Kikunoi is one of the names visitors know best in Kyoto kaiseki, and it is unusual among houses of its standing in that its door is open: the Kyoto main house and its Tokyo restaurant both take new guests. Its kitchens have also trained a generation of cooks who now run restaurants of their own, in Tokyo, in Kyoto, in a farming valley in Fukui and in Hirosaki in the far north of Honshu. This guide lays out who they are, where they cook, and which of their tables you can realistically get.
Kikunoi and its houses
Kikunoi was founded in 1912 in Higashiyama, below the temple slopes of eastern Kyoto. Yoshihiro Murata is the third generation of his family to head the kitchen of the main house, and he was central to the campaign that placed Japanese cuisine on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list. In 2004 he opened Akasaka Kikunoi in Tokyo, and the house also runs Roan Kikunoi, a counter in Kiyamachi, and Kikunoi Sushi Ao, a sushi counter in Higashiyama opened in July 2024.
Kikunoi Honten is not hard to book so much as busy in season:
- Phone in Japanese, 10:00 to 22:00. Closed the first and third Tuesdays.
- Online: Ikyu, or the house’s official English and Chinese online booking pages for overseas guests.
- No release day. Ordinary dinners need a few weeks; November foliage and early‑April blossom need months.
- On the day: lunch entry 12:00 to 12:30, dinner entry 17:00 to 19:30; 15% service. Ikyu lists guests from age 11 and a 100% charge for same‑day cancellation.
The current rules are on the Kikunoi Honten release page. The house’s own English booking page is the direct route; we can also request it for you (¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it).
Akasaka Kikunoi is in our collection. Two MICHELIN Stars (MICHELIN Guide Japan 2026). Lunch courses are ¥14,300, ¥17,600 and ¥22,000 plus 10% service; dinner kaiseki ¥33,000, ¥55,000 and ¥77,000, with a shorter ¥22,000 course, plus 15% service, 20% in a private room. The main route is the phone in Japanese, 10:00 to 22:00; there is no release day, and the house is closed Sundays and Mondays and over summer and New Year breaks. The house’s official routes for overseas guests, TABLEALL and My Concierge Japan, are prepaid, add a booking fee and open about two months ahead. Through us: yes, at ¥6,000 per seat as a collection house, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
The two other Kyoto houses:
- Roan Kikunoi (Kiyamachi) — a nine‑seat counter and three private rooms. Phone in Japanese, 10:30 to 22:00, or the house’s official route for overseas guests (My Concierge Japan). No release day; book several weeks ahead, earlier for autumn leaves and New Year. Closed Wednesdays.
- Kikunoi Sushi Ao (Higashiyama) — ten counter seats, guests 16 and over. Japanese guests book by phone; overseas guests through the house’s official route for overseas guests (My Concierge Japan), and Pocket Concierge also lists it. Release timing is unconfirmed. Open 15:00 to 22:00, last entry 19:00; closed Tuesdays.
Like the Honten, these two point overseas guests to their own routes, which are the direct way in; we can also request either for you (¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it).
The family tree
Each line gives the restaurant, its area, and the training and opening dates we have on record. The grouping is by the Kikunoi house each chef trained in.
- Kikunoi (Higashiyama, Kyoto) — founded 1912; Yoshihiro Murata, third generation
- Kikunoi Honten (Higashiyama, Kyoto)
- Tenoshima (Minami‑Aoyama, Tokyo) — Ryohei Hayashi, sous‑chef at Kikunoi Honten (2011), then chef for external relations at Akasaka Kikunoi (2015); One MICHELIN Star (MICHELIN Guide Japan 2026)
- Nihonryori Kenya (Takaragaike, Kyoto) — Kenya Sakai, joined Kikunoi in 2009, 8 years at the Honten, then first head chef of Kikunoi’s Muge Sanbo; opened March 2021, moved to Takaragaike in May 2026
- Nihonryori Su (Natasho, Ohi, Fukui) — Shunsuke Tanaka, 10 years at Kikunoi Honten; opened in his home area in June 2023
- Akasaka Kikunoi (Akasaka, Tokyo) — opened 2004
- Yakumo Uezu (Yakumo, Tokyo) — Naoki Uezu, 16 years at Akasaka Kikunoi, head chef from 2017; opened February 2021
- Towa (Nishi‑Azabu, Tokyo) — Takaaki Tsuneyasu, Akasaka Kikunoi, then 3 years at Hanawa in France and about 7 years at Kanda; opened April 2018
- Sushi Miura (Akasaka, Tokyo) — Kenta Miura, a long stretch at Akasaka Kikunoi, then sushi training at Sushi Namba; a sushi counter
- Kikunoi (house not specified in our records)
- Yo (Hirosaki, Aomori) — Yohei Narita, trained first in French cuisine, joined Kikunoi in 2013 and cooked Japanese food for about 9 years; opened December 2022
- Omura (Shijo‑Nishinotoin, Kyoto) — Daiki Shimizu, about 10 years at Kikunoi, then four and a half years as head chef of Gion Rohan; opened February 2026
- Kikunoi’s own restaurants (run by Kikunoi, not by apprentices)
- Akasaka Kikunoi (Akasaka, Tokyo) — opened by Yoshihiro Murata in 2004
- Roan Kikunoi (Kiyamachi, Kyoto)
- Kikunoi Sushi Ao (Higashiyama, Kyoto) — opened July 2024
- Kikunoi Honten (Higashiyama, Kyoto)
Points worth getting right:
- Akasaka Kikunoi, Roan Kikunoi and Kikunoi Sushi Ao belong to Kikunoi. They are the house’s own restaurants, not restaurants opened by its apprentices.
- Towa comes from two houses. Takaaki Tsuneyasu cooked at Akasaka Kikunoi before his years at Kanda, so Towa also appears in our Aoyagi family guide.
- Nihonryori Kenya has moved. Since May 2026 it has been in Takaragaike, in the north of Kyoto, in a Meiji‑era residence on the Takano River.
- Some dates are not settled. Accounts differ on the exact day Yo opened in December 2022, on the year Tenoshima opened, and on how many years Kenta Miura spent at Kikunoi, so we give no figure for those.
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; none of them is a way into Kikunoi.
Tenoshima
- The chef: Ryohei Hayashi, sous‑chef at Kikunoi Honten from 2011 and chef for external relations at Akasaka Kikunoi from 2015. One MICHELIN Star (MICHELIN Guide Japan 2026). Eighteen seats near Aoyama‑Itchome: six at the counter and twelve at tables.
- Price: one omakase at ¥25,300 plus 10% service. Same‑day cancellation costs 100%.
- How to book: phone in Japanese, or Pocket Concierge; the house does not take bookings by message. How far ahead dates open is not published. Dinner only, Monday to Saturday from 18:00, last entry 20:00; closed Sundays, holidays and irregular days, with an autumn break until October 4, 2026. See the Tenoshima release page.
- Through us: yes, by phone in Japanese; ¥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.
Omura
- The chef: Daiki Shimizu, about ten years at Kikunoi, then four and a half years as head chef of Gion Rohan; opened near Shijo‑Nishinotoin in February 2026. Eight counter seats, with the chef cooking alone.
- Price: a monthly nine‑course omakase at ¥13,000; one booking site also lists a ¥15,000 course. Cancellation costs 50% from the day before and 100% on the day.
- How to book: Tabelog, Ikyu, ResReserve or phone in Japanese. No release day is published. From 17:00, with à la carte later in the evening; irregular closures. Children are welcome. See the Omura release page.
- Through us: yes, at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Nihonryori Su
- The chef: Shunsuke Tanaka, ten years at Kikunoi Honten; he went home to Natasho, in the hills of Ohi in Fukui, and opened in June 2023. Kaiseki of game, wild vegetables and fish from Wakasa Bay, served in an old farmhouse. A ten‑seat counter and two private rooms.
- Price: lunch ¥6,600 (weekdays only), ¥12,100 or ¥17,600; dinner ¥17,600, with a crab course in season. Tax included.
- How to book: phone in Japanese, or TableCheck, which holds a card; parties of nine or more by phone. How far ahead dates open is not published. Lunch at 12:00 with everyone starting together; dinner from 17:00, last entry 19:00. Closed Mondays and irregular days. The house is about 15 minutes by car from Obama IC and about 90 minutes from Kyoto, so plan on a car. See the Nihonryori Su release page.
- Through us: yes, by phone in Japanese; ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Yo
- The chef: Yohei Narita, who trained in French cuisine before joining Kikunoi in 2013 and cooking Japanese food for about nine years; opened near Chuo‑Hirosaki station in December 2022. Seven counter seats and a private room for four.
- Price: one course at ¥19,000 plus tax and 10% service. Cancellation costs 70% two days before and 100% from the day before.
- How to book: TableCheck, which opens the month two months ahead on the 1st of each month at 00:00 Japan time; the phone also takes bookings, and inquiries are answered 12:00 to 17:00 on business days only. One seating, doors at 17:30 and food from 18:00. Closed Sundays and Mondays, and some Tuesdays. Online bookings are for guests 10 and over, and mushroom‑free menus are not possible in September and October. See the Yo 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.
- Yakumo Uezu — Naoki Uezu’s nine‑seat counter in residential Yakumo; seasonal kaiseki ¥23,000 including tax and service. TableCheck or Ikyu, where every date through the end of the month after next opens on the 1st of each month; direct requests by email, form, phone or Instagram message need three days’ notice. Dinner from 18:00, last entry 20:00; irregular closures; a card is required to hold the booking. Seats go quickly, but it can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat.
- Nihonryori Kenya — Kenya Sakai’s restaurant in Takaragaike: a nine‑seat counter and two tatami rooms. Lunch ¥22,000, dinner ¥33,000, one‑drink minimum. Regular bookings are made online, on TableCheck (card held) or Ikyu; the phone is for parties of eight or more and for dates further ahead. Lunch at 12:00 and dinner at 18:00, Tuesday dinner only; closed Sundays and Mondays. It can be requested through us at ¥12,000 per seat: we do not book from your account, but our desk can phone the house and ask; if no seat can be secured, nothing is charged.
- Sushi Miura — Kenta Miura’s sushi counter in Akasaka. Our lineage records have not confirmed that it is currently operating, so we do not link or request it here.
Where we fit
Kikunoi Honten, Roan Kikunoi and Kikunoi Sushi Ao take overseas guests through their own official routes, which are the direct way in; we can also request them for you 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. Akasaka Kikunoi is in our collection and is requested at ¥6,000 per seat; Tenoshima, Towa, Omura, Nihonryori Su, Yo, Yakumo Uezu and Nihonryori Kenya 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.
