Few visitors to Tokyo have heard of Aoyagi, a ryotei in Tokushima on the island of Shikoku. Many have heard of the restaurants its cooks went on to open. Seiji Yamamoto of RyuGin, Toru Okuda of Ginza Kojyu and Hiroyuki Kanda of Kanda all cooked at Aoyagi under Hirohisa Koyama before opening their own houses in Tokyo in 2003 and 2004. Those three kitchens have in turn trained a new generation. This guide lays out the teacher’s teacher, the three chefs who came out of his kitchen, the cooks they trained, and which of their tables you can realistically get.
Aoyagi in Tokushima
Aoyagi is a ryotei, a traditional Japanese restaurant, in Tokushima, and the house of chef Hirohisa Koyama. Its place in this story comes from the cooks who passed through its kitchen:
- Seiji Yamamoto joined Aoyagi at 21 and learned under Koyama. He opened RyuGin in 2003.
- Toru Okuda came to Aoyagi after five years at Kikuya in Shizuoka and half a year at Tsutaya in Kyoto, and stayed four years. He opened Ginza Kojyu in 2003.
- Hiroyuki Kanda had spent five years at Shoroku Kigawa in Osaka and five years as a head chef in Paris before he joined Aoyagi in 1991. He then ran the kitchen at basara in Akasaka and opened Kanda in 2004.
Each of those three restaurants has trained cooks of its own, which is why Aoyagi sits two steps above several of Tokyo’s newer kaiseki counters and one in Himeji.
Aoyagi itself books by phone in Japanese (088‑622‑3405); lunch and dinner are by reservation only, and no release day is published. We can request it at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it. The current details are on the Tokushima Aoyagi release page.
The family tree
Each line gives the restaurant, its area, and the training and opening dates we have on record.
- Aoyagi (Tokushima) — Hirohisa Koyama
- Nihonryori RyuGin (Hibiya, Tokyo) — Seiji Yamamoto, joined Aoyagi at 21 and learned under Hirohisa Koyama; opened RyuGin in 2003
- Nihonryori Ensui (Nakameguro, Tokyo) — chef Ito, about 10 years at RyuGin, where he ran the simmering station and served as sous‑chef; opened December 2020; Two MICHELIN Stars (MICHELIN Guide Japan 2026)
- Hakuun (Minami‑Aoyama, Tokyo) — Shingo Sakamoto, joined RyuGin after culinary school, head chef from 2016; opened January 2021
- Ginza Kojyu (Ginza, Tokyo) — Toru Okuda, 5 years at Kikuya in Shizuoka and half a year at Tsutaya in Kyoto, then 4 years at Aoyagi; opened 2003
- Tanryu (Himeji, Hyogo) — Hisafumi Nakae, joined Kojyu at 26 and became head chef in his third year; opened 2019
- Waki Shun (Nihonbashi‑honcho, Tokyo) — Shun Miyahara, trained at Kojyu, head chef of its sister restaurant Ginza Okuda, and also worked at OKUDA Paris; opened around February 2023
- Nihonryori Kanda (Toranomon, Tokyo) — Hiroyuki Kanda, 5 years at Shoroku Kigawa in Osaka and 5 years as a head chef in Paris, joined Aoyagi in 1991, then head chef of basara in Akasaka; opened 2004
- Nihonryori Kutan (Shintomicho, Tokyo) — chef Nakajima, Matsuhisa in Los Angeles, then 10 years at Kanda; opened 2018
- Toranomon Sorahana (Toranomon, Tokyo) — Kanako Wakimoto, about 7 years at Kanda from its opening; opened in Kamakura in 2016, moved to Toranomon in October 2020; One MICHELIN Star (MICHELIN Guide Japan 2026)
- Towa (Nishi‑Azabu, Tokyo) — Takaaki Tsuneyasu, Akasaka Kikunoi, then 3 years at Hanawa in France, then about 7 years at Kanda; opened April 2018
- Nihonryori RyuGin (Hibiya, Tokyo) — Seiji Yamamoto, joined Aoyagi at 21 and learned under Hirohisa Koyama; opened RyuGin in 2003
Points worth getting right:
- Ensui and Hakuun are Aoyagi’s grand‑apprentices. Their chefs trained at RyuGin, not at Aoyagi itself. The same is true of Tanryu and Waki Shun, whose chefs trained at Kojyu, and of Kutan, Sorahana and Towa, whose chefs trained at Kanda.
- Towa comes from two houses. Takaaki Tsuneyasu cooked at Akasaka Kikunoi before his years at Kanda.
- Accounts of Tanryu’s chef at Kojyu differ on length. Our records have Hisafumi Nakae joining at 26 and leading the kitchen from his third year, but sources disagree on how long he stayed in total, so we give no figure.
Counters that are easier to book
These are the restaurants in the tree where a table realistically comes up. Each is its own house with its own chef.
Tanryu
- The chef: Hisafumi Nakae, who joined Ginza Kojyu at 26 and became its head chef in his third year; opened in Himeji in 2019. Six counter seats and one private room for up to six (¥5,000 room fee), eight minutes on foot from JR Himeji station.
- Price: one course at lunch and dinner, about ¥29,000 plus 10% service. A breakfast course from ¥8,800 is served only on the third Sunday of the month at 8:30. Cancellation costs 100% from seven days before, including date changes.
- How to book: phone in Japanese, or online through Pocket Concierge (English page, instant confirmation), Tabelog or the house’s own booking page. No release day; a few weeks ahead usually works. Lunch from 12:00, dinner from 18:00; closures are irregular and posted each month on the house’s site. The counter is for guests of junior‑high age and up. See the Tanryu page.
- Through us: yes. Tanryu is in our collection, so the fee is ¥6,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Ginza Kojyu
- The chef: Toru Okuda, four years at Aoyagi; opened in Ginza in 2003. Twenty‑three seats.
- Price: one omakase: lunch ¥33,000, dinner ¥41,800, plus 10% service. Cancellation costs 50% the day before and 100% on the day.
- How to book: phone in Japanese from 10:00. The book runs from today to the end of next month, so each 1st opens a new month; later months are announced on the house’s site. The house does not take bookings directly from abroad and points overseas guests to Pocket Concierge, OMAKASE or a hotel concierge; OMAKASE allows one booking a month per account. Seatings at 12:00 and 18:00; closed Sundays, and on some holidays. Guests must be 13 or older, and the house declines vegetarian and gluten‑free guests and those with many dislikes. See the Ginza Kojyu release page.
- Through us: yes, by phone in Japanese; ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Toranomon Sorahana
- The chef: Kanako Wakimoto, about seven years at Kanda from the day it opened; opened in Kamakura in 2016 and moved to Toranomon, a minute from Kamiyacho station, in October 2020. One MICHELIN Star (MICHELIN Guide Japan 2026). Twelve seats: six at the counter and rooms for two to six.
- Price: lunch ¥8,000–9,999 and dinner ¥15,000–19,999 per person, including tax and service (Ikyu, October 2026). Same‑day cancellation costs 100%.
- How to book: online through Tabelog or Ikyu on a first‑come basis, or by phone in Japanese. No release day is published. Lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday; closed Sundays, holidays and over the New Year. See the Toranomon Sorahana release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Towa
- The chef: Takaaki Tsuneyasu, who cooked at Akasaka Kikunoi, spent three years at Hanawa in France and about seven years at Kanda; opened in Nishi‑Azabu in April 2018. Wagyu kaiseki. Fourteen seats: a six‑seat counter and private rooms.
- Price: ¥30,000–40,000. Cancellation costs 100% from the day before.
- How to book: Ikyu online, where every date through the end of the following month opens on the 1st of each month; the hour is not stated. Also on OMAKASE and Tabelog, or by phone in Japanese, though the house prefers online bookings. Dinner only, from 18:00; closed Sundays, holidays, Golden Week, Obon and over the New Year. See the Towa release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Other counters in the family
The rest of the tree, including two of the three houses that trained most of it.
- Nihonryori RyuGin — Seiji Yamamoto’s restaurant in Hibiya. On the 1st of each month, from 12:00, the phone line opens every date through the end of the month after next; it answers 12:00–17:00 on business days, and some seats are also on Ikyu. Up to eight guests per party, children 10 and over; the house calls back on a stated date to confirm. Bookings are taken in the guest’s own name only, and the house may cancel any it judges to be made by a proxy. We can request it in the name of the guest who attends, at ¥12,000 per seat; if the house declines a booking arranged on a guest’s behalf, we will tell you and nothing is charged.
- Nihonryori Kanda — Hiroyuki Kanda’s restaurant in Toranomon: nine counter seats (guests 18 and over) and one private room. The house names three routes: Pocket Concierge, OMAKASE and the phone in Japanese. Both platforms release seats irregularly and were full when we checked in September 2026. Two seatings, 17:00 and 20:00, Tuesday to Saturday; closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays.
- Nihonryori Ensui — eight counter seats and a four‑seat room; about ¥30,000–45,000 plus 10% service. Phone in Japanese between 11:00 and 16:00, or the OMAKASE link on the house’s site; Ikyu also lists seats. When dates open is not published. Two seatings, 17:00 and 20:00; closed Sundays and holidays.
- Hakuun — eight counter seats and a private room; about ¥35,000–50,000. OMAKASE or phone; the release date is not published, but one diner in July 2026 reported booking 88 days ahead. Two seatings, 17:30 and 20:30; closed Sundays.
- Nihonryori Kutan — thirteen seats: a seven‑seat counter and a private room for six. On the 15th of each month at 10:00 Japan time, the month after next opens on OMAKASE and Ikyu; the phone also takes bookings. Closed Sundays and holidays.
- Waki Shun — Shun Miyahara’s eight‑seat counter in Nihonbashi‑honcho. We have not been able to confirm that it is currently operating, so it is off our release calendar for now and we do not request it.
Where we fit
Aoyagi itself can be requested at ¥12,000 per seat. Where a restaurant in this tree can be requested, we have said so above: send the restaurant and your dates on the request form, and we will tell you plainly what is achievable. Tanryu is in our collection and is requested at ¥6,000 per seat; Ginza Kojyu, Toranomon Sorahana, Towa and RyuGin (in the name of the guest who attends) are requested at ¥12,000 per seat. Either way, the fee is charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
SHOKU NOREN research, checked October 2026.
