Ginza & Tsukiji
Kyūbey, running since 1935 is one of Tokyo's prestige sushi restaurants, where each piece of nigiri-zushi (hand-pressed sushi) is made and delivered one…
Must-see restaurants in Japan
Osaka
Trek out to Osaka's fish market to taste the exceptionally fresh sushi at cosy Endo, in business for over a century. You can choose from four different…
Shikoku
Dozens of mini-restaurants and bars specialising in everything from gomoku rāmen (seafood noodles) to tako-yaki (octopus balls) surround communal tables;…
Matsumoto
Head to Shin-Miyoshi (New Miyoshi), established in 1999, to try everyone's favourite Nagano delicacy: horse meat. The first Miyoshi restaurant got going…
Kanazawa
Upstairs in Ōmi-chō Market, chefs from Hong Kong prepare authentic Szechuan- and Hong Kong–style dishes (including dim sum) from scratch. Delicious lunch…
Southern Higashiyama
Michelin-starred chef Murata serves some of the finest kaiseki in the city. Located in a hidden nook near Maruyama-kōen, this restaurant has everything…
Nagano Region
This is the place to come to try a Nagano speciality: horse meat. Try it raw as basashi for ¥1480, in a shabu-shabu (hotpot) course for ¥3000 or grilled…
Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
This lovely little izakaya (bar-restaurant) in Echoland is so popular that you'll need to make a booking; get your accommodation owner to set you up at…
Shikoku
You'll need to be a tad adventurous to eat here as there's no English menu, but it's a top spot for regional meat cuisine, especially wild venison shot by…
Izu Peninsula
Elegant, understated ambience and fantastic seafood. The isōjiru soup is made from more than a dozen varieties of shellfish and looks like a tide pool in…
Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
A top spot both at lunchtime, when soba-noodle dishes are to the fore, and in the evening, when Zen morphs into an izakaya (bar-restaurant), this place…
Nagano Region
Gohonjin means 'a residence for the lords', and in the Edo period Fujiya Gohonjin played host to the feudal lords of the Maeda family. The present 1925…
Niseko
Musu offers great food, sweet service, and a lovely airy dining experience, plus easily the best cocktail menu in Niseko, with treats like the Yuzu…
Izu Peninsula
Generous seafood sets come with sashimi, perfectly grilled fish and multiple tiny appetisers at this traditional restaurant beside the little port (go for…
Naha
You'll be lucky to get a seat here, but if you do, you'll be treated to some of the best Okinawan food around, served in traditional but bustling…
Matsumoto
This cute little cafe on a tiny side street off atmospheric old Nawate-dõri gets rave reviews for plates such as smashed avo toast (¥700) and cinnamon…
Kastanie Karuizawa Roast Chicken
Nagano Region
For something a little uncommon in Japan, pop into this original place for succulent and tender roast-chicken dinners, pizzas, pastas and sausage platters…
Central Honshū
This humming hole-in-the-wall place does soupy, fried gyōza (dumplings) and ebi chahan (shrimp fried rice) – and, of course, beer. Go straight from JR…
Takayama
This Takayama institution specialises in regional dishes such as hoba-miso (sweet miso paste grilled on a magnolia leaf) and Hida-gyū (beef) soba. Sit on…
Kansai
Miyama's natural bounty is a big draw, and this restaurant in an elegantly updated thatched-roof farmhouse serves menus of seasonal local ingredients …
Naha
If you can hold out for this little late-night eatery, you won't be disappointed. The standouts of the drool-worthy menu (which is, incidentally,…
Kanazawa
Kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine) dining is a holistic experience of hospitality, art and originality. This outstanding restaurant is a true gourmand's…
Izu Peninsula
It's well worth dragging yourself away from the beach for the tasty sandwiches, burgers, salads and curries (not to mention the must-have brownies) at…
Takayama
Sakurajaya happens when you take a Japanese man to Germany, introduce him to European culinary arts, hone his craft, then return him to the quiet back…
Nagano Region
This superb soba shop, just of the main street in the middle of the village, offers a relaxed atmosphere, jazz music and a chance to try the superb soba…
Central Honshū
One of Japan's most renowned soba shops, where the classic presentation is cold mori (plain) or zaru (with strips of nori) with a sweetish dipping sauce…
Hokkaidō
Not only does the owner Haru-san make the noodles here by hand, he made the wooden soba bar himself too. Stop by for a scrumptious handmade noodle meal at…
Yokohama
Yokohama has its own version of the beef hotpot dish sukiyaki, called gyū-nabe. This elegant restaurant, established in 1895, is the place to sample it.
Kyūshū
This sprawling restaurant in a riverside gorge near Ikeda-ko gets an estimated 200,000 annual visitors (!), paying tribute to the 1967 birthplace of…
Kyūshū
This beach-casual shop might offer the most spectacular sunset of your trip: the sun sinks into the ocean or behind mudflats that stretch to the horizon –…
Kyūshū
Chikin nanban (sweet fried chicken with tartar sauce; pictured on the menu) was invented here in 1961, and crowds still flock to this no-frills shop under…
Kumamoto
Yokobachi's leafy courtyard and open kitchen are distinctive. Although some menu translations are head-scratchers, stand-out small plates include spicy…
Yaeyama Islands
This Ishigaki city favourite serves all the Okinawan and Yaeyama standards. The boisterous atmosphere and kitchen get top marks, although smokers detract…
Ganso Kushikatsu Daruma Honten
Osaka
Daruma has branches around town, but for many Japanese a pilgrimage to the original shop in Shinsekai – opened in 1929 and said to be the birthplace of…
Western Honshū
An extremely popular fusion restaurant for Japanese classics such as tako-yaki (grilled octopus dumplings). The best bet is the set six-course meal, which…
Kyūshū
Operated by the local agricultural collaborative, this large, spotless, rustic-modern restaurant offers set menus featuring award-winning Takachiho beef…
Kumamoto
This black-walled, quietly chic izakaya, with cosy private booths and hori-kotatsu (well in the floor for your feet) seating, has a whole menu of Kumamoto…
Western Honshū
Squeeze in at the counter at this small, simple lunch joint and watch the team of women preparing delicious tofu meals as you wait. There are only three…
Naoshima
The artfully displayed kaiseki dinners at this contrastingly austere restaurant in Benesse House Museum's basement (though with Andy Warhol works on the…
Naoshima
Up on a small hill at the rear of a farming plot, Naka-Oku is a good option in the Honmura area, and one of only a couple of places open in the evenings…
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