Yokohama (old Kanagawa-juku)
割烹 田中家
Tanakaya
懐石 · Kaiseki
Phone & Japanese-only booking
The teahouse in Hiroshige's woodblock print — 160 years of ryōtei culture, where Sakamoto Ryōma's widow once waited tables.
By SHOKU NOREN Team · Facts last verified September 2026 · How we check
Open Hiroshige's Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō to the Kanagawa
print: a row of teahouses on a bluff above the bay. The third house
from the top is this one. Rebuilt as a ryōtei in 1863 and run by the
same family since, Tanakaya is the last restaurant of the old
Kanagawa post town, and the place where Oryō, the widow of samurai
hero Sakamoto Ryōma, worked as a serving woman in the 1870s,
recommended by the statesman Katsu Kaishū, charming foreign guests
with her moon-lute and English.
What you eat
Monthly kaiseki courses in private tatami rooms with a dedicated
attendant, and, in season, the specialties the regulars book it for:
eel hot pot finished as rice porridge, soft-shell turtle, wild kue
grouper in winter. The fifth-generation okami still comes to each room
with photographs and tells the house's history herself; with notice,
the house arranges Yokohama geisha — one of the last places in the
region where that culture can be experienced at dinner.
The Noren View
Tokyo's surviving ryōtei are mostly closed doors. Tanakaya is the rare
one that welcomes newcomers without an introducer — yet almost no
overseas traveler has heard of it, seven minutes from one of the
busiest stations in Japan. Come for the print, stay for the okami's
stories.
Who it's for
History travelers, anyone who wants geisha entertainment without the
Kyoto gatekeeping, and Yokohama evenings that need a centerpiece — the
harbor at dusk, then dinner on the old road above it.
Tanakaya: common questions
Can you book Tanakaya from abroad?
Yes — this is exactly what we do. Reservation-only, minimum two guests, no same-day. Bookable — but the geisha arrangements, room choice, and the okami's history talk are what we actually arrange. Our Tokyo desk places the booking by phone, and the ¥6,000-per-seat fee is charged only if we confirm your table.
How much does Tanakaya cost?
Weekday lunch set ¥8,800 · lunch kaiseki ¥14,000–34,000 · dinner kaiseki ¥20,000–34,000 (tax incl.) · 15% service on drinks. You settle the course directly with the restaurant; our booking fee is ¥6,000 per seat on top, paid only once your table is confirmed.
Does Tanakaya take credit cards?
Cards accepted (no e-money or QR codes) · +15% service on the drinks bill.
Where is Tanakaya, and how do I get there?
Tanakaya is in Yokohama (old Kanagawa-juku). Yokohama Stn west exit, 7 min walk — up the stone steps of the old Tōkaidō post road
When is Tanakaya open?
Lunch 11:30–14:00 · Dinner 17:00–22:00 (dinner bookings from 18:30). (Irregular — mainly the summer break and New Year)
We can seat you here. Our Tokyo desk works beyond the booking apps — house relationships, Japanese phone lines, allocation seats. Booking fee ¥6,000/per seat (≈ $38), charged only when your table is confirmed. No seat, no fee.
Request this table 
