetting. The uni course, served in its shell with nothing but a brush of shoyu, was the best single bite of my year. I say that having eaten professionally for fifteen of them.

At ¥38,000 it is serious money, and I'll be honest about what you're paying for: not luxury, not spectacle — precision, and the particular calm of watching someone do one thing supremely well.

Reserve through your hotel two months out. Sit at the end of the counter if offered; you'll see the master's hands.