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
Ingredients & Seasons
Kobe vs Matsusaka vs Omi: Japan's Wagyu Brands Compared
Wagyu brands are regional certifications layered on top of the national grading system: Kobe beef is Tajima-strain cattle from Hyogo passing strict marbling criteria; Matsusaka fattens virgin females with legendary patience in Mie; Omi, from Shiga, is the oldest brand with four centuries of history. Hundreds of others — Hida, Yonezawa, Miyazaki, Saga — compete at the same level, and blind tastings regularly scramble…
Etiquette & Culture
How to Read a Japanese Menu: The Kanji That Feed You
Japanese menus become readable through a small set of kanji: cooking methods — 焼 (grilled), 揚 (fried), 煮 (simmered), 蒸 (steamed), 刺 (raw/sashimi) — combine with proteins — 鶏 (chicken), 豚 (pork), 牛 (beef), 魚 (fish), 海老 (shrimp) — to describe most dishes. Add the structural words (定食 set meal, 丼 rice bowl, 盛り合わせ assortment, 旬 seasonal) and the price-list conventions, and even a handwritten izakaya board yields its…
Regions & Itineraries
Nihonbashi & Kanda Food Guide: Tokyo's Oldest Tables
Nihonbashi and Kanda hold Tokyo's densest cluster of century-old restaurants — Muromachi Sunaba, Isegen, Botan, Toriyasu, Kanda Yabusoba — and none of them has a release day: Isegen and Toriyasu now book online through Tabelog, Botan through its own web form and Imahan through TableCheck, while the rest still book by telephone in Japanese. Sugita in Kakigaracho is the one door that stays shut to newcomers. Fix…
Lineage & History
The History of Ramen: How a Chinese Noodle Conquered Japan
Ramen is Japan's youngest great cuisine, a Chinese import barely a century old. Port Chinatowns brought the noodle, Tokyo shops around 1910 made it Japanese, postwar hunger made it national, and Nissin's instant version in 1958 made it global. The regional schools formed after the war, and Tsuta's Michelin star in 2016 closed the circle.
Booking & Access
JPNEAZY Review: How Its Percentage-Based Reservation Fees Work (2026)
As of October 3, 2026, JPNEAZY, operated by Fesbase Inc. in Tokyo, charges a handling fee of 10–15% of the course price for course reservations, with the course prepaid, or a fixed amount set per restaurant for table reservations. The fee is charged only when the restaurant confirms and is not refunded after that. It lists restaurants across many prefectures and cuisines and marks each with its own success label.
Etiquette & Culture
Depachika: Japan's Department-Store Food Halls, Explained
The depachika — 'department store basement' — is one of Japan's great food institutions: one or two underground floors of prepared foods, patisserie, wagashi, sake and gift fruit, executed at restaurant grade. Use it three ways: as the source of a superb bento dinner (with legendary evening discounts from around 7 p.m.), as the country's best souvenir shop, and as a free museum of Japanese food culture. The great…
Booking & Access
Tableall Review (2026): Fees, Cancellation Policy and How It Works
As of October 3, 2026, Tableall is an English-language service that books restaurants on its partner list for a ¥8,000 per seat booking fee, not refunded at any point, with the course prepaid. About 20% of its bookings are pre-purchased seats sold instantly; the rest are requests taken to the restaurant. It suits travelers who want to book online in English with the course paid in advance, at a restaurant on its…
Booking & Access
Booking Japan's Restaurants for December and January (2026)
As of 2 October 2026, December is already open at most houses that book two or three months ahead; January opens through late October and November. The table below gives each house's date, computed from its published rule. Treat any date from late December to early January as provisional until the house confirms it is open.
Lineage & History
Dotonbori Imai Honten (Osaka): Kitsune Udon, Prices, Hours and How to Avoid the Queue
Dotonbori Imai's honten, founded on Dotonbori in 1946, is the place to taste Osaka kitsune udon, sweet simmered fried tofu in a pale dashi of Hokkaido kelp and Kyushu dried fish. Udon needs no reservation, so walk in at the 11:30 opening or mid-afternoon; only course meals such as the udon hotpot are booked ahead.
Booking & Access
Hantei (Nezu, Tokyo): Kushiage Courses, Prices, and How to Book the 1917 House
Hantei serves kushiage inside a 1917 three-story wooden house in Nezu, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property since 1999. Book the twelve-skewer dinners (¥6,600 and ¥7,700) yourself on TableCheck in English. Call 03-3828-1440 in Japanese for the 15- and 18-skewer courses, groups of seven or more, or dates up to two months ahead.
Booking & Access
Ikyu Restaurant for Foreigners: How to Use Japan's Japanese-Only Booking Site (2026)
Ikyu.com Restaurant is a Japanese-only booking site that sells fixed "plans", a course at a set price, often discounted, at hotels and serious independent houses. There is no English interface or support, but the flow is simple with browser translation. Points are worth ¥1 each, cancellation fees are set by each restaurant, and some plans take a card only for cancellation charges.
Etiquette & Culture
Paying the Bill in Japan: Phrases, Customs and No Tipping
Ask for the bill with okaikei onegaishimasu, or make the universal X-with-fingers gesture across the room. In most casual restaurants you pay at the register by the door, not at the table; place cash or card on the small tray provided rather than handing it over. There is no tipping — none, ever — and attempting it causes confusion, not delight. Separate bills (betsu-betsu) are accepted at casual places but not at…