Phone, in JapaneseThe line only a Japanese speaker can work — this is where our desk earns its fee.
PlatformA Japanese booking platform (OMAKASE, TableCheck, Pocket Concierge, Ikyu).
OnlineThe house's own web form or major sites.
No reservationsQueue or name list on the day.
Introduction onlyRegulars and their guests only; no public book.
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, 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.
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.
Phone bookings are taken up to three months ahead, 11:00–16:00 on business days; Ikyu/Tabelog request plans are the online route. Cancellation is 100% from six days before.
Tabelog Award Bronze 2023–2026; ¥33,000 omakase. Cancellation is 100% from six days out, so book only once dates are firm.
☎ Business hours on the 1st (092-575-0718, Japanese); opening time not published
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.
☎ +81-979-23-5550; closed Sundays (Monday when Monday is a holiday)
Fully reservation-only with two seatings (16:00, 19:00). Book by phone or on Ikyu / Pocket Concierge — no fixed release day, normal lead time.
Tabelog Award Bronze 2019–2026 and Michelin one star; the 6-seat counter goes first, private rooms are easier. Weekends fill weeks ahead in fugu/hamo season.
☎ 0955-53-8820; dinner only 18:00–21:00, one seating, irregular closures
Phone only — Instagram DMs are not accepted. Bookable any time with no fixed release day; one seating of about eight, so call weeks ahead.
Opened 2024 by the former no.2 of Kyoto's Nishibuchi Hanten; Tabelog Award Silver in its second year. Four counter seats plus one table, parties of two or more, ¥13,000 course.
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 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.
Reservation-only, 8 seats. Phone or the Tabelog/TableCheck calendar — no fixed release day, but weekends go weeks ahead. Cancellation from the day before is charged in full.
Tabelog Award Bronze 2026 and Sushi WEST Hyakumeiten; 100% cancellation fee from the day before. Weekend dinners fill several weeks out.
Phone or Ikyu, normal lead time — no release day. Fugu is served year-round; book a few weeks ahead for winter weekends. Cancellation charged from the day before.
100-seat ryotei so seats exist, but winter weekends and the counter/private rooms need a few weeks. 10% service charge; 50% cancellation fee the day before, 100% same day.
☎ 0955-74-6665, in Japanese; also a Japanese-only online system (closed Mon & Tue)
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, no online booking. The house publishes no rule; diners report calling in the morning one month ahead. We call and check.
8-seat counter, two seatings (18:00 / 20:30), cash only, about ¥20,000. Widely ranked among Fukuoka's hardest sushi bookings; some diners got in via regulars.
TableCheck (the official web channel) with phone for changes only. Reports: each date opens three months ahead on a rolling basis. Cancellation is 100% from six days out.
Three Michelin stars (Fukuoka 2019), 12 seats. Seats are gone the moment they appear; cancellations at 6 days out cost 100%.
24-hour online booking on Pocket Concierge (the house's stated channel) or phone. No fixed release day; book several weeks ahead for the seven-seat counter.
Two Michelin stars (Fukuoka 2014, 2019), seven-seat counter. Online seats via Pocket Concierge sell out weeks ahead; the phone is the fallback.
Book on TableCheck for the single 18:00-start sitting; private rooms and other times by phone. No published release day — dates simply go up and sell within days.
Asia's 50 Best-ranked Takeshi Fukuyama; 17 seats, one sitting a night. Weekend dates on TableCheck disappear within days of appearing.
Online via Ikyu, Hot Pepper or phone — no fixed release. Closed Wednesdays and some Tue/Thu; book a couple of weeks ahead for the counter.
Tabelog Award-nominated 'sushi restaurant' pairing nigiri with natural wine; 40 seats including private rooms. Cancellation 50% from 2 days, 100% from the day before.
No reservations — sign the waiting list at the door. Open 11:00–22:30 (entry until 22:00), closed Wednesdays; 14:00–15:00 is the quiet window.
1953 American-style steakhouse near Asahibashi. Write your name on the waiting list; 30 minutes on weekdays, an hour-plus at weekends. Cash (JCB only for cards).
Members and introductions only. The official site states new-member enrolment is suspended (July 2026). No public phone or online booking route exists.
Former three-star (Michelin Fukuoka 2019). Fully members-only after relocation; Tabelog holds the listing pending confirmation of the new premises.
TableCheck or phone, reservation-only. No published release day; reports say the book opens one to two months ahead. Bookings are non-transferable.
Seven counter seats near Hakata Station. Reservations are personal and non-transferable; groups of 3+ must call. Historically phone-only, now also on TableCheck.
OMAKASE only — no phone or walk-in bookings. Release timing is not published; new dates appear in batches and weekend sittings go fast.
Hilltop French on Kouri Island, 90 min from Naha; Tabelog Award Bronze 2025–2026. Dates appear on OMAKASE in batches and weekends are taken quickly — set an OMAKASE alert.
Ikyu or PayPay Gourmet request bookings; historically introduction-only and fully booked a year out. No published release day and a 100% cancellation fee — we check availability first.
Tabelog Award 2026 Gold — Fukuoka's only Gold sushi. 9 seats, dinner ¥30,000–40,000, 100% cancellation fee from the moment you book.
Own website form only, opened on reception dates announced on the site and Instagram. Currently full through 2027; the next opening date is not yet announced.
Nine counter seats, one 18:00 start, ¥29,700 + 10% service. Phone, email and third-party sites are refused; cancellations are posted on Instagram @narayamachi_ao.
OMAKASE platform for first-timers (Ikyu also lists seats). No published release day; bookings are non-cancellable, with one date change permitted.
The Instagram-famous 'sushi theatre' of Takayoshi Watanabe: 10-seat 3F counter, ¥40,000+, single seatings at 12:00 / 17:30 / 20:30. No cancellations once booked (one date change allowed).
Online only via the Tabelog calendar — the phone is never answered. No published release day; cancellations are announced on Instagram. Cash only, arrive 5 minutes early.
Kosaka-chicken omakase run by one person; Tabelog Award Bronze 2026. New dates vanish as soon as they appear online — watch Instagram for cancellations. Arrive exactly 5 minutes early.
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.