As spring unfolds we gather a wide variety of fish from the seas, including Sakura Masu. We also bring a special sake from high above sea level in the Shinshu mountains to bring out the umami of our Omakase. We thank all of our guests for dining at Shiro’s. Accepting reservations has been a very positive endeavor for us and our guests. We will continue to take reservations, but have outlined a slight change to the process below.

Thank you as always for your patronage.

Spring Sushi Platter

Spring is the season for bounty, and that holds true with seasonal spring fish, too! Spring brings a wide variety of fish, more so than any other season, which is reflected in a diverse collection of fish on our Spring Platter. You’ll still see favorites such as salmon and tuna, but harvesting locations change from winter to spring – and of course, we follow the best fish! You’ll also find those bites of nigiri that we love to feature every spring!

Price: $170 plus tax
Order 24-hours ahead
Available for takeout only
(Fish varies due to availability)

Reservation Process Changes

Due to an increase in no-show reservations, we have instituted a new reservation policy at Shiro’s. For the Sushi Bar, we now require credit card information to hold a reservation. If the reservation is not cancelled with proper notice, the 40% rate of the Sushi Bar dining experience may be charged to the credit card on file. This new policy is designed to provide reservations to guests that would like to truly experience Shiro’s. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. We will continue to accept dining room reservations without a credit card hold and welcome walk-in guests when availability allows.

Fish in April
Sakura Masu (Cherry Salmon)

Sakura Masu inhabit the northwestern Pacific Ocean and is a species of Salmonidae. Just like salmon, Sakura Masu is born in freshwater, goes out to the ocean to look for food and live, and then returns to freshwater to spawn. However, Sakura Masu comes to us in the spring and is much higher in fat content, giving us softer meat and more Umami than salmon.

Sakura Masu is born as a Yamame (Masu Trout). If it spends its lifetime in the river, it remains Yamame, but once the fish goes out to sea its body adapts and turns into Sakura Masu. The pattern on the surface of the body disappears and turns to silvery white at sea, where it resides for about a year of growth before returning back to the river in March and April for the fall spawning season.

During the spawning season the body color of Sakura Masu turns a bright cherry color, which is how the fish is said to have earned its name. Another origin story resides on the time of year – every spring when the cherry blossoms bloom Sakura Masu returns to the river, coinciding with harvest time (“Sakura” means “cherry blossom” or “cherry tree”).

* Masu is often translated to “trout.” Trout is distinguished from salmon by being a freshwater fish, but Masu can be both a saltwater fish and a freshwater fish. Sakura Masu is a saltwater fish. Therefore, it is a type of salmon by English definition.

Sake in April
Masumi “Shiro (White) Junmai Ginjo”
Miyasaka Brewery, Nagano, Japan

Miyasaka Brewery was founded in 1662 in Suwa city, Nagano prefecture. This is a famous area for producing delicious sake, due to the subterranean high-quality water gushing from Kirigamine highland with its clean air and cold climate, located in the northeast of the Suwa Basin at an elevation of 1,600-1,800 m above sea level. There are two sake breweries in Suwa and Fujimi, both breweries use natural water slowly filtered through the strata of the majestic mountains of Shinshu.

Our featured sake, “Masumi Shiro,” has a lower alcohol content (12%) than most sakes, making it very soft on the palate and easy to drink. The aromas of banana and apple complement our Omakase with umami of rice and acidity at finish.

Japan in April
An-pan no hi (Sweet red bean bun Day) April 4th

An-pan no hi was established in 2001 commemorating an event when An-pan was presented to the Emperor and Empress of Meiji during their cherry blossom viewing party in Tokyo on April 4, 1875.

Bread was first introduced to Japan in 1543 from Portugal, but it did not become popular for hundreds of years. At the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912), a bakery named Kimuraya (currently Kimuraya-so-honten) was working on baking bread that would become popular with the Japanese by adopting ingredients that had been popular in Japan – yeast of sake and An or Anko, which is sweetened red bean paste. Thus, “Sake-bread An-pan” was born, and became very well-accepted and enjoyed as a sweet indulgence.

Today, bread has become so popular to Japanese that in fact, bread consumption has surpassed that of rice, a primary nutrient in Japan for centuries. There are approximately 12,000 bakeries in Japan, and they offer wide varieties of bread and pastries, such as curry-pan and cream-pan in addition to An-pan.