Restaurants in Japan(4109)
Sushi Wasabi
Omakase courses built from the chef’s expertise and fine-tuned to suit each guest perfectly makes the sushi at Sushi Wasabi more than just a fine-dining experience. The open, relaxed space invites diners to savor and unwind together.
Nyorosuke Roppongi
At Nyorosuke, you can experience authentic Kansai-style charcoal grilled eel dishes such as grilled eel skewers, unaju and unagi-don. Unlike most Tokyo-style eel restaurants, the eel here is not steamed—meaning it’s bursting full of flavor!
Sushi Iwase
Chef Kenji Iwase got a comparatively late start to his sushi career, switching from an office job at 20 years old. But that hasn’t stopped him from serving some of the most vaunted sushi in all of Tokyo, particularly his signature sea urchin rice.
Jyanoichi Honten
Literature and food aficionados alike flock to this Nihonbashi sushi establishment, which was frequented by legendary Japanese writer Naoya Shiga. Enjoy authentic Edomae sushi just as Shiga himself would have, unchanged over five generations.
MARUICHI FUJI AKASAKA (formerly Nyorosuke Akasaka)
Rather than steam the eel first in Kanto style, this famed Akasaka unagi specialist upholds Kansai tradition by going straight into grilling the eel for a crispier, crunchier texture.
Ginza Shibahama
A love letter to both his wife and the culinary tradition he chose to dedicate his life to, Chef Yoshio Nakashita’s dual mastery of sushi and traditional kappo cuisine are on full display at his Ginza restaurant.
Ginza Ugai
Gratitude drives every service here at this Ginza kaiseki restaurant. Chef Ryogo Fujii’s mastery of umami, sweetness and bitterness augments the choice quality of his ingredients, all sourced from an extensive network of suppliers across the country.
Yakiniku Ushi Jirushi Ginza
The latest dining concept from the Toraji group, one of the most famous names in wagyu, Ushi Jirushi assigns an expert “master griller” to each table. Diners can relax knowing that each cut, from horumon to harami, will be cooked to perfection.
Yakitori Matsuoka
This central Michelin-recognized Osaka yakitori restaurant’s English-speaking chef has amassed a following not just for his amiable demeanor and impeccable Kagoshima poultry skewers, but also his collection of rare Japanese whiskies and sake.
Tonkatsu Fujiki Ningyocho
A Ningyocho fixture, Fujiki offers a varied spread of tonkatsu cutlet offerings, but most go for their signature dish: a huge bone-in tomahawk-style pork cutlet that looks just as good as it tastes. It’s great either plain or with the house sauce.
Shunwaseki Uoman Nishi-Umeda Main Branch
From Nagasaki to Hokkaido, Shunwaseki Uoman has direct access to Japan’s freshest seafood. Beautifully plated and served up kaiseki-style, each course is then perfectly paired with the restaurant’s formidable sake selection.
Higonoya Omotesando
The Uredori chicken is the poultry pride of Ninohe City in Iwate Prefecture, renowned for its umami and texture. It is this chicken that is used in yakitori restaurant Higonoya, grilled to perfection right at the counter.
Niku no Himaraya to Nomuno (Shintomicho/Tsukiji Branch)
Aptly named for the Himalayas mountain range, this Tsukiji yakiniku restaurant’s signature dish is the “meat Himalaya”: up to 1kg of sliced Australian grain-fed Angus beef arranged in a literal mountain of meat.
Sushi Academy Shinjuku Nishiguchi
Eat your fill of over 65 different menu items at this all-you-can-eat Shinjuku sushi restaurant. All sushi is made to order, and children receive significant discounts — those 3 and under dine free.
Shigeno Sushi
A sophisticated Edomae sushi restaurant, Shigeno Sushi in Nihombashi once built its reputation as a fishmonger but now stands on its own under the stewardship of Ichiro Sakuma.
Yakiniku Horumon Tasuki Shinbashi
Only premium cuts of wagyu beef and horumon (offals) are on offer at this Shinbashi yakiniku restaurant, with impeccable service and fares at affordable prices.
Sushi & Wine Omotesandoria
A clever sushi-and-wine-bar that’s setting a trend in Omotesando, with stellar sushi, creative snacks and sommelier-approved natural drops to match.
Shinjuku Kakekomi Gyoza
Located in the heart of Kabukicho, this Edo-period-themed gyoza shop offers handmade gyoza alongside all-you-can-drink options, available 24 hours a day throughout the year.
Minokichi Shijo Kawaramachi
Kaiseki in its birthplace, a meal at one of the oldest establishments to serve it — the 300-year-old Minokichi brand returns to Kyoto, now serving ultra-seasonal kaiseki in Kawaramachi to showcase the city's culinary splendor.
Yoyogi-Uehara Yu
The supplier comes first at this Yoyogi-Uehara kappo restaurant. Chef Yusuke Imoto’s culinary philosophy focuses on conveying the hard work and passion of his farmers, ranchers and fishermen to the customer with simple, unadorned dishes.
Sushi mahoroba
A cozy sushi bar that opens until 3 am along Osaka’s neon-lit shopping arcade. Come here for a masterclass in nigiri and a thesis on how sushi can be the appropriate late-night grub.
Koishikawa Nakasei
One of Tokyo’s few steakhouses to receive a Michelin star, Nakasei’s pride and joy is the purebred Tajima beef — predecessor to the modern wagyu like Omi, Matsusaka and Kobe beef — which is aged up to three months for optimal flavor.
Nikutei Futago iki Hongo Sanchome
While the Nikutei Futago restaurants are all renowned for their dedication to a sophisticated yakiniku dining experience, the Hongo Sanchome branch sets itself apart by specializing in halal Kurohana wagyu beef from Kumamoto Prefecture.
Yakiniku Toraji Hilton Plaza Osaka (West)
Enjoy both quality and quantity here at this yakiniku restaurant in the west wing of luxury shopping complex Hilton Plaza Osaka. Every cut of beef here is gorgeously marbled and cut thick for maximum enjoyment of both flavor and texture.
Azabujuban Hanabusa
This Tokyo restaurant sources its eels from unagi farmers in Isshiki Town, who have raised them in an all-natural environment for over 100 years. The unagi are then coated in a secret sauce, before being grilled Kansai-style over a charcoal flame.
Torafugu-tei Ginza
Transporting its fugu live from Nagasaki fisheries in under 15 hours, this tiger pufferfish specialist is said to have fish so fresh that it continues to swim on the plate. Enjoy it in a number of different ways, from fried to boiled to raw.
Teppanyaki Icho (Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba)
Teppanyaki Icho not only dazzles guests with spectacular displays of culinary skill, but also a beautiful sight of Tokyo Bay and its surroundings, thanks to its position on the 30th floor of the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba.
grill GRAND
Every item on the Michelin-recommended grill GRAND is heart-stoppingly delicious, but the omu-hayashi rice is the dish to beat, with a healthy topping of the restaurant’s secret demi-glace sauce.
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Best Restaurants in Japan
From fresh sushi to crispy tempura, Japan’s diverse restaurant scene excites visitors and locals alike with hundreds of thousands of high-quality Japanese restaurants. Beckoning with drool-worthy plastic replicas in their windows, both contemporary and traditional restaurants offer unique flavors and atmospheres. Enter any restaurant in Japan and immediately be welcomed with a hearty “irasshaimase!”
Many Japanese restaurants focus on one signature dish, like Japanese curry restaurants, ramen shops, or speciality restaurants selling yakitori grilled chicken skewers. Restaurants steam with DIY shabu-shabu hotpots while grill-it-yourself teppanyaki hotplate restaurants sizzle! Find tiny family-owned ramen shops hidden in the backstreets of Kyoto, and yatai street food stalls bustling in alleys of Fukuoka. And let’s not forget, Tokyo alone boasts the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world!
Throughout the country, fine dining restaurants serving exquisite kaiseki banquets contrast cheap “shokudo” cafeterias meals for salarymen on-the-go. You can order dinner directly from a tablet or even a vending machine, or choose your own sushi pieces trundling past on the belt of a sushi train. Nibble on small plates as you drink up during an izakaya dining experience, seated on tatami flooring and cheersing “kampai!” with the locals. There are so many exciting Japan restaurant options with different foods and local cuisines to try, so don’t waste a moment of your trip looking for a restaurant! Reserve ahead of time at some of the best restaurants in Japan with byFood and secure some of the country’s best cuisine for your taste buds. Don't forget to say, “gochisosama deshita” when you leave any Japan restaurant, meaning “thank you for the meal!”