Restaurant bookings for travellers in Japan
Eat where tourists can't get a table.
The eight-seat sushi counter. The yakitori spot with no English menu. The izakaya your hotel has never heard of. They only take bookings by phone, in Japanese. Paste their number. We make the call.
- No Japanese
- Our AI speaks it, politely
- No +81 needed
- The answer comes by email
- No table, no fee
- ¥1,000 a guest, only if they say yes
Ginza. A pale wooden counter, one chef, a handful of seats. Bookings by phone only, often weeks ahead.
Feature 01
How we get you in.
The places worth the flight still run on a landline and a paper diary. Here is what happens between you finding one and sitting down at the counter.
You find the place
On Tabelog, Google Maps or a friend's list. Copy its phone number and tell us the day, the time and how many of you.
Our AI calls, in Japanese
In a quiet hour between services, in the polite Japanese a restaurant expects. It says it's an AI calling for a guest from overseas.
You get the answer
In plain English by email, with a card in Japanese to show at the door. No table, no charge.
Overheard
7pm is full? It takes 7:30.
Tell us how flexible you are and the AI negotiates inside that window, like a local would. Allergies, birthdays and counter seats get passed on in the Japanese a restaurant expects to hear.
When the call ends you get the answer, the conditions (course only, cancellation rules) and a card in Japanese to show at the door.
Example conversation
Sushi Kiyoka
お電話ありがとうございます、鮨 清香でございます。
Thank you for calling, Sushi Kiyoka.
Feature 02
Four cities to eat in.
東京Tokyo
Eight-seat sushi counters, yakitori under the train tracks.
Photo: Yoav Aziz / Unsplash
京都Kyoto
Kaiseki behind wooden lattices, regulars-only tofu houses.
Photo: Kazuo ota / Unsplash
大阪Osaka
Kushikatsu, okonomiyaki and the city's famous appetite.
Photo: Juliana Barquero / Unsplash
福岡Fukuoka
Yatai stalls by the river and tonkotsu at midnight.
Photo: Nichika Sakurai / Unsplash
Feature 03
A food trip, planned by a person.
Tell us who's coming, when, and where you're going, in your own words. You get one great table a day with backups, and someone on our team phones every restaurant for you.
Tell us about your tripTravelling as a group or for clients?Feature 04
Reserve your table.
Paste the restaurant's number, pick a day and a time. We call in the next quiet window, Japan time, and email you as soon as they answer.
¥1,000
per guest, minimum ¥2,000
- Held on your card. Charged only when the table is confirmed.
- No answer? We try again in the next quiet window, free.
- Full or refused? The hold is released. You pay nothing.
Questions
Before you ask.
Is it really an AI making the call?+
Yes, and it says so in the first sentence. It never pretends to be a person. Staff are used to agents calling for guests from overseas, and a clear, polite request gets a clear answer.
What if my time is full?+
Tell us how flexible you are. If they offer a slot inside your window, we take it. Anything else, like another day, we don't book. We bring it back to you so you can decide.
When do you call?+
Restaurants don't pick up during service. We call in the quiet windows, Japan time: late morning, mid afternoon and after dinner. Book whenever you like. The result lands in your inbox.
What does it cost?+
¥1,000 per guest, minimum ¥2,000. A table for two is ¥2,000, a table for four is ¥4,000. We hold it on your card and charge only if the restaurant confirms. Full, closed or no answer after two tries: the hold is released.
Can you call any number?+
Any restaurant landline or 050 number, yes. We don't call mobiles (070, 080, 090), to protect people's privacy, and 0120, 0800 and 0570 numbers can't be reached from abroad. We also handle one booking per guest at a time: once that call is done, you can book the next.
Can you book places that don't take foreigners?+
Some restaurants turn down overseas bookings, usually because of no-shows. We ask politely, once. If they say no, we respect it and you pay nothing.
What if my plans change?+
Call the restaurant as early as you can. Their number is on your booking card. No-shows are why many places stopped taking tourists, so every kept booking helps the next traveler.
Guides
Before you book.
Guide
How to book a restaurant in Japan as a tourist
Every way to get a table in Japan, from online platforms to hotel concierges to calling in Japanese, and which one to use for which kind of restaurant.
8 min read →
Tokyo
Booking restaurants in Tokyo: a neighbourhood guide
Where to eat in Tokyo beyond the tourist strips, which neighbourhoods need a booking, and how to get into the small places that only take calls.
8 min read →
Kyoto
Booking restaurants in Kyoto: kaiseki, early closings and introductions
Kyoto eats early and books ahead. How to get a kaiseki table, what 'no first-timers' means, and how to book the small places around Pontocho and Gion.
7 min read →
Guide
Japanese phrases for booking a restaurant by phone
The exact Japanese you need to book a table: the opening line, numbers of people, times, and the words the restaurant will say back to you.
7 min read →
いただきます