When Japan's hard-to-book restaurants open reservations

Phone only (+81-3-6455-5433), 12:00–17:00 JST Mon–Sat, up to two months ahead to the day. No online, agency or proxy bookings; parties of four max.

Parties of four or fewer; booking is final only when Den's confirmation email arrives. Prime Fri/Sat dates go the day the window opens. No agencies or intermediaries.

Phone only. Each day at 11:00 JST (Wed 13:00) the house opens the same date one month ahead. Same-day cancellation is charged in full.

Moved from Minami-Aoyama to Ebisu in 2022. Blogs report hundreds of redials in the first hour; call the moment the line opens.

Phone only (+81-3-6263-0345, 10:00–15:00). On the 1st of each month the month six months ahead opens (call 1 November for May); no platform bookings.

Six-month rule reported 2018–19 and still repeated by current listings; release time not published. Two seatings (17:00 / 20:30). Off-peak calls sometimes catch cancellations.

Phone first (03-3573-1144). On the 1st of each month the book opens for dates through the end of the month after next; a few seats also surface on Japanese platforms.

Ikyu's current house notice: dates through the end of the month after next open on the 1st. A 2021 report cited the 25th instead — the 1st is the current rule. Some overflow seats appear on Ikyu/PayPay Gourmet.

Phone (12:00–17:00 JST). On the 1st of each month at noon the book opens through the end of the month after next; nothing further out is accepted. Max eight guests.

Nothing beyond three months out is accepted; max 8 per group, children 10+. The restaurant phones back on a stated date to confirm. Some seats also appear on Ikyu/Hitosara.

Phone only. On the first business day of each month the book opens for the whole following month; reports say from around noon.

Blogs describe 300–500 redials on release day; even small parties need roughly three weeks' lead. Main house is in Kameido (Torisawa 22 in Nishi-Azabu is the sibling).

Phone only. The line opens on the first business day of each month, 17:00–19:00 JST, releasing the whole month two months ahead. Max three guests.

Max 3 guests per booking; the month is usually gone within the two-hour window — hundreds of redials are normal.

Mainly by phone in Japanese, with some seats released on Tabelog. No release day — weekday dinners only, and December fills first.

A portion of seats opens on Tabelog; the private rooms are settled by phone. Give December lead time.

Phone 10:00–22:00 JST, no fixed release. Overseas guests can also prepay via TABLEALL or My Concierge Japan (with a fee) — we call direct instead.

Two Michelin stars. Lunch entry 12:00–12:30, dinner 17:00–19:00; closed Sun–Mon. Direct phone avoids the partner booking fee.

Phone only, in Japanese; no website or online booking. No fixed release day: call one to three months ahead, avoiding the peak seasons regulars claim.

No introduction required, but peak-season dates go to regulars; aim for shoulder months 1–3 months out.

Phone only, in Japanese (03-3844-0034). No release day — a normal planning window works, but weekends go early and arriving 30 minutes late cancels the booking.

Sixteen seats; weekends go early. Arriving more than 30 minutes late cancels the reservation.

Phone in Japanese or the house's Japanese-only web form; no English page. No release day — a normal planning window is enough for a weeknight table.

A hundred tatami seats: a call within a normal planning window lands a weeknight table. Closed about two weeks in August.

Phone only; the house refuses reservation apps. No release day — walk in off-peak, or call in Japanese for groups, the private room or peak evenings.

Walk-ins seat easily off-peak; private hearth room, annex for groups and peak evenings go by phone. Wednesday closure shifts around festivals.

Phone in Japanese, normal lead time, no release day. You choose your eel when you book, and cancellations inside three days are charged in full.

You choose your eel grade when booking; cancellations inside three days are charged in full. No pre-school children.

Phone answered weekdays from noon (Japanese), plus an English online page. No release day; book with normal lead time and request the room and month.

Four private rooms (2–16 guests); Saturday dinner only for parties of ten or more. 20% service charge.

Bookable by phone (+81-3-3571-6523, from 10:00) or via Ikyu and official English partners; no release trigger. Only the 11:30 lunch seating is reservable — later lunch is walk-in.

Dinner: book ahead. Lunch: only the 11:30 seating is reservable; later lunch seats are first come, first served. Also on Ikyu and an official English partner. Closed Sundays.

Phone in Japanese, line staffed 11:00–21:00; some seats on Japanese reservation sites. No release day, but November–March winter evenings go early.

Changes and cancellations by the day before, or half the course price is due. 120 seats, but winter demand compresses onto them.

Phone only, in Japanese, on no platform. No release day — dinner books within a normal planning window; lunch is walk-in queue only.

Dinner fills within a normal planning window; lunch takes no bookings and the queue forms before noon.

No formal introduction rule, but guests book their next visit as they leave, so the eight seats pass among regulars. The phone is rarely answered; expect a long campaign.

A long campaign: repeated calls, a waitlist request, and a cancellation seat as the realistic prize.

Phone only, in Japanese. No release day — book with normal lead time, but winter fugu season fills fast and the house closes entirely each summer.

No release day — book with normal lead time, but Nov–Feb fugu season fills the 66 seats; last entry 19:00.

Phone in Japanese, or Japanese reservation sites. No release day — book ahead with normal lead time; dinner only, closed Sundays.

Easy to moderate; winter boar season is the busy stretch. Japanese reservation sites also carry seats.

Ground floor is walk-in only. The upstairs tatami rooms book by phone, in Japanese, with normal lead time — no release day, no platform.

Ground floor is first-come only; upstairs rooms book by phone for course meals.

Phone in Japanese (03-3400-4044), with some slots on Japanese portals. No release day — open Wednesday to Saturday only; lunch is the easier service.

Not introduction-only, not a lottery — the barrier is language. Lunch is the obtainable service; some slots surface on Japanese portals.

Phone only, in Japanese (03-3591-6214); courses are ordered when you book. No release day — private rooms need notice; lunch is walk-in.

All 35 seats are in four private rooms; courses must be ordered when booking. Lunch is walk-in with a queue near noon.

No public release. Japan-based principals may phone (+81-3-3535-3600, outside service hours); overseas guests can book only through their hotel's concierge. No agencies, no proxies; ID checked at the door.

Omakase ¥88,000 (2026); passport checked against the booking name. Older (2020–22) reports describe hotel concierges faxing requests on the 1st of the month — unconfirmed today. The Roppongi branch is bookable online.

Phone (03-6264-5855) plus OMAKASE and Pocket Concierge. No fixed release day; regulars rebook at the counter, so first-timers realistically use the OMAKASE apprentice-counter listing or cancellation waitlists.

No release trigger: regulars rebook on leaving, so the main counter is full 3+ months out. First-timers use the OMAKASE 'apprentice counter' (弟子の間) listing, a Pocket Concierge cancellation waitlist, or call for last-minute cancellations.

Phone (official) or Ikyu. No release day; a month to six weeks ahead usually works. Guests 30 and over only.

Eight seats, two Michelin stars, yet gettable: diners report booking one to one-and-a-half months ahead. Seats also on Ikyu and Gurunavi.

The main hall is walk-in only. Garden rooms book mainly by phone in Japanese (course only), with a few seats on Japanese sites — no release day.

The 60-seat hall takes no reservations; the six garden rooms (course bookings only) go well ahead.

Lunch is a queue — arrive before the 11:30 opening. Dinner can be booked by phone in Japanese with normal lead time; no release day.

Lunch runs on a queue (be there before 11:30); dinner can be booked by phone. Not the sushi Sugita.

Phone only, in Japanese, and the line jams during service — call at the 17:00 opening or late. No release day; the 22 counter seats are the fight.

The 22-seat counter is the contested item and goes largely to regulars rebooking as they leave.

Not taking new reservations. Existing regulars' bookings run through 2027 and the house has stopped adding dates ahead of its planned relocation; a Gurukare web slot is announced for 1 April 2027.

Book is full through 2027 and closed to new requests pending the Tateishi station redevelopment (relocation expected late 2027–early 2028). Gurukare lists a web slot opening 2027-04-01.

Phone any time, no fixed release. Two seatings (16:00 and 18:00), parties of two or more; sells out weeks ahead.

Tabelog Bronze since 2020. Fully booked several weeks out; call early, then ask for the cancellation list.

Phone, OMAKASE or Pocket Concierge; overseas residents only via a hotel concierge. No published release day.

Three Michelin stars. Also on OMAKASE and Pocket Concierge. Cancellation 50% from three business days out, 100% the day before.

Phone first (three or more must call); overseas guests book via their hotel. A monthly release about three months ahead is reported but unconfirmed.

One unverified report describes a 1st-of-month release three months ahead from 10:00. Eight to ten seats; Michelin-starred for over a decade.

Phone only — no booking sites of any kind. No published release day; seats are several months out. Exactly the kind of house we call for you.

Tabelog Award Bronze 2026. Bookings run several months out and regulars dominate; cancellation 100% from three days before.

Phone (+81-3-6253-7331) and an OMAKASE listing via the official site. No published release day or lead-time rule could be verified — book as early as possible.

The official site links to an OMAKASE listing alongside the phone number; no published release rule could be verified.

Phone in Japanese (about two months ahead); overseas guests use the official partner My Concierge Japan. No published release day — we call and check.

Older reports describe a first-business-day release about two months ahead, but the house does not publish a rule. Ikyu also lists seats with waitlist alerts.

Phone only, in Japanese, taken 11:00–21:00 — the house states there is no web booking. No release day; book with normal lead time.

Moderate; the restaurant states no web booking exists. Weekday service is dinner only.

Phone or a Japanese-language reservation page, for rooms and tables only — the counter is first-come. No release day; absent from international apps.

Rooms and tables book by phone or a Japanese reservation page; the 9–10 counter seats are first-come only.

Reservation-only by phone in Japanese, minimum two guests, nothing same-day. No release day — book with normal lead time, longer for geisha evenings.

Reservation-only but genuinely open to newcomers; room choice and geisha arrangements need notice.

Phone only (026-239-2677), in Japanese. The line opens exactly one month before your date; one 11:30 seating, Friday–Monday, minimum two guests.

Regulars describe redialing until the line connects on the one-month day; 18 seats, 72 covers a week.

Phone in Japanese, or a Japanese reservation platform. The book opens exactly two months ahead of each date; crab-season dates go within hours.

Bookable, but exactly two months out — call the day the window opens.

Phone-first; the official site also links TableCheck. Reports: the book opens at 12:00 on the first business day of each month for dates through the end of two months ahead.

Eleven counter seats in the Nagoya Kanko Hotel. Reports describe hundreds of redials on release day; the official site now also links a TableCheck page.

Phone only, answered 14:30–18:00. On the 1st of each month (next business day if a Wed/Thu) the book opens for the month three months ahead. First-timers name a past diner.

About 19 seats over three lunch seatings; the book empties in a morning. Regulars rebook as they leave.

Phone only. On the 1st of each month at 10:00 the house opens the whole month six months ahead. Only four parties per service, so plan half a year out.

Four parties per service, lunch and dinner. Six months out means the book fills on release morning; a cancellation waitlist exists on request.

Phone in Japanese (Japanese-only online system for stays). No published release day; book early for the November 6–March 20 crab season, especially before New Year.

Seven rooms; peak weeks between November 6 and New Year fill first. Top-grade crab plans are priced by the crab.

Phone only (0594-22-0657). The peak May–July clam season opens in a January phone rush, from 11:00 on the first business day; weekends go that morning.

Minimum two guests, no same-day tables; parties of two or three may wait while larger rooms confirm. Cancellation fees from three days out.

Bookable any time by phone or Japanese online form; in crab season (from November) pre-order the kani-men with the table, as it sells out.

Walk-ins queue on winter evenings; the crab, not the table, is what needs ordering ahead.

Phone in Japanese, with normal travel lead time — no release day. The house asks overseas guests to book through a platform or a Japanese-speaking intermediary.

Genuinely obtainable with normal lead time; the house asks overseas guests to route through a platform.

Phone or the house's own web form, both in Japanese. No release day: a same-week call usually works, but book ahead in blossom, summer and foliage seasons.

A same-week call usually settles it outside high season. Last orders 14:45 lunch, 19:45 dinner.

Phone only, in Japanese, fully reservation-only. No release day: with proper lead time the book opens; the filter is language, not a lottery.

Fully reservation-only; opens with proper lead time. Dinner's last entry is 19:00.

Phone in Japanese, with normal lead time — no release day. Lunch is genuinely obtainable; closures are irregular, so the schedule is confirmed when booking.

Lunch is genuinely obtainable within a normal planning window; the house closes irregularly, so confirm the day's schedule.

Reservation-only, mostly spoken for by phone regulars. Remaining seats drop unannounced via the OMAKASE lottery and invitation platforms — no verifiable release schedule.

Regulars rebook before leaving; start three to six months out with several dates ready. Widely counted the hardest tempura seat in Japan.

Phone preferred (0742-77-2525), with TableCheck as backup. Reservations accepted up to three months ahead; 30% cancellation fee from two days before.

Official site asks for phone bookings as standard and accepts up to three months ahead; TableCheck carries the overflow. 30% cancellation fee from two days before

Phone only (077-599-2058). The book opens at 10:00 exactly three months ahead to the day; winter bear dates are a redial race. No cancellation once booked.

Hundreds of redials reported for winter bear dates; cancellation after booking is not accepted.

Phone (+81-75-551-3310), about a year ahead — reports say each month opens on the 1st, roughly 13 months out. Overseas guests must book through their hotel; the restaurant reconfirms a week before.

Official page: 'from one year ahead'. A 2022 report gave 13 months, each month opening on the 1st. Overseas guests must book via their hotel; proxy bookings need the guest's own prior call. 50% fee from 7 days, 100% from 5.

Phone (075-881-9190) or the official AutoReserve page. Bookings open one month ahead of each date; nine counter seats, omakase only.

The official AutoReserve listing states bookings open one month ahead; nine counter seats, omakase only, so the month sells through fast

Phone 10:00–21:00. Bookings open on the 1st of the month two months before your date and close two days before. Some seats also sold on Pocket Concierge.

Official example: for 15 August, book between 1 June and 13 August. Pocket Concierge shows a subset of seats online

Phone only. The line opens at 10:00 JST on the first business day of each month and releases every seat through the end of the month two months ahead.

Reports describe 4–5 hours of redialing on release day; seats through the end of the month two months ahead go in one sitting

Phone only (06-6211-0201). Lines open at 09:00 on the first business day of the month two months before your date; expect heavy redialing.

First-time guests are reported to get through only by redialing from 09:00 on release day; regulars hold most seats

Phone only, reception 9:00–20:00. The book opens on the first business day of each month for dates through the end of the month two months out; two seatings a day go fast.

Two seatings a day (12:00 and 17:00), two guests minimum; cancellation closes four days out at 20:00.

Phone only (+81-75-752-3500). On the 1st of each month at 08:00 JST (next day if closed) the whole following month opens — and usually fills that day.

The following month typically fills on release day; if the 1st is a closed day the line opens the next day. Ask to be put on the cancellation list (13 counter seats).

Phone in Japanese (075-493-0019), any time with normal lead time. Every course is cooked only to order, and closing days follow the temple's calendar.

Everything is cooked to order, so the meal must be reserved; a walk-in gets tea, not lunch.

Phone (078-221-8851) or Ikyu online. Two fixed seatings a day, ten counter seats. No release trigger; the shop says to call if the web shows full.

Ten counter seats in fixed two-hour seatings. Ikyu sells seats online, and the shop says to phone when the site shows full

Phone only, in Japanese (075-861-0359); no online calendar. No release day — book with normal lead time after confirming the month's closures.

Eight private rooms for 2–20 guests; cancellation fees from two days prior. The teahouse side needs no reservation.

Phone-first, in Japanese, two-guest minimum; a few seats reach online platforms. No release day — book one to three months ahead, stating main house or annex.

Two-guest minimum. Plan one to three months ahead; a handful of seats reach online platforms, the tatami rooms stay on the phone.

Phone (075-711-6121), with some seats on Ikyu and Gurunavi. No fixed release day is published; book with normal lead time and note 100% charge from two days before.

No release trigger published; higher-priced courses need booking by the day before and cancellations from two days out are charged 100%. Ikyu and Gurunavi carry online seats

Genuinely bookable. Phone (+81-75-561-0015, 10:00–22:00) or online via the official English/Chinese pages for overseas guests; no release trigger — just book weeks ahead, months for peak seasons.

Weeks ahead for ordinary dinners; months for November foliage and early-April blossom. Overseas guests can book online via the English/Chinese pages.

Phone 10:00–21:30 (075-881-1101), the official web form (confirmed by callback) or TableCheck. No fixed release day; April and Nov–Jan sell out early.

Web-form requests are confirmed only after a follow-up phone call; TableCheck also lists seats. Cancellation fees apply from five days before

Phone only, in Japanese; no online book and no release day. Normal lead time is enough, but arriving 30 minutes late without word releases the table.

Arrive 30 minutes late without word and the table is automatically released. Closed only Dec 30–Jan 3.

Phone in Japanese (06-6211-3030); no platform, no English form. No release day — a call a few weeks ahead generally lands a seat.

Twenty-three counter seats plus two tatami rooms; a call a few weeks out generally lands a seat.

Phone only, in Japanese — no internet booking. No release day, but dinner must be reserved by 17:00 the day before; lunch may take walk-ins.

Lunch can absorb walk-ins; dinner exists only by advance booking with a firm 17:00 day-before cutoff.

Phone reservations in Japanese, or walk in early. No release day — sixteen seats, two-hour turns, evenings only.

Fifteen counter seats and one table, two-hour turns; walk-in also works if you come early.

Phone in Japanese, with normal lead time — no release day. The riverside seats and summer terrace are assigned when you call, so ask early.

Easy to book; riverside window and summer terrace seats are assigned when you call.

Phone only, in Japanese, answered 10:00–17:00; no online book. No release day, but first-timers report waits of around five months — plan a season ahead.

First-time callers report the earliest table around five months out; returning guests are given dates up to eight months ahead.

Phone (0742-33-0102) with seats also on Ikyu and Hitosara. No fixed release day; book a few weeks ahead, longer for weekends.

Official site takes phone bookings; Ikyu and Hitosara also list seats. Visitors report booking a few weeks ahead for lunch

Phone only, 10:00–21:00 (075-533-3100). The flagship publishes no release day; the sister shops Muromachi and Kyoto Wakuden take web bookings.

Wakuden's other branches take web bookings; Kodaiji is phone only and publishes no release schedule. Cancellation fees from two days before

Phone (075-746-0231) or the tentative-booking form on the official site. No release rule is published; peak months fill months ahead.

A ryokan with only a handful of rooms and day-meal seats; reviewers report peak months (autumn, matsutake) selling out months ahead

Phone (075-351-6833) or ask at the counter. The first seating is booked far ahead, often a year; a call around 20:00 can find a late seat.

Only the early seating is pre-booked; reports describe waits of up to a year, and calling around 20:00 for late-evening walk-in seats

Phone (06-6773-5518) with some seats on Ikyu. No published release day; course only, cash only, and 100% cancellation fee from three days out.

Course diners only, cash only. Ikyu lists seats online; no release schedule is published. Cancellation charged 100% from three days before

Phone (06-6120-0790) or Ikyu online. Sixteen seats, dinner only, closed Mondays. No release day is published; same-day cancellations are charged in full.

Sixteen seats, omakase only. Ikyu carries a share of seats online; no release trigger is published. Same-day cancellation charged 100%

Phone in Japanese, plus a trickle of online slots. No release day — one 18:30 seating of fourteen; cancellations inside two days are charged, same-day in full.

Fourteen seats, one 18:30 seating; a limited stream of seats reaches an online platform. Cancellation within two days charged, same-day 100%.

Phone only (083-245-0051), in Japanese. No release day — same-day sometimes works, but book ahead for a set date, a garden room or the full wild-fugu course.

Same-day is sometimes possible; eleven private rooms (2–60 guests) argue for booking ahead.

Reservation-only by phone in Japanese, from two guests. No release day, but the book closes four days before your date — no walk-ins.

Reservation-only, no walk-ins; the cutoff four days before your date is firm.

Phone or Instagram DM, with an AutoReserve page as backup. No fixed release day; about a month's notice is the norm for a counter seat.

Tabelog Sushi WEST 100 (2025). Regulars report calling about a month ahead; the shop also answers Instagram DMs.

Phone-first, in Japanese, required by the day before. No release day; one seating each at 12:00 and 18:00, about three parties a night.

About three parties a night; one seating each at 12:00 and 18:00, everyone starts together. No public transport — arrange a car.

Reservation only, two adults minimum. The book opens two months ahead, by phone in Japanese, with some tables released online.

Reservation-only, two adults minimum. Requesting a specific room (e.g. the Ryu-no-Ma) is part of the call.

Dinner by phone only; lunch online or phone. Each date opens exactly 90 days ahead. Parties of four or fewer; cancellation fees start one week before.

Tabelog Sushi 100 (2025). Parties of up to four; cancel by 22:00 the day before, fees from one week out.

Group tables book by phone only, in Japanese — the line opens at 13:00 each day for that evening. Counter seats are walk-in; no online booking.

Same-day only — the 13:00 call is the whole game; the counter takes no reservations.

Phone only, in Japanese. The book for the following month opens on the 1st of each month; the line is a lottery and waits of six months or more are normal.

The line is a lottery: six-month waits are called normal, a year not rare. The 14:00 seating is reportedly easiest. 50% fee from seven days out, 100% from four.

Phone (+81-93-521-5540): on the 1st of each month the following month opens and the line is jammed within minutes; an Ikyu listing also carries some seats. Release time not published.

Rule from a 2021 report (phone on the 1st for the following month; lines jammed). An Ikyu listing also exists (100% fee from 7 days). Book the counter before flights and hotels.

Phone only, in Japanese; no booking site and no published release day. Simply call, the earlier the better. No introduction needed, solo diners welcome.

Eight guests per service; no introduction required, bookable from one seat. The earlier the call, the better.

Phone only, in Japanese, and only from the guest in person — no agencies or platforms. No release day; reservation-only, no walk-ins.

Reservation holders only; calls from intermediaries are declined.

Phone reservations accepted (also online), but daily slots are limited and paused on holidays; walk-in seating runs in arrival order. No release-day system.

Reservations are accepted but capped per day and suspended in peak periods; beyond the cap, seating is first-come. Walk-ins welcome.

Phone only (098-867-1356), in Japanese. No release day, but only six rooms — the house may stop taking a day once they are spoken for, so call ahead.

Six private rooms only; once the rooms are spoken for the house may stop taking the day. Children twelve and under not seated.

Phone (0955-74-6665) or a Japanese-only online system. Seats are released three months at a time, each block opening at 12:00 noon on an announced day.

Seven seats, two services a day, no waitlist; the noon release is the only door.

Phone only, in Japanese — no online booking anywhere. No release day; dinner only, and your start time is agreed on the call. Cash only.

Eight counter seats, no online channel, cash only; every seating is by arrangement.

Phone in Japanese, a few days ahead is normally enough — no release day. 110 seats, open nightly year-round, but book anyway.

110 seats but Naha fills them; a call a few days out is normally enough.

Phone in Japanese, and it works — no release day, no platforms. A counter seat is obtainable within a normal planning window, weekends included.

A well-timed call lands a counter seat within a normal planning window, evenings and weekends included.

Phone only, in Japanese. The book opens three months before each date; weekends are tight by two months out, and no online channel exists.

Calling two months out is already tight for a weekend; no online channel exists.

Phone only, in Japanese. The book opens about one month ahead; three fixed seatings (17:00/19:00/21:00), and Aug–Oct the early ones go first.

Book opens about a month ahead; the summer-to-autumn rush fills the early seatings fast.

Reservation-only. Phone the shop, or use its official AutoReserve page, which opens dates two months ahead. Book by the day before at the latest.

Reservation-only; the shop asks guests to book by the day before. Dinner counter sells out weeks ahead in crab and uni season.

Phone only. The book opens at 11:00 on the first business day of each month and covers dates through the end of the following month. No proxy bookings.

Three Michelin stars, two seatings; the line is jammed on release morning and prime dates go within the hour. No proxy bookings accepted.

Phone only, in Japanese (011-512-6598); no online booking. No release day, but calls are taken well ahead — ring weeks in advance.

Reservation essential; locals ring weeks ahead. Closed Mondays.

Phone, reservation-only, no fixed release day. Weekend seats go 1–2 months ahead. Minimum two guests; no solo diners; cash only.

Weekends are booked 1–2 months out. Parties of two or more only; cash only.

The counter cannot be reserved — walk-in, first come. Second-floor private rooms are booked by phone in Japanese with normal lead time; no release day.

The ten-seat counter is walk-in only; weekends queue before opening. Closing days are irregular, announced monthly.