Booking calendar
Chubu & Hokuriku: when the hardest tables open reservations
Release days, booking channels and phone-line hours for 54 hard-to-book restaurants in Chubu & Hokuriku — checked monthly by a Tokyo reservation desk.
54 houses · Phone, in Japanese 21 houses · Monthly 14 houses
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9).
OMAKASE, TableCheck, Pocket Concierge and Ikyu are Japanese booking apps; most need a Japanese phone number or card. "In our collection" marks houses with a full profile on this site.
Phone only. From 10:00 on the first business day of each month the house opens dates through the end of the month two months ahead; expect hundreds of redials.
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.
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.
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.
Phone; the 1st of each month opens the month two months ahead. Eight seats and single seatings — call on release day.
Phone; the book opens on the 1st, two months ahead — but six seats go to regulars first and new guests are rarely seated without an introduction.
OMAKASE only, no phone. On the 1st of each month at 09:00 JST the following month drops and is gone within seconds.
TableCheck or phone, up to two months ahead to the day; plus on the 1st at 10:00 two seats per night of the next month drop on TableCheck.
Online (TableCheck) or phone. On the 1st of each month the book opens through the end of the month two months ahead; Gold-award seats go fast.
OMAKASE only. The monthly batch drops on the 1st of each month; about 40% of seats go to new guests, the rest are rebooked by regulars at the counter.
OMAKASE only (phone suspended). At the start of each month the house opens seats through the end of the following month.
Ikyu. On the 1st of each month the house releases dates three months ahead; cancelled seats reappear on Ikyu without notice.
All 54 houses by region
Chubu & Hokuriku 54 houses
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.
Phone in Japanese, or a Japanese reservation platform. The book opens exactly two months ahead of each date; crab-season dates go within hours.
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.
Phone; the 1st of each month opens the month two months ahead. Eight seats and single seatings — call on release day.
Phone; the book opens on the 1st, two months ahead — but six seats go to regulars first and new guests are rarely seated without an introduction.
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.
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.
Phone only. From 10:00 on the first business day of each month the house opens dates through the end of the month two months ahead; expect hundreds of redials.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Phone (Pocket Concierge as a fallback). Bookable any time, reservation-only; no fixed release day.
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.
Phone only, in Japanese, fully reservation-only. No release day: with proper lead time the book opens; the filter is language, not a lottery.
Phone. Bookings are taken any time with no published release day; the book is usually full weeks ahead, so call early with several dates.
Phone in Japanese, with normal lead time — no release day. Lunch is genuinely obtainable; closures are irregular, so the schedule is confirmed when booking.
Bookable any time by phone (AutoReserve too); walk-ins line up. No release day — just call ahead, especially in summer eel season.
Open booking by phone (or Hot Pepper) for parties of four or fewer; bigger groups just queue. Expect 20–40 minutes at lunch — check the live wait on the official site.
Phone, number unpublished, seven seats booked a year ahead. No release rule is public — realistically an introduction from a regular is the route.
Reservation-only, mostly spoken for by phone regulars. Remaining seats drop unannounced via the OMAKASE lottery and invitation platforms — no verifiable release schedule.
Restaurant seats open on the online system exactly 90 days ahead; the three cottages are booked separately with the auberge. Cancellation fees start three days out.
Online only via TableCheck (Pocket Concierge also listed), up to three months ahead. No email or Facebook bookings; phone is for private-room enquiries only.
TableCheck or phone. The shop accepts bookings only up to one month ahead, so seats open on a rolling basis; requests close 3 business days before the date.
Online (TableCheck) or phone. On the 1st of each month the book opens through the end of the month two months ahead; Gold-award seats go fast.
OMAKASE (AutoReserve mirrors it). A new month opens on the 1st, roughly two months ahead; the timing is taken from the platform notice, not a house-published rule.
OMAKASE only, no phone. On the 1st of each month at 09:00 JST the following month drops and is gone within seconds.
Ikyu. On the 1st of each month the house releases dates three months ahead; cancelled seats reappear on Ikyu without notice.
TableCheck (also Ikyu). The house takes bookings two months out; each new month opens on the 1st. Closed Nov 2026–Jan 2027.
TableCheck or phone, up to two months ahead to the day; plus on the 1st at 10:00 two seats per night of the next month drop on TableCheck.
OMAKASE only. The monthly batch drops on the 1st of each month; about 40% of seats go to new guests, the rest are rebooked by regulars at the counter.
OMAKASE only (phone suspended). At the start of each month the house opens seats through the end of the following month.
No seat reservations: put your name on the same-day list at the door. Only kaiseki-course private rooms are booked by phone, at least three days ahead.
Book on TableCheck (via the official site), phone or email; no fixed release day. Weekend dinners need 3–6 weeks; staying overnight secures dinner most easily.
Reservation-only via OMAKASE and Ikyu, or phone in Japanese. No published release day — eight seats book out well ahead; cancellation fees start a month out.
Introduction only: one party a day, booked through an existing guest. There is no public line or online release — we cannot place this call for you.
Eight seats held by regulars and introductions. Remaining slots surface on the OMAKASE platform at unannounced moments and vanish in seconds; the phone era is over.
Bookable any time on the house's TableCheck link or by phone. No fixed release day.
Open booking on Ikyu or the official site, lunch ¥15,000–20,000 and dinner ¥20,000–30,000. No release day; a week or two ahead is usually enough.
Book on TableCheck (24 h) or by phone; no fixed release day. Weekend dinners fill weeks ahead; 50% charge two days before, 100% from the day before.
Closed to new bookings — sold out through end-2027. Watch Instagram and the Shokuoku cancellation auction; the house refuses agency bookings.
No reservations, ever. Take a numbered ticket at the shop (or on your phone) from around 09:00 and wait — 4–7 hours on weekends. Other branches are much quicker.
Online reservations on the official site for parties of two or more (phone during the day if no seats show); otherwise queue on the day. No release-day system.
Regulars and introductions only. No new bookings by phone or online — the OMAKASE page has never opened. Go with someone the house knows.
24-hour online booking on Pocket Concierge (the house's stated channel); phone also possible. No fixed release day; book several weeks ahead in season.
Reservation-only. Book online via the official site's AutoReserve page (no fixed release day; far-ahead dates open); Ikyu and Pocket Concierge also carry request seats.
Bookable any time on the house's TableCheck calendar (or by phone). No fixed release day; weekend seats disappear weeks ahead.
Bookable any time on TableCheck or Ikyu (also via phone). No published release day; dinner fills weeks ahead, lunch is easier.
Online through Japanese platforms such as Ikyu, or by phone. No fixed release day, but bear (Dec–Feb) and matsutake (Sep–Nov) seats sell out months ahead.
OMAKASE via the Instagram link, or phone. No published release day — book a few weeks ahead for the eight-seat, two-seating counter.
Online only — the house does not take phone bookings. No published release day; we watch the booking page and secure the date for you.
Online via Ikyu (its listing says internet only) and Pocket Concierge; the phone rarely connects and regulars rebook at the counter. No published release day — watch the listings.
Online only for new guests; phone bookings are not taken. No published release day — we monitor the booking page for your dates.
Online only, via two OMAKASE store pages (Shibata weekends, Niigata weekdays), everyone seated at once. The platform's release cadence is not published — check OMAKASE.
← All 500+ houses in the booking calendar
The seasonal wire
One email at the end of each month: next month's reservation release days for Japan's hardest tables — which phone lines open on the 1st, at what hour — plus what comes into season. No noise; unsubscribe anytime.
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 and let us confirm the specifics for your dates.