The Journal
Michelin, lineage, and how Japan's restaurants take bookings
Field notes from our Tokyo desk — who is actually reachable and how, the histories behind the counters, and the realistic way in. Written by the people who make these calls every day.
13 articles
Definitions & Glossary
Izakaya vs Omakase: Which Is Right for Your Night
Choose omakase when you want one chef's judgment at a fixed time and price, booked weeks ahead for one to three people. Choose an izakaya for a group, an open-ended evening, ordering what you like and a flexible budget. Most trips need both: book the counter first, then build izakaya nights around it.
Definitions & Glossary
Ryokan Dining: How Kaiseki at a Japanese Inn Works
At a serious ryokan, the meals are not an amenity — they are the reason to stay. The standard plan includes dinner and breakfast (ippaku-nishoku): a seasonal kaiseki procession at night, often served in your room or a private dining room, and an elaborate traditional breakfast. Dinner starts early (typically 18:00–19:00), the menu is fixed and seasonal, and dietary needs must be declared at booking. Choose the inn…
Definitions & Glossary
What Is an Izakaya? Japan's Pub-Dining Culture Explained
An izakaya is a drinking house with serious food — Japan's fusion of pub, tapas bar and family dinner, where dishes come as they're ready and orders accumulate all night. Know the rituals: the otoshi starter is a small compulsory cover charge, not a mistake; the first order is traditionally a draft beer (toriaezu nama); dishes are shared and ordered in waves. Spot the good ones by short handwritten menus, seasonal…
Definitions & Glossary
Kaiseki vs Omakase: What's Actually the Difference?
Kaiseki is a cuisine — a seasonal procession of small courses rooted in Kyoto and the tea ceremony, served in private rooms or at a counter. Omakase is a way of ordering — "I leave it to you" — and in Tokyo it usually means a chef-led sushi counter. The prices overlap: at the restaurants on our release calendar, dinner runs ¥20,000–40,000 for most Tokyo sushi counters and most Kyoto kaiseki houses alike in 2026.…
Definitions & Glossary
Wagyu Grades Explained: A5, A4 and the BMS Score
A5 is two grades in one — yield grade A, a carcass cutability estimate, and quality grade 5, which is set by the lowest of four assessed criteria. Marbling is scored separately on the BMS scale of 1 to 12, where 8 and above earns a 5. The letter says nothing about breed, region, or flavour.
Definitions & Glossary
Types of Japanese Restaurants: Kaiseki vs Izakaya vs Kappo
Japanese fine dining is intensely specialized. A sushi-ya serves only sushi, a tempura-ya only tempura, and unagi-ya, yakitori-ya, soba-ya, tonkatsu-ya, kappo, ryotei and izakaya each master one craft. Each type also books differently — platform, phone release, or queue — so choosing the type is the true first step to booking well.
Definitions & Glossary
What Does a Tabelog Score Mean? Why 3.5 Is Hard and What Counts as High
A Tabelog score runs from 1.0 to 5.0 on a deliberately harsh curve. 3.5 or higher marks a genuinely excellent restaurant, and 4.0-plus places it among Japan's very best — a rare few hundred nationwide. It is not comparable to the inflated four-star ratings of Western apps.
Definitions & Glossary
What Is Edomae Shigoto (the Craft Behind the Sushi)?
Edomae shigoto is the work behind Edomae sushi — the preparation that defines the style more than freshness does. It includes vinegar-curing gizzard shad (kohada), aging and marinating tuna, slow-simmering conger eel (anago), and brushing on nitsume glaze, each step engineered to concentrate flavor before the fish reaches the rice.
Definitions & Glossary
What Is Edomae Sushi?
Edomae sushi is the Tokyo style of nigiri, named for Edo-mae — the waters in front of old Edo, today's Tokyo Bay. Defined by preservation craft such as curing, marinating, and simmering seafood rather than serving it raw, it was codified in 1820s Edo, with Hanaya Yohei credited for the hand-pressed form.
Definitions & Glossary
What Is Ichigen-san Okotowari?
Ichigen-san okotowari means no first-time customers. It is the custom, rooted in Kyoto's ochaya and upheld by many top restaurants, of accepting only guests who arrive through an existing customer's introduction. It protects trust, billing, and the seating rhythm of tiny counters, and is not snobbery but risk management.
Definitions & Glossary
What Is Kaiseki? Courses, Prices and How It Works
Kaiseki is Japan's seasonal multi-course cuisine — a set procession of small dishes, roughly an opening bite, a clear soup, sashimi, a grilled dish, a simmered dish and rice, chosen by the kitchen for the month. At most of the Kyoto kaiseki houses on our release calendar, dinner costs ¥20,000–40,000 per person in 2026 and lunch ¥8,000–25,000; the great houses charge ¥33,000–80,000 at dinner. A 10–15% service…
Definitions & Glossary
What Is Omakase? A Complete Guide
Omakase (お任せ) means "I leave it to you" — the chef, not the guest, decides every course, and you pay one set price. At the Tokyo sushi counters on our release calendar, dinner omakase mostly costs ¥20,000–40,000 per person in 2026, lunch ¥5,000–22,000, and the top rooms ¥50,000 and up (¥88,000 at Sukiyabashi Jiro). Expect small dishes and then roughly 10–15 pieces of nigiri over about two hours, a fixed start…