The question most travelers ask — “which booking site should I use?” — has a slightly awkward answer: the restaurant decides. Each house takes bookings on one or two systems of its choosing, and many of Japan’s hardest tables take none at all. This page sets the five systems you will meet side by side, so you can recognize each one and know what it will ask of you. Every figure about another company comes from that company’s own pages, with the date we read it.
The short answer: which site for which restaurant
- TableCheck — when the restaurant’s own website has a “Reserve” button that opens a booking page. It is the restaurant’s system, not a marketplace.
- OMAKASE — for a concentrated group of top counters that release seats at set times, often booked out within minutes.
- Ikyu Restaurant — for hotel restaurants and serious independents that sell set “plans”, in Japanese only.
- Tableall — for restaurants on Tableall’s partner list, booked in English with the course paid in advance.
- Pocket Concierge — for houses that list on it, booked by request in English, with the course charged online once the restaurant accepts.
To see which system a specific house uses, look it up on our release calendar: each entry lists the booking route and when its book opens.
At a glance
| TableCheck | OMAKASE | Ikyu Restaurant | Tableall | Pocket Concierge | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Yes, 18 languages (company statement, Sep 2026) | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Phone number | No Japanese number needed | SMS‑capable mobile; overseas numbers can work | Guest booking asks for a phone number; the flow and calls are in Japanese | Not stated in what we read | No Japanese number needed |
| Fee to the diner | None; some houses add a fee from ¥390 (Sep 2026) | ¥390 a seat, not refunded (Sep 2026) | None stated; plan price | ¥8,000 a seat, not refunded (Oct 3, 2026) | Usage fee per its terms, shown at checkout (Sep 2026) |
| When you pay for the meal | At the restaurant, unless it chose prepayment or a card hold | At the restaurant | At the restaurant; some plans take a card only for cancellation fees | Course prepaid | Course charged online once accepted |
| Who sets cancellation fees | The restaurant | The restaurant | The restaurant | Tableall’s own schedule | The restaurant |
| Typical houses | Restaurants with their own website booking | Top sushi and kaiseki counters with timed releases | Hotel restaurants, plans with set prices | Its partner list | Mid‑to‑upper tier houses plus some famous names |
TableCheck: the restaurant’s own booking page
TableCheck is a Tokyo‑founded reservation system that restaurants install on their own websites, which is why it looks different on every site you meet it on. It holds no seats of its own. As of September 2026, its help center says you can book as a guest with an email address, with no Japanese phone number. Booking itself is free; some restaurants add a paid “TableCheck Reservation Fee” from ¥390, and others require online prepayment or a card hold — the screen shows which before you confirm. Cancellation fees are the restaurant’s, shown at booking and in the confirmation email. How TableCheck works.
OMAKASE: timed releases for the hardest counters
OMAKASE is the system behind a concentrated group of Japan’s most sought‑after counters. As of September 2026, its help center lists a handling fee of ¥390 a seat, charged when the booking completes and not refunded if you cancel. You register with a credit card and a mobile number that receives an SMS code; overseas numbers can work, but landlines and SMS‑blocked plans will not. Seats are released at set times, sometimes after a raffle that gives winners a head start. Cancellation fees follow each restaurant’s policy. How OMAKASE works.
Ikyu Restaurant: Japanese‑only plans, often discounted
Ikyu.com Restaurant sells fixed “plans” — a set course at a set price, often discounted — at hotel restaurants and serious independent houses. As of September 2026 it has no English interface or support, though its booking flow is simple with browser translation. Members earn points worth ¥1 each. Cancellation fees are set by each restaurant and shown on the plan page; some plans take a credit card only to cover them. Using Ikyu from overseas.
Tableall: English, ¥8,000 a seat, course prepaid
Tableall is an English‑language service for the restaurants on its partner list. As of October 3, 2026, it charges a booking fee of ¥8,000 a seat, not refunded at any point, on top of the course, which is prepaid with service and tax included. Some seats are pre‑purchased and sold instantly; the rest are requests taken to the restaurant. Tableall publishes its own cancellation schedule, and the first date change requested 14 or more days ahead is free. Tableall review.
Pocket Concierge: request‑and‑pay, run by an American Express subsidiary
Pocket Concierge is operated by Pocket Concierge Inc. in Tokyo, whose parent company is American Express International (per its legal notice, as of September 2026). It runs in Japanese and English and needs no Japanese phone number. You request a course; when the restaurant accepts, the full course is charged online, so there is no bill at the table beyond extra drinks. Its user terms allow a usage fee that is shown at checkout and not refunded. Cancellation follows the restaurant’s policy where one is set. How Pocket Concierge works.
When a restaurant takes none of them
Many of the hardest houses in Japan take bookings only by telephone, in Japanese, or only from regulars. Our phone‑only list shows which ones. For these, the realistic routes are a hotel concierge, a booking service that calls on your behalf, or a Japanese‑speaking friend. We compare those routes — including our own request service, where a person at our Tokyo desk makes the call — in Japan restaurant concierge comparison 2026.