This is a most impressive list of #sushi @iyudhi spots indeed. You were lucky. Since your last visit many of the high-end sushi restaurants have been implementing the ichigensan-o-kotowari system, which roughly translates to no first-time visitors and patrons who were not recommended by a friend of the establishment. Places like sushi-jiro have become so exclusive now they only accept T.V. celebs and athletes.
If you haven’t already I highly recommend trying Edomae-style sushi. It is still expensive but definitely more traditional.