Sushi Travel Guide for Japan Trips

For Hong Kong diners, Japan is a short flight and the obvious place to eat sushi at its source. It is also a place where the booking rules are stricter than at home, the best counters are the hardest to reach, and a few habits that are normal in Hong Kong — tipping, casual cancellation, walking in — can cause real problems.

This guide covers where to eat sushi in Japan, how to book it, what it costs, how to visit the fish markets, and what you can and cannot bring home to Hong Kong.

The Japan sushi trip in five rules. Book top counters weeks ahead through an English platform or your hotel concierge. Expect strict cancellation terms, often near the full course price for a late cancellation or no-show. Do not tip. Arrive on time — counters start together. And remember that Hong Kong still bans commercial imports of aquatic products from ten Japanese prefectures, including Tokyo.

How Japanese sushi differs from Hong Kong sushi

The formats are the same — counters, standing bars, belt chains, supermarket packs — but the balance is different. Japan has vastly more neighbourhood sushi shops between the belt chain and the starred counter, so the middle of the market is deeper and cheaper. Seasonal and regional fish are more varied, and a counter in Hokkaido will serve a different sequence from one in Kyushu.

The etiquette is also applied more strictly. Eating each piece promptly, not dipping pieces already brushed with nikiri, and not mixing wasabi into soy are expected rather than preferred. A short refresher before you go is worthwhile: see omakase etiquette, hands or chopsticks and wasabi and soy sauce.

Where to eat sushi in Japan

Tokyo

Tokyo is the home of Edomae sushi and holds the densest concentration of serious counters in the world. It is also where prices span the widest range: omakase there has been described as running from roughly USD 60 to 600, with the hardest counters effectively unbookable. The Tokyo tradition of curing, ageing and simmering fish is explained in Edomae style omakase explained.

Osaka and Kansai

Osaka is the birthplace of conveyor-belt sushi: the first kaiten-zushi restaurant, Mawaru Genroku Sushi, opened in Higashi-Osaka in 1958. The Kansai region also has its own tradition of pressed and boxed oshizushi. Nearby Shiga Prefecture still makes funazushi, a fermented carp dish descended from sushi's earliest form. That history is in sushi culture, history and craft.

Hokkaido and the regions

Hokkaido is the reference origin for uni and a major source of scallops, and eating there in season is a different experience from eating its exports. Regional cities and coastal towns across Japan have strong local sushi cultures built on what their own waters produce. Before you go, the seasonal patterns in the seasonal Japanese fish calendar and the grades in the uni guide are worth reading.

Booking sushi in Japan

Japanese restaurants have traditionally run on phone bookings, which is a barrier for visitors, and several English-language platforms now fill the gap. TableCheck handles bookings for a wide range of restaurants up to Michelin-level sushi, with no booking fee of its own, though each restaurant sets its own cancellation terms. OMAKASE charges a non-refundable fee of about ¥390 per seat at booking, charged again if you cancel and rebook. byFood has charged around ¥1,500 per booking. Tabelog is Japan's main review site and is available in English.

The most sought-after counters cannot be bought through any platform; access depends on introductions, regulars and hotel concierges. Book as early as your plans allow, and if a counter is unavailable, a strong mid-range counter is usually a better use of a trip than waiting on a list. The booking mechanics are similar to the ones set out for Hong Kong in how to book a sushi restaurant.

Cancellation in Japan is taken seriously. Many fine-dining bookings carry a cancellation fee charged to the card you registered, and at counter omakase a cancellation the day before, or a no-show, is commonly charged at or near the full course price. Read the terms before you confirm, keep the confirmation, and cancel through the same channel you booked with.

What it costs

Japan is generally cheaper than Hong Kong for sushi of the same standard, especially in the middle tier. Belt chains and neighbourhood shops offer strong value, lunch sets at good counters cost a fraction of dinner, and supermarket and department-store food halls sell excellent sushi at low prices, particularly late in the day.

The same lunch-versus-dinner logic applies as in Hong Kong: the same kitchen is commonly much cheaper at midday. For the Hong Kong comparison, see lunch versus dinner omakase prices and what sushi really costs in Hong Kong.

Tipping, service and payment

Tipping is not customary in Japan and can cause awkwardness; good service is simply part of the price. Some higher-end restaurants add a service charge or a table charge, which will be stated. Cards are widely accepted in cities, but smaller shops may prefer cash, so carry some. This differs from Hong Kong, where a 10% service charge is standard; see do you tip at omakase restaurants.

Visiting Toyosu Market

Toyosu, which replaced Tsukiji's wholesale market in 2018, is Tokyo's main fish market and the world's most famous tuna auction. There are two free ways to watch the auction, which typically runs from about 5:30 to 6:30am.

The second-floor visitor corridor in the Fisheries Wholesale Market Building (Block 7) opens from 5:00am on market days, needs no ticket and has no cap on numbers; you watch through sealed glass. The closer observation deck, on the auction floor itself, is allocated by an online lottery: 100 people a day, up to five per application, with applications made in the month before your visit. Winners meet at the Promotional Corner on the third floor of Block 7 by 5:30am, view from 5:45 to 6:25am, and must bring photo ID matching the application. The market is closed on Sundays, national holidays and some Wednesdays, so check the official calendar.

The stakes on show are high. The first tuna auction of 2026 set a record when a 243kg bluefin sold for ¥510 million. Market-side restaurants serve sushi breakfasts after the auction, and the old Tsukiji outer market remains a busy food street.

What you can bring back to Hong Kong

This matters for Hong Kong travellers specifically. Since 24 August 2023, Hong Kong has prohibited the import and supply of aquatic products, sea salt and seaweed from ten Japanese metropolis and prefectures: Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama. The order covers products harvested, processed or packed there.

When the order was introduced, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology said the ban covers products imported for sale and commercial purposes, and that residents bringing in a small quantity would not be restricted, while advising returning travellers not to carry the covered products. Rules can change, so check the Centre for Food Safety before you fly, and do not buy seafood or seaweed in bulk in those areas to resell. The full picture of the controls is in Japanese seafood sourcing and food safety.

Practically, raw fish is also a poor souvenir: it must stay at 0°C to 4°C, and a flight is not a cold chain. Buy dried, packaged and non-seafood products instead, and eat the fish while you are there. If you want sashimi-grade fish at home, buy it in Hong Kong from a supplier handling it properly; see where to buy sashimi grade fish in Hong Kong and our Japanese grocery shopping guide.

Classes and food experiences

Sushi-making classes are widely bookable in Japan and are often cheaper than equivalent sessions in Hong Kong. A good class teaches rice, knife work and shaping rather than just assembly. If you would rather learn before you go, Hong Kong workshops typically run HKD 420 to 880 per person; see sushi making classes in Hong Kong and our guide to making sushi at home.

Eating safely while travelling

Japanese food safety standards are high, but raw fish carries the same inherent risks anywhere. Vinegar, salt, soy sauce and wasabi do not kill parasites such as Anisakis; safety depends on the supplier's handling and freezing. People who are pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised or living with liver disease are advised to avoid raw seafood, and should plan around cooked Japanese food — tempura, kappo, yakitori, noodles and donburi all work well. See is it safe to eat raw fish, sushi for pregnant women and beyond sushi: Japanese dishes explained.

If you have allergies or dietary restrictions, declare them when booking, in writing, and carry a translated card. Shellfish, gluten and dashi are the common traps; see shellfish allergy, gluten free sushi and vegetarian and vegan sushi.

Before you go

A little preparation makes a Japanese sushi meal far better. Learn a dozen menu words and how to pronounce them; see Japanese sushi menu words. Know the order to eat in, light to rich; see how to order sushi like a local. Understand the formats; see what is omakase and kaiseki versus omakase. And know the fish; see our sushi and sashimi fish guide and tuna cuts explained.

If you cannot travel, much of the experience is available at home. Hong Kong's best counters are in the best omakase in Hong Kong and the best sushi restaurants in Hong Kong.

Common questions

Do I need to book sushi in Japan?

For good counters, yes, often weeks ahead. Belt chains and many neighbourhood shops take walk-ins.

Should I tip at a sushi restaurant in Japan?

No. Tipping is not customary. Some restaurants add a stated service or table charge.

Can I watch the Toyosu tuna auction?

Yes, free. The second-floor corridor opens at 5:00am with no ticket, or you can enter the lottery for the closer deck, which admits 100 people a day.

Can I bring seafood back to Hong Kong from Tokyo?

Hong Kong bans aquatic products from ten prefectures including Tokyo. Officials said small personal quantities would not be restricted but advised travellers not to carry them; check current rules before flying.

Is sushi cheaper in Japan than in Hong Kong?

Generally yes, especially in the middle of the market and at lunch.

Compiled by our editorial team from official Toyosu Market visitor information and lottery guidelines, published Japan restaurant-booking guides covering TableCheck, OMAKASE, byFood and Tabelog, reporting on the 2026 New Year tuna auction, Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and Centre for Food Safety information, government statements reported in the Hong Kong press, and published sushi history. Last reviewed September 2026. Market hours, lottery rules, booking fees, cancellation terms and import controls change; verify with official sources before travelling. General information only, not legal or medical advice.