Release rule

How to Book Gensai: Reservation Release Day, Phone and Rules (2026)

玄斎 · Sannomiya, Kobe · Kaiseki · Lunch & dinner

How to book this house

Phone in Japanese (078-221-8851) or Ikyu online. Two fixed two-hour seatings a day (16:00 and 19:00; Sundays 12:00 and 17:00), ten counter seats; no release day, so book a few weeks ahead.

Read more

Closed Mondays and Fridays.

Next release
No release day — book any time
Where bookings are taken
Platform · Ikyu
Lunch / dinner
Lunch & dinner

Lunch on Sun only

Phone line
078-221-8851; seatings Tue–Thu and Sat 16:00 / 19:00, Sun 12:00 / 17:00; closed Mon and Fri
If a seat comes back

We found no official vacancy alert for this booking channel. Booking on the release day is the realistic route.

About this house

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

Allergies or dietary needs? Make a Japanese dining card →

Next release days

No release day — book any time

Last verified September 7, 2026 · checked by our desk October 4, 2026

Source for the booking rule: the booking page (restaurant.ikyu.com), read September 7, 2026.

All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9).

More houses in Sannomiya, Kobe

More Kaiseki in the same region

All houses in Kansai →

When does Gensai open its reservation book?

Phone in Japanese (078-221-8851) or Ikyu online. Two fixed two-hour seatings a day (16:00 and 19:00; Sundays 12:00 and 17:00), ten counter seats; no release day, so book a few weeks ahead. Closed Mondays and Fridays. All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9).

How do I book Gensai from abroad?

Gensai takes reservations online through Ikyu, which you can use from abroad with your own account and a credit card. If you would rather not, our Tokyo desk can request it for you: ¥12,000 per seat, charged only if the table is secured. A free release-date alert emails you the day before, on the morning of release day (08:00 JST) and about 30 minutes before when the opening time is known; houses that open a little every day come in a weekly summary.

What time zone is the release time?

All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9). Release days are computed from the house's published rule and re-checked monthly.

More release days in Kansai

Kansai: when hard-to-book restaurants open reservations →

← All 1,544 houses in the booking calendar

Rules are verified against official notices and platform listings and re-checked monthly. Houses change their systems without warning; treat the calendar as a planning tool. For restaurants in our collection, our desk confirms the specifics for your dates when you request.