Most visitors meet Toriyoshi as a line in someone else’s story: the counter where Torishiki’s owner learned his trade. It has trained more cooks than that one. Several left to open counters of their own in Meguro, Arakicho, Shibuya and Gotanda, and some of their own cooks have since done the same. This guide sets out who they are, how they are connected, and which of their counters you can realistically get into.
Toriyoshi in Nakameguro
Toriyoshi is a yakitori counter in Nakameguro. Its owner, Inomata, trained at Toricho in Roppongi, among other places, before opening it. The opening year differs between accounts, which give 1992 and 1994. There has also been a Toriyoshi counter in Nishi‑Azabu, where the chef of Yakitori Asanomi is reported to have spent twelve years.
Its standing comes from the people who passed through it. Yoshiteru Ikegawa spent about seven years here, seven to eight by some accounts, before opening Torishiki in 2007; the chef of Toriyaki Sasaya, described as his senior, opened the same year. Fumiyasu Takizawa stayed sixteen years before opening Yakitori Taki.
Two practical points:
- It is not the Toriyoshi in Ebisu. The Toriyoshi in Ebisu‑nishi, opened in March 2023, is a brand of the Torishiki ICHIMON group. The names sound the same in Japanese but are written differently, and they are separate restaurants. It is covered in the Torishiki family tree.
- It takes no reservations. The Nakameguro shop does not accept bookings; you line up to get in. See the Toriyoshi release page. For the same reason, we do not request it.
The family tree
Each line gives the counter, its area, and the training and opening dates we have on record. Where accounts differ, we say so.
- Toriyoshi (Nakameguro) — owner Inomata, who trained at Toricho in Roppongi, among other places; opened 1992 or 1994 (the accounts differ)
- Torishiki (Meguro) — Yoshiteru Ikegawa, about 7 years at Toriyoshi (some accounts say 7 to 8); opened 2007. Its own family has a separate guide: the Torishiki family tree
- Toriyaki Sasaya (Meguro) — a long stretch at Toriyoshi (one account puts it at 15 years); described as Ikegawa’s senior at Toriyoshi; opened 2007
- Yakitori Uno (Okusawa) — Seiichi Uno, who worked at Sasaya; opened 2011. Toriyoshi is his teacher’s teacher
- Yakitori Taki (Arakicho) — Fumiyasu Takizawa, 16 years at Toriyoshi; opened April 2019 in the former Torikou space
- Yakitori Kamimura (Sakuragaoka, Shibuya) — chef Kamimura, reported to have trained at Toriyoshi
- Toriguchi (Nishi‑Gotanda) — opened March 2018 by a griller who had worked at Toriyoshi for many years; its opening griller, Kazuki Nishiguchi, has since left
- Yakitori Koshin (Musashi‑Koyama) — Kazuki Nishiguchi, from Toriyoshi, then manager of Toriguchi; opened February 2024
- Yakitori Asanomi (Akasaka 8-chome, near Nogizaka) — chef Asanomi, reported to have spent 12 years at Toriyoshi in Nishi‑Azabu; opened January 13, 2026
Counters that are easier to book
These are the counters in the tree where a seat realistically comes up. Each is its own restaurant with its own cooks; none of them is a way into Toriyoshi or Torishiki.
Yakitori Taki
- The chef: Fumiyasu Takizawa, who spent sixteen years at Toriyoshi. Opened in April 2019 in Arakicho, in the space where Torikou used to be.
- Price: a budget of about ¥8,000–15,000, plus a ¥1,320 seat charge. Eighteen counter seats; cards accepted.
- How to book: by phone in Japanese; there is no online booking. Recent diners report same‑day seats on weekdays, while Fridays need booking ahead. Weekdays 17:00–22:30; closed Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. See the Yakitori Taki release page.
- Through us: yes; ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Toriguchi
- The chef: the counter opened in March 2018 with a longtime Toriyoshi griller, Kazuki Nishiguchi, who has since left to open Yakitori Koshin. We do not have the name of the current griller.
- Price: courses at ¥5,060, ¥7,150 and ¥9,900, with natural wine. Twenty‑two seats, including a private room. Cashless payment only.
- How to book: online on Toreta (linked from its own site) or Tabelog, or by phone in Japanese. Same‑day online booking closes at 20:00, after which the house asks you to call, and it asks you to call as well when online shows full. Open nightly 17:00–23:00 (last entry 21:30), closed only over New Year. See the Toriguchi release page.
- Through us: yes, by phone in Japanese; ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Toriyaki Sasaya
- The chef: a Toriyoshi cook of long standing, described as Ikegawa’s senior there, who opened by the Meguro River in 2007. Whole Date chickens are butchered in house.
- Price: a 12-skewer course at ¥7,700, and courses at ¥8,360 and ¥8,580. Twenty‑eight seats across the counter, tables and semi‑private rooms.
- How to book: by phone in Japanese or online on Tabelog or Ikyu. No booking window is published; same‑day bookings and private hire are handled by phone. Tuesday to Saturday 17:30–22:00 (last entry 20:30); closed Sundays and Mondays, and over New Year, Golden Week and a summer break. See the Toriyaki Sasaya release page.
- Through us: yes; ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Yakitori Koshin
- The chef: Kazuki Nishiguchi, who came from Toriyoshi and managed Toriguchi before opening here in February 2024, beside the Shimizu‑yu bathhouse. Shingen chicken, about 34 kinds of skewer and some 30 wines.
- Price: courses at ¥4,900 and ¥6,250, plus 10% service. Ten to fourteen counter seats.
- How to book: online on Tabelog or Ikyu, or by phone in Japanese; groups of four or more by phone only. 17:30–23:00 (last entry 21:30); closed Thursdays and some irregular days. See the Yakitori Koshin release page.
- Through us: yes; ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Yakitori Kamimura
- The chef: chef Kamimura, born in Niigata and reported to have trained at Toriyoshi. Opened in April 2023 in Sakuragaoka, Shibuya, with produce and sake from Niigata.
- Price: an omakase you stop when you are full, at about ¥400 a skewer; a budget of about ¥9,000–15,000. Smoking is allowed at every seat.
- How to book: by phone in Japanese; there is no online booking. A recent diner called it easy to book. 17:00–23:00; closed Thursdays. See the Yakitori Kamimura release page.
- Through us: yes; ¥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 the counter that is far harder to book than the others.
- Torishiki — phone only, in Japanese, on one reception day a month announced on Instagram, 17:00–19:00 Japan time, for the month two months ahead. The month usually sells out inside that window; our desk calls that day, and nothing is charged if we do not get a table. Its family is covered in the Torishiki family tree.
- Yakitori Uno — fifteen counter seats in a basement three minutes from Okusawa Station. Phone only, in Japanese: the following month opens on the first business day of each month. À la carte or an omakase you stop when you are full, with no set course; about ¥10,000–15,000. Seats are sold in two‑hour slots, 17:30–20:00 and 20:00–22:00, and the early slot is the one most often still open a couple of weeks out. Closed Tuesdays. We can request it by phone at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
- Yakitori Asanomi — a basement counter six minutes from Nogizaka Station, opened in January 2026. Phone only, in Japanese; no online booking is listed. Dinner about ¥10,000–15,000, 18:00–22:00; closed Sundays and Mondays. We can request it by phone at ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
Where we fit
We do not request Toriyoshi Nakameguro, which takes no reservations; Torishiki we call on its monthly reception day. Every other counter in this tree can be requested through our desk: send the restaurant and your dates on the request form, and we will tell you plainly what is achievable. None of these counters is in our collection, so the fee is ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if we secure the table and you approve it.
SHOKU NOREN research, checked October 2026.
