Guides
Eat where the locals book.
Practical guides to finding and booking restaurants in Japan, written for travelers who don't speak Japanese.
Start here
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 →
By city
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 →
Osaka
Booking restaurants in Osaka: where locals eat
Osaka is Japan's kitchen, and its best tables are away from Dotonbori. Neighbourhoods, what needs a booking, and how to reach phone-only places.
7 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 →
Fukuoka
Booking restaurants in Fukuoka: yatai, motsunabe and seafood
Fukuoka's food is famously good value. Which places you just walk into, like the yatai stalls, and which you book: motsunabe, mizutaki and seafood counters.
6 min read →
Finding and booking
Guide
How to find restaurants where locals actually eat in Japan
Google Maps shows you where tourists eat. Here is how to find the counters, izakaya and set-lunch spots that locals queue for, and how to get in.
7 min read →
Guide
How to use Tabelog as a tourist
Tabelog is where Japan decides where to eat. What the scores really mean, which filters matter, and what to do when a listing just says to call.
7 min read →
Guide
Why so many restaurants in Japan only take bookings by phone
Small counters, family-run kitchens and long-standing regulars: why phone booking survives in Japan, and how to book those places from abroad.
6 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 →
Guide
Cancellation fees and no-shows at restaurants in Japan
Why some restaurants in Japan stopped taking bookings from tourists, what cancellation fees usually look like, and how to cancel properly.
5 min read →
Guide
How to book a sushi omakase counter in Japan
From famous counters to the neighbourhood sushi-ya: how far ahead to book, what you'll pay, the etiquette, and how to reach the places that only answer the phone.
7 min read →
Guide
Do you need to book an izakaya in Japan?
When you can walk into an izakaya, when you need to book, what otoshi and nomihoudai mean, and how groups get a table on a Friday night.
5 min read →
Guide
How to book a restaurant in Japan without a Japanese phone number
The booking form wants a number starting with 0 and you don't have one. Why Japanese restaurants ask for it, and every way around it for travelers.
6 min read →
Guide
Food allergies, vegetarian and halal diets at restaurants in Japan
Dashi is in almost everything and soy sauce contains wheat. The hidden ingredients to watch for, when to tell the restaurant, and the Japanese to say it.
7 min read →
Guide
Why a restaurant in Japan turned down your booking, and what to do
Manseki, chotto muzukashii, course only: what each refusal really means, the common reasons small restaurants say no, and how to still get a table.
6 min read →
Guide
Eating out with kids in Japan: which restaurants allow children
Family restaurants welcome kids, many small counters don't. How to read child policies like 小学生以下お断り, find private rooms, and book a family dinner.
6 min read →
Guide
Eating alone in Japan: where to go and how to book a table for one
Japan is made for eating alone, until a booking form says two people minimum. Where solo diners do best, and how to get a seat for one at small places.
6 min read →
Guide
12 Tokyo restaurants locals love that you can only book by phone
Yakitori, tempura, tonkatsu, unagi, soba and yakiniku: twelve Tokyo counters with high Tabelog scores, no booking button, and how to get a seat.
9 min read →
Guide
10 Kyoto restaurants you can only book by phone
Kaiseki counters, sushi, tempura, yakitori and eel: ten Kyoto restaurants with no booking button, what each costs, and their phone booking rules.
8 min read →
Guide
9 Osaka restaurants locals book by phone
Away from Dotonbori: nine Osaka counters for yakitori, teppanyaki, eel, yakiniku, kappo, sushi and tempura that only take bookings by phone.
7 min read →
Free tools
Japanese phone number converter →
Paste a number from Tabelog or Google Maps. Get the international format, the city it belongs to, and whether it's a landline, mobile or toll-free.
Booking phrase builder →
Enter your date, time and party size. Get the exact Japanese to say on the phone, with romaji and English, plus a card to show at the door.
Best time to call Japan →
Restaurants don't answer during service. See the current time in Japan and the next quiet windows to call, converted to your local time.