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.
189 articles
Lineage & History
The Family Tree of Edomae Sushi: From Hanaya Yohei to Today
Hand-formed edomae sushi began in early-1800s Edo, credited to Hanaya Yohei. From his shop and two later houses, Senju Miyako and Futaba, descended the artisans who staffed Ginza's postwar founding counters. Most of Tokyo's elite sushi counters today trace back to these roots.
Lineage & History
Ginza's Founding Sushi Houses
Three counters defined postwar Ginza sushi: Kyubey, opened 1935; Yoshino, opened 1949; and Nakada, opened 1950. Most modern edomae lineages branch from these founding houses, with Kyubey in particular acting as the great talent source of the high-end sushi world.
Regions & Itineraries
48 Hours of Food in Hiroshima
A 48-hour Hiroshima food itinerary works around one hard booking — the kaiseki counter Nakashima — with the rest built from the city's Seto Inland Sea oysters, okonomiyaki, and a day trip to Miyajima. Secure that reservation first. For a second serious meal, four counters need a booking but no lottery — Eizan's ¥19,000 charcoal kaiseki, the eight-seat Chinese table Masuki, and the sushi counters Sushi Ryogetsu and…
Booking & Access
How to Book Hyotei — Kyoto's 400-Year-Old Kaiseki House
Book Hyotei online on TableCheck — the main house for kaiseki, or the annex next door for its year-round morning gruel — or by phone in Japanese; two guests minimum. There is no release day for kaiseki (one to three months ahead is normal), but the main house's July–August asagayu breakfast opens in monthly batches about four months ahead. We can request either on your behalf.
Booking & Access
How to Book the Best Restaurants in Fukuoka
To book the best restaurants in Fukuoka, plan about a month ahead and reserve by phone or through your hotel concierge. Many of the city's top counters take telephone bookings in Japanese rather than online, so an English-speaking concierge is the most reliable route for overseas visitors. Fukuoka is more accessible than Tokyo or Kyoto, but the best seats still fill early.
Booking & Access
How to Book Sushi & Kaiseki in Hokkaido
To book top sushi and kaiseki in Hokkaido, reserve by phone or through an introduction, and plan around the season. Sapporo's Edomae counters mostly take telephone bookings in Japanese, and demand concentrates sharply during sea urchin and crab season. Book well ahead for those months, or use a hotel or Japanese-speaking concierge to call for you.
Booking & Access
How to Book Fine Dining in Osaka
Osaka's toughest restaurants — top kappo and sushi counters — typically release reservations on a fixed date each month, and prime seats vanish fast. For overseas visitors, the most reliable route is a Japanese-speaking concierge or a hotel concierge who can call the moment the booking window opens. Plan about a month ahead.
Booking & Access
How to Book the Best Sushi in Kyoto
To book the best sushi in Kyoto, plan roughly one month ahead and reserve by phone or through your hotel concierge. Kyoto's top counters release seats early and rarely take same-week online bookings. Introduction-only houses that decline first-time guests are effectively closed without an introduction from someone they already know.
Booking & Access
How to Book Tempura Omakase in Tokyo
Tokyo's counter tempura omakase books much like sushi: seats open roughly one month in advance and go by Japanese-language phone first. Small counters and one-at-a-time frying keep capacity low, and the short seasonal peaks, such as spring's mountain vegetables and autumn matsutake, sell out first. Book early, call from Japan, and confirm dietary notes in Japanese.
Booking & Access
How to Book a Michelin Three-Star in Japan
The MICHELIN Guide Japan 2026 gives three stars to 20 restaurants — 11 in Tokyo, 6 in Kyoto and 3 in Osaka — and each has a public booking route, just not the one visitors expect. Seats open on Japanese platforms (OMAKASE, TableCheck, Ikyu) or by phone in Japanese at a fixed moment. Quintessence opens the same date three months ahead every day at 09:30 JST, Sazenka opens dates through the end of the month two months…
Booking & Access
How to Book Yakitori's Hardest Counters
Tokyo's most sought-after yakitori counters, led by the Torishiki lineage, release seats by phone on a set day, typically one to two months in advance, and seat only eight to ten guests. Demand vastly outstrips that supply, so the reservation is decided within the window the line is open, often in its first minutes. Winning a seat means knowing the exact release schedule and calling, in Japanese, from Japan at the…
Booking & Access
Introduction-Only Restaurants in Japan, Explained
Introduction-only restaurants in Japan practice ichigensan okotowari, meaning they decline first-time guests who arrive without a referral. It is not snobbery but a way to protect the counter's rhythm, trust, and pace. The one reliable entrance is an existing regular who vouches for you; hotel and premium-card concierges succeed only where the house already trusts them, and many top counters refuse them outright.