TOKYO—In a back street in the Akihabara district, across from the flashing lights of an electronics discount store, next to the vending machine that dispenses spaghetti in a can, and one floor below the massage parlor that promises "total relaxation," lies a true pioneer in the Japanese culinary world: the country's first sushi restaurant featuring a cast of beautiful, young female chefs.

Despite the neighborhood, the only thing slimy about Nadeshico Sushi is the fish. "I love fish," proclaims 24-year-old sushi chef Yuki Chizui,...