Sushi Wakon

An Edomae counter from Tokyo

Sushi Wakon was the sushi counter at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, a sister to the Sushi Wakon that opened on the fourth floor of The Peninsula Tokyo in 2018 under Rei Masuda, who trained for nine years under Jiro Ono at Sukiyabashi Jiro and holds two Michelin stars for Sushi Masuda in Tokyo. The Tokyo room is an Edomae omakase: small dishes followed by nigiri, fish sourced daily from the Tsukiji market, rice made with water from Mie prefecture, and a counter of hinoki wood.

The idea was a Tokyo-trained sushi counter within a Kyoto hotel, a city better known for kaiseki. It is a reminder that Kyoto’s dining culture is not only local, and that its newer hotels bring chefs from outside the city.

Today at the hotel

Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto announced a new sushi room, Sushi Ginza Onodera, in October 2024, with chef Takuya Kubo, a ten-seat counter and two private rooms. We cannot confirm from the hotel’s own pages whether Sushi Wakon is still operating, so check the hotel’s current dining list before planning around it. The hotel itself, Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, is built around an old pond garden in Higashiyama.

Sources: Le Journal des Palaces: Sushi Wakon, The Peninsula Tokyo; Four Seasons Kyoto: Sushi Ginza Onodera. Check the official websites for current information.