Restaurant
1. Kikunoi Honten
A family-run kaiseki ryotei founded in 1912 in the Higashiyama hills, led by chef Yoshihiro Murata and holding three Michelin stars.
View details — Kikunoi HontenRestaurant
2. Narisawa
Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa's acclaimed Aoyama restaurant, serving a seasonal tasting menu built around Japanese ingredients, forests and the farming landscape.
View details — NarisawaRestaurant
3. Okonomiyaki Mizuno
A Dotonbori okonomiyaki restaurant founded in 1945 and known for yamaimo-yaki, a savoury pancake made with mountain yam instead of flour.
View details — Okonomiyaki MizunoRestaurant
4. Den
Zaiyu Hasegawa's playful modern kaiseki restaurant in Jingumae, known for warm hospitality and a seasonal tasting menu with a sense of humour.
View details — DenRestaurant
5. Hyotei
A kaiseki restaurant with more than 400 years of history beside Nanzen-ji, famous for its soft-boiled Hyotei egg and its morning porridge.
View details — HyoteiRestaurant
6. Kushikatsu Daruma Shinsekai Sohonten
The original branch of the Daruma kushikatsu chain, frying breaded skewers in Shinsekai since 1929 under its famous no-double-dipping rule.
View details — Kushikatsu Daruma Shinsekai SohontenRestaurant
7. HAJIME
Chef Hajime Yoneda's three-Michelin-star restaurant, serving nature-inspired innovative tasting menus under the theme of a dialogue with the Earth.
View details — HAJIMERestaurant
8. Kyubey Ginza
A long-established Ginza sushi house serving Edomae-style nigiri at the counter, part of a family business that has been running for around 90 years.
View details — Kyubey GinzaRestaurant
9. Nanzenji Junsei
A tofu restaurant in garden grounds near Nanzen-ji, specialising in yudofu, the simmered tofu dish closely linked with the temple district.
View details — Nanzenji JunseiRestaurant
10. Jiyuken Namba Honten
Osaka's first Western-style restaurant, opened in 1910, famous for its pre-mixed curry rice topped with a raw egg, a favourite of writer Sakunosuke Oda.
View details — Jiyuken Namba HontenRestaurant
11. Tempura Endo Yasaka
A tempura restaurant in a former Gion teahouse, founded in 1885, where chefs fry seasonal seafood and vegetables to order at the counter.
View details — Tempura Endo YasakaRestaurant
12. Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama Honten
The original branch of Maisen, a Tokyo tonkatsu specialist founded in 1965, frying breaded pork cutlets famously tender enough to cut with chopsticks.
View details — Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama HontenRestaurant
13. Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu
A sprawling, open-late izakaya in Nishi-Azabu with handmade soba, charcoal skewers and tempura, made internationally famous by a scene in Kill Bill.
View details — Gonpachi Nishi-AzabuRestaurant
14. Hokkyokusei Shinsaibashi Honten
The 1922 restaurant that claims to have invented omurice, serving rice omelettes with homemade tomato sauce in a 1950 sukiya-style house.
View details — Hokkyokusei Shinsaibashi HontenRestaurant
15. Honke Owariya
A family business founded as a confectioner in 1465 that has served soba since the early eighteenth century, in a wooden townhouse south of the Imperial Palace.
View details — Honke OwariyaRestaurant
16. AFURI Ebisu
The Ebisu branch of AFURI, the ramen shop named after Mount Afuri and known for its light, citrusy yuzu shio ramen.
View details — AFURI EbisuRestaurant
17. Omen Ginkakuji
The original branch of Omen, a Kyoto udon restaurant near Ginkaku-ji known for thick noodles dipped in a rich broth with seasonal vegetables and sesame.
View details — Omen GinkakujiRestaurant
18. Takoyaki Doraku Wanaka Sennichimae Honten
A popular Sennichimae takoyaki shop whose octopus balls are crisp outside and soft inside, served with its special sauce or kettle-cooked salt.
View details — Takoyaki Doraku Wanaka Sennichimae HontenRestaurant
19. Honke Daiichi-asahi
A Kyoto ramen shop founded in 1947 near Kyoto Station, serving soy-based ramen topped with roast pork and Kujo green onion from 6:00 until late.
View details — Honke Daiichi-asahiRestaurant
20. Kanda Matsuya
A soba restaurant in Kanda founded in 1884, serving handmade buckwheat noodles such as cold morisoba and hot kashiwa nanban in an old-style dining room.
View details — Kanda Matsuya