Okonomi

Okonomi (お好み, "as you like it") is the traditional ordering style in the sushiya (寿司屋), in which the guest selects individual pieces of neta (ネタ, topping) and the shokunin (職人, master craftsman) prepares them one by one to order. The term stands in contrast to omakase (おまかせ, "I leave it to you"), where selection and sequence are entrusted to the shokunin, and to okimari (お決まり, set menu) ¹.

Etymology

Okonomi consists of the honorific prefix o- (お) and konomi (好み, preference, taste), a noun derived from the verb konomu (好む, to prefer). In the context of the sushiya, okonomi denotes not a general preference but a specific action: the guest names the desired neta and has it prepared piece by piece.

Historical development

The history of okonomi is inseparable from the emergence of nigiri (握り寿司). When sushi of the Bunsei era (1818–1830) spread through the street stalls (yatai, 屋台) of Edo, okonomi was the only way to order. The yatai had a frontage of roughly six shaku (尺, about 180 centimeters); four or five customers stood shoulder to shoulder. One ordered what one could see and wanted to eat — three or four pieces, eaten quickly, then room made for the next person ². No menu existed, nor anything resembling omakase. Okonomi was not a deliberate choice among alternatives but simply how sushi was eaten.

When the sushiya moved from the street into permanent shopfronts with a kaunta (カウンター, counter) during the Taishō period (1912–1926), okonomi remained the prevailing ordering style. Shops displayed wooden plaques (fuda, 札) listing the available neta in the dining area. The guest read, chose, ordered ².

Omakase emerged only in the postwar period. The expansion of cold chains broadened the range of neta, and as high-end sushiya multiplied in Ginza and Nihonbashi, demand grew for an ordering style that did not interrupt conversation at business dinners ². During the bubble era of the late 1980s, omakase entered common usage. Yet into the early 2000s, okonomi was still regarded as the more sophisticated form: choosing one's own neta demonstrated connoisseurship ².

From the mid-2000s onward, the balance shifted. Omakase became the standard format at upscale sushiya and evolved from a simple sequence of nigiri into a multi-course meal with tsumami (つまみ, appetizers) and sake pairings. Okonomi survives today in neighborhood sushiya as well as in upscale establishments that deliberately forgo a fixed course format ³.

Ordering practice

When ordering okonomi, the guest requests individual pieces, typically in pairs of two kan (貫). Guidance comes from the neta-kēsu (ネタケース), the refrigerated glass case on the kaunta in which ingredients are displayed ¹. Asking the shokunin about the day's offerings or for recommendations within a particular category — white fish or hikarimono (光り物, silver-skinned fish) — is part of okonomi and not a lapse into omakase.

The traditional guideline for sequencing moves from lighter to richer flavors: white fish, vinegar-cured pieces, red fish and shellfish, roe, eel, egg, and finally rolls. Ordering makimono (巻物, rolled sushi) signaled to the shokunin the end of the meal ⁴. This convention has loosened; the freedom to choose one's own sequence is the essence of okonomi.

One distinction from okimari, the set menu offered in tiers such as nami (並), jō (上), and tokujō (特上), lies in price: okonomi orders tend to be more expensive, since the guest selects freely from the entire range of neta, including seasonal rarities priced at jika (時価, market price) ¹.

Hybrid forms

In the practice of many contemporary sushiya, hybrid forms exist. An evening not uncommonly begins with tsumami and sashimi ordered okonomi-style, followed by an omakase sequence for the nigiri. Some establishments offer the option of adding individual neta as okonomi after the omakase course concludes. A strict separation between the ordering styles does not reflect actual practice.