Detailed picks
From Michelin to a lunchtime sushi counter. What to order, what it costs, and how to get a seat.
24 restaurants in 7 cities. Every place that comes from an itinerary links to its full day.
Tokyo · Sushi
Omakase sushi in a basement in Ginza 4-chome. Booking is by phone only, and visitors from abroad book only through their hotel concierge. Photo ID is checked at the door, and the price is not published.
Photo: City Foodsters / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Tokyo · Tasting menu
A tasting-menu restaurant in Aoyama that joins contemporary technique with seasonal Japanese ingredients. A choice for a special evening, not for a spontaneous meal in the middle of a route.
Photo: Pocsywe / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Tokyo · Michelin
Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa's restaurant in Jingumae, two Michelin stars, Japanese cuisine with humor and one menu that changes daily. Booking by phone only, up to two months ahead. Not kosher.
Three Michelin stars in Tokyo, French-Japanese cuisine with an emphasis on local ingredients. Tasting menu only, and reservations open three months ahead.
The world-famous steakhouse, pure Tajima beef over binchotan charcoal. Very expensive, among the most expensive in Japan, and that is known in advance.
High-end yakiniku in Tokyo, wagyu cuts that the staff grill for you at the table. Reservations open exactly one month ahead and are taken within minutes.
A wagyu katsu sando sandwich experience, for members and by reservation only. Very expensive for the dish, and that is part of the brand.
Kyoto · Traditional
A historic kaiseki restaurant in Higashiyama. It suits anyone who wants a full traditional Japanese experience and not a quick meal.
Photo: Kykk wiki / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Three Michelin stars, kaiseki in garden pavilions in Arashiyama. Lunch is significantly cheaper than dinner, and from the same kitchen.
Photo: Praveen PA / Pexels
Kyoto · Kaiseki
Traditional kaiseki near Maruyama in Kyoto. It suits a festive evening, with a long meal based on the season.
Three Michelin stars in Kyoto, traditional kaiseki under chef Yoshihiro Murata. One of the significant experiences of Kyoto, and one of the expensive ones. Note that dashi contains fish.
Osaka · Tasting menu
A contemporary tasting-menu restaurant in Osaka, with a long meal and a menu that changes. Book ahead and keep the whole evening free.
Photo: 内閣官房拉致問題対策本部事務局 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Three Michelin stars in Osaka, molecular gastronomy around an idea of earth and universe. A famous opening dish named 'Chikyu'. One menu, by advance reservation.
Photo: 内閣官房拉致問題対策本部事務局 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Osaka · Tasting menu
A tasting-menu restaurant in Osaka based on seasonal produce and modern technique. It suits a dinner planned in advance.
Two Michelin stars in Osaka, contemporary French-Japanese with roots in the Amami Islands. It is considered one of the best in Asia, and a reservation is hard to get.
Kobe · Kobe beef
A Kobe beef restaurant run by the local cooperative. A clear choice for anyone who wants to try Kobe beef at a place that specializes in it. On the 1st floor of Hotel The B Kobe, closed on Mondays.
A hundred-year-old teppanyaki house in Kobe, certified A5 Kobe beef on the iron plate. One of the reliable ways to eat real Kobe beef in the city itself.
An intimate teppanyaki counter in Kobe, Kobe beef with a precise sear. It is small, so an advance reservation matters.
Hiroshima · Local food
A food building dedicated to Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. A good solution for a flexible evening when everyone wants to choose a different stall.
Photo: そらみみ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Hiroshima · Okonomiyaki
A two-minute walk from the Atomic Bomb Dome and from Peace Park. Hiroshima okonomiyaki is built in layers with yakisoba noodles inside, and not mixed in a bowl as in Osaka, and that is the difference worth knowing before you order. The Nagataya-yaki dish is about ¥1,550. 11:00 to 21:00 with last order at 20:00, closed on Tuesdays. There are no reservations, but the line moves fast, and every table has its own teppan.
Fukuoka · Local
Motsunabe, a hot pot dish in the Fukuoka style. It suits an evening with several people, and you book a table, especially on weekends.
Fukuoka · Ramen
The first Ichiran branch, in the Nakasu district, open 24 hours. A menu of one dish only, tonkotsu ramen, for about ¥1,080. You sit in a personal booth with partitions on both sides and a curtain facing the kitchen, mark on a form the strength of the broth, the spiciness and the firmness of the noodles, and speak to no one. The ticket machine works in English and with pictures, so this is an especially easy restaurant for your first evening in Japan.
Takayama · Hida beef
A family restaurant in an old wooden house in Takayama that specializes in the local cuisine of the Hida region. The dish to order is hoba miso: Hida beef with miso, green onion and shiitake mushrooms, grilled in front of the diner on a magnolia leaf. A Hida beef set with hoba miso is about ¥2,400. Open 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00, and closed on Tuesdays, which means an early dinner. It is worth reserving a table ahead, the place fills up.
In Takayama, owned by a local butcher, so the meat is fresh and the price is good. Certified A5 Hida beef, as teppanyaki or as yakiniku.
