How it works
Booking a Japanese table you can’t reach from home
We are a reservation desk in Tokyo. We call the restaurants that answer only in Japanese, only by phone, and often only for people they know — and we hold the line so you don’t have to. Here is exactly how it goes, and exactly what it costs.
The flow, step by step
- 1
You send a request
Name a restaurant or describe the meal, give your dates and party, and register a card. Nothing is charged. The card only lets us commit the instant a seat opens.
- 2
An automatic email confirms we have it
Within minutes you get an acknowledgement so you know the request reached our Tokyo desk.
- 3
A real person follows up
Often the same day. We may ask a question or two to sharpen the details, then work our lines in Japan — house numbers, allocation seats, release-day races.
- 4
We send a confirmation to approve
In your language: the table and any service, our fee, and — where the restaurant has one — its own cancellation policy, in full. Nothing is binding until you approve.
- 5
On your approval, our fee is charged
The booking fee (¥6,000/seat) and any concierge arranging fee you agreed. This is payment for work delivered and is non-refundable — but if we can’t seat you, it’s never charged.
- 6
If you later cancel
Our fee isn’t refunded. Beyond that we add nothing: where the restaurant has a cancellation policy, we charge that exact amount to your card and pass it to the house — no markup, and nothing where the house has no policy. We always email before charging.
- 7
On the day, you pay the restaurant directly
The course price is settled with the house itself, usually that evening. A few high-demand houses ask for prepayment; if so, we tell you before you approve.
What a table actually costs
Two people at a ¥30,000-per-person sushi counter, as an example:
| Our booking fee — ¥6,000 × 2 seats | ¥12,000 (≈ $75), paid to us |
|---|---|
| The dinner — ¥30,000 × 2, paid to the restaurant on the night | ¥60,000 (≈ $375), paid to the house |
The only sum you pay us is the booking fee, and only once your table is confirmed. The course price is settled directly with the restaurant, usually on the evening. Converted figures are approximate. Any extras — a table briefing, a docent at your side, a gift for the chef — are quoted to you first. For restaurants outside our collection, the booking fee is ¥10,000 per seat.
When you’re charged — and when you’re not
Nothing is confirmed, and nothing is charged, until you approve a written confirmation. Up to that point you are under no obligation. Two separate kinds of money can apply, and we keep them apart:
| Our fee | Booking fee (¥6,000/seat in our collection; ¥10,000/seat outside it) plus any agreed concierge arranging fee. Charged on your approval, for work delivered — non-refundable. No seat, no fee. |
|---|---|
| The restaurant’s cancellation charge | Only where the house has its own policy. Shown to you before you approve; if you cancel, we charge that exact amount and pass it to the house. No markup, and nothing where there is no policy. |
We never charge your card without emailing you first. See the full policy.
Questions travelers ask
What happens if you can’t get the table?
Nothing is charged. We tell you plainly that the seat could not be secured, and we offer honest alternatives of the same caliber — counters of equal craft that are simply hard to reach from abroad. You are free to decline them all and owe us nothing.
When exactly am I charged?
Never at the request stage. You register a card so we can act the moment a seat opens, but ¥0 is charged until you approve a written confirmation. The booking fee is taken only then. If we never confirm a table, your card is never charged.
Why do I register a card before the table is confirmed?
Japan’s best counters release seats without warning and give them only to people who will not waste them. A registered card lets us commit on your behalf the instant one appears, and it is what lets the restaurant trust us with seats they give no one else. It is a readiness step, not a charge.
How is my card handled?
Your card is stored by Stripe, the same infrastructure used by Amazon and Shopify. We never see or store your card number. If we cannot secure any table for you, the registered card is removed.
Can I cancel? What if my flight is delayed?
Until you approve the written confirmation, you are under no obligation and can walk away for free. After approval, our fee (already earned) is not refunded, and if the restaurant has its own cancellation policy we pass that exact charge through to your card — no markup, nothing where the house has no policy. Genuine emergencies such as a cancelled flight are handled individually and in good faith; we never charge a card without emailing you first.
When will I hear back?
An automatic acknowledgement reaches you within minutes. A real person from our Tokyo desk then follows up — often the same day — with either a confirmed seat or honest options. You will always know where your request stands.
Request a table