Kagurazaka Ishikawa is the kaiseki name most visitors know in Tokyo’s old geisha quarter, and its counter is gone on release day. What sets it apart is how many kitchens it has filled: Hideki Ishikawa has handed restaurants to the cooks he trained, and some of them have gone on to rooms of their own. This guide lays out who they are, where they cook now, and which of their tables you can realistically get.
Kagurazaka Ishikawa
Hideki Ishikawa, born in 1965, opened Kagurazaka Ishikawa in 2003 and moved it to its present site in 2008. It holds Three MICHELIN Stars (MICHELIN Guide Japan 2026). In 2023 the guide gave Ishikawa its Mentor Chef Award, a recognition of the cooks he has brought up. If the format is new to you, our kaiseki versus omakase primer explains what a meal here looks like.
Why it is so hard to get in:
- One release day a month. On the 1st, Ikyu opens the dates three months ahead (1 June for September), and the counter seats go that day.
- Japanese‑language channels. Ikyu and the phone both run in Japanese.
- Dinner only, from 17:00, closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays.
- Courses in the ¥40,000–50,000 band plus 10% service on Ikyu (September 2026).
The current rules are on the Kagurazaka Ishikawa release page.
The family tree
Some of the cooks Ishikawa trained run houses inside his group; others have left to cook under their own names. Each line gives the restaurant, its area, and the training and opening dates we have on record.
- Kagurazaka Ishikawa (Kagurazaka) — Hideki Ishikawa, opened 2003; at its present site since 2008
- Houses in the Ishikawa group
- Kohaku (Kagurazaka) — Koji Koizumi, who worked under Ishikawa from his Yaesu days and was there when Kagurazaka Ishikawa opened; opened 2008
- Ren Mishina (Ginza 7-chome) — opened in 2009 as Ren and later renamed; moved from Kagurazaka to Ginza in June 2018; chef Mishina was trained by Ishikawa
- NK (Kagurazaka) — the sister house of Kagurazaka Ishikawa, led by Takehito Kakutani and Shichiyo Takahashi
- Guchokuni (Kagurazaka) — Masato Otsuka, a former head chef of Kagurazaka Ishikawa; a counter of the group, moved to NEO Kagurazaka in March 2026
- Hatou (Kagurazaka) — Daichi Kumakiri, 9 years within the group; a sushi counter opened February 2020
- Bungomon Eto (Kagurazaka) — Toru Eto, born in 1972 in Oita and head chef of Kagurazaka Ishikawa; at Ishikawa’s own address, open a few days a month on the days Ishikawa is closed
- jinen. (Nanpeidai, Shibuya) — a French restaurant opened September 2021; chef Kato cooked at Molière in Sapporo and at noma and helped open INUA, joined the group in January 2021 at Ishikawa’s invitation and studied Japanese cooking before taking the kitchen. A group chef rather than an apprentice
- TsunAgu (Kagurazaka) — the group’s first Italian restaurant, five seats on the fourth floor of NEO Kagurazaka; opened 15 April 2026; its chef is not yet in our records
- Partner restaurant
- Torakuro (Imperial Hotel, Uchisaiwaicho) — listed by the group as a partner restaurant, not one of its own houses; led by chef Takami
- Chefs who trained at Ishikawa and cook elsewhere
- Arakicho Tatsuya (Arakicho, Yotsuya) — Tatsuya Ishiyama, trained at Ishikawa and ran the kitchen at its sister house Ren; the first cook the group allowed to go independent; opened November 2017
- Mushitsu (Ginza) — Daisuke Muroi, 9 years at Ishikawa and 4 years at Kimoto; opened in Azabu‑Juban as Azabu Muroi, moved to Ginza and took its present name in December 2023
- Soan Nabeshima (Kashima, Saga) — Takuma Nishimura, from the Ishikawa group to Restaurant Sola; head chef, not owner, of a sake brewery’s auberge restaurant opened March 2021
- Houses in the Ishikawa group
Counters that are easier to book
These are the restaurants in the tree where a seat realistically comes up. Each is its own restaurant with its own chef; none of them is a way into Kagurazaka Ishikawa.
Guchokuni
- The chef: Masato Otsuka, a former head chef of Kagurazaka Ishikawa. The counter moved to NEO Kagurazaka in March 2026; eight seats.
- Price: about ¥33,000–40,000 plus 10% service.
- How to book: on the 1st of each month Ikyu releases dates through the end of the following month, with no clock time stated; Ikyu also offers a seat alert for cancellations. Tuesday to Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and dinner; closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays. See the Guchokuni release page.
- Through us: yes. It sits outside our collection, so the fee is ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Ren Mishina
- The chef: chef Mishina, who was trained by Ishikawa. The restaurant opened in 2009 as Ren, moved from Kagurazaka to Ginza 7-chome in June 2018 and has been renamed.
- Price: not yet in our records; we confirm the current figure when we reply to a request.
- How to book: dates open around the first business day of each month, through the end of the month after next, on OMAKASE (one booking every two months), Ikyu or by phone in Japanese. Sixteen seats; lunch Wednesday to Saturday, dinner Tuesday to Saturday. See the Ren Mishina release page.
- Through us: yes, by phone in Japanese; ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
NK
- The chef: Takehito Kakutani with Shichiyo Takahashi, at the sister house of Kagurazaka Ishikawa. Dishes range beyond kaiseki, and the wine list is serious. Moved to NEO Kagurazaka in February 2026.
- Price: ¥40,000–60,000 including 10% service; an eight‑seat counter plus tables.
- How to book: OMAKASE or by phone in Japanese; Ikyu also lists a dinner plan. The release timing is not published and the book runs months ahead, so an OMAKASE favorite alert is the way to catch openings. One 17:00 seating Tuesday to Friday, Saturday at 12:00 and 17:00. See the NK release page.
- Through us: yes, by phone in Japanese; ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Mushitsu
- The chef: Daisuke Muroi, nine years at Ishikawa and four at Kimoto, cooking over wood and charcoal. Opened in Azabu‑Juban as Azabu Muroi and moved to Ginza as Mushitsu in December 2023.
- Price: from about ¥50,000; eight to ten counter seats and a six‑seat room.
- How to book: the restaurant takes bookings through OMAKASE, and Ikyu lists its two sittings, 17:30 and 20:30. We could not read its release schedule. Closed Sundays and holidays. See the Mushitsu release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it. The restaurant directs guests to its OMAKASE page; we do not book from your account, but our desk phones the house and asks.
Other counters in the family
The rest of the tree, including the tables that are as hard to book as Kagurazaka Ishikawa.
- Kohaku — first earned three stars in 2016. Books on Ikyu, OMAKASE or by phone in Japanese, with no fixed release day; plan three to six months out. Saturday lunch and the private rooms open up most often. Diners report spending ¥60,000–80,000 a head.
- Hatou — eight seats; on the 1st of each month Ikyu opens the whole following month, and it goes at once. The hardest table in the group.
- Arakicho Tatsuya — seven counter seats; for the time being the house is not taking new guests.
- Soan Nabeshima — six seats at a brewery’s auberge in Saga. Its booking page says it has not been accepting reservations since 1 September 2026, so check before planning.
- Bungomon Eto — the head chef of Kagurazaka Ishikawa’s own restaurant, at Ishikawa’s address, open only a few days a month.
- jinen. — French cooking in a converted villa in Nanpeidai; dates for the following month open on the 1st of each month.
- TsunAgu — the group’s five‑seat Italian counter in NEO Kagurazaka, opened in April 2026.
- Torakuro — a partner restaurant of the group in the Imperial Hotel Tower, Uchisaiwaicho.
Where we fit
Kagurazaka Ishikawa and Kohaku can be requested at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it; we do not book from your account, but our desk phones the house and asks. 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. If you would rather look beyond the family tree, the restaurants in our collection are requested at ¥6,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
SHOKU NOREN research, checked October 2026.
