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
Prices & Money
Japan Restaurant Bill Explained: Otoshi, Service, No Tip
A Japanese restaurant bill may include a small seat charge — otoshi or tsukidashi, usually a few hundred yen — plus ten percent consumption tax, and at higher-end places a service charge of ten to fifteen percent. There is never a tip line, because tipping is not customary. Every item is a disclosed, standard cost rather than a hidden fee.
Booking & Access
The 30-Day Reservation Calendar for Japan
Many of Japan's sought-after restaurants release seats on a fixed date — very often the 1st, for the following month or as far as three months ahead, sometimes on a set weekday — and prime slots vanish within minutes. The single biggest factor in success is being ready to book the morning that window opens. Learn each restaurant's release rule, prepare your details in advance, and act at the exact moment seats go…
Prices & Money
Restaurant Cancellation Fees in Japan: What to Expect
Cancel a Japanese fine-dining booking within a few days of the date and you can be charged a cancellation fee up to the full price of the course. A no-show, failing to appear without notice, is treated as a serious breach of trust. Fees rise as the date approaches, so cancel as early as possible, and always confirm the window when you book.
Prices & Money
Do Japanese Restaurants Require a Deposit?
Increasingly, yes. Many of Japan's top counters now require a deposit at booking — either a credit-card guarantee or full prepayment of the course — to protect against no-shows. If you cancel late or fail to appear, that deposit is forfeited, often in full. Deposits are most common at hard-to-book, small-capacity restaurants where every seat matters.
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.
Regions & Itineraries
Where to Eat in Kanazawa: Sushi, Kaiseki & the Market
Kanazawa is one of Japan's best food cities for its size — a compact, walkable old capital built around Omicho Market, refined Kaga kaiseki, superb sushi from the Sea of Japan, and its own clear-broth oden. Most of it is easy to book; only the very top counters take real planning. Two houses show the range of what is bookable — Makinonchi, a French counter on the Utatsuyama hillside that books online a few weeks…
Ingredients & Seasons
Kanburi: Winter Yellowtail and Where to Find It
Kanburi is wild yellowtail (buri) caught in the cold of winter, when the fish carries its heaviest, richest fat. Its season peaks from roughly December through February. Toyama Bay and the wider Hokuriku coast on the Sea of Japan are its most famous source, where it is eaten as sashimi, sushi, seared, and in the classic hot pot buri-shabu. Winter fat is what separates kanburi from ordinary yellowtail.
Lineage & History
The Classic Edomae Line of Kiyota & Futaba
The classic salt-and-red-vinegar school of edomae runs from the Meiji-era Futaba house through Kiyota, the counter founded by one of Futaba's celebrated masters. This austere, traditional style spread well beyond Tokyo to the castle town of Karatsu, where the counter Tsukuta still carries the old line forward in Kyushu today.
Regions & Itineraries
Kyoto in 48 Hours: A Kaiseki & Sushi Itinerary
A 48-hour Kyoto food itinerary is best built around one kaiseki lunch and one sushi dinner, stitched together with machiya cafes, temples, and Arashiyama. Book the two headline seats about a month ahead; the rest of the plan is walk-in and flexible.
Regions & Itineraries
A Kyushu Food Road Trip Beyond Fukuoka
A Kyushu food road trip runs Fukuoka to Karatsu to Kumamoto, mostly by rail. Start with Fukuoka's yatai stalls and sushi, take a direct local train to a classic Edomae counter in the pottery town of Karatsu, then head south for Kumamoto's famous horse sashimi — a week, one region. Two more days add Nagasaki — shippoku at Ryotei Ichiriki, the counter Doyama and the Italian villa del nido on the Shimabara peninsula —…
Ingredients & Seasons
Matsutake Season in Japan: When and Where
Matsutake is Japan's most prized wild mushroom, celebrated for its intense pine-like aroma and reserved for autumn. Its season runs roughly from September through November, peaking in October. It is served in kaiseki as dobin-mushi (a teapot broth), grilled, or in rice, and domestic matsutake command very high prices because the wild harvest has fallen sharply over the decades.
Michelin & Rankings
What a Michelin Star Really Means in Japan
In Japan, a Michelin star rewards the food on the plate — ingredients, technique, flavor, and consistency — not the decor or service, which are rated separately. One star is excellent, two worth a detour, three worth a special journey. In practice a restaurant must also stay bookable by the public to remain in the guide.