30 fine dining worth the trip across Japan, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Japan guides.
Kikunoi Honten ★ 4.9 · Kyoto
higashiyama · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0825, Japan
The defining three-Michelin-star kaiseki room in Kyoto. Third-generation Yoshihiro Murata runs Kikunoi Honten, a 1912 ryotei below Kodaiji. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Hyotei ★ 4.9 · Kyoto
northern-higashiyama · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8437, Japan
An Edo-era teahouse at the gate of Nanzen-ji in Kyoto, restyled as a ryotei in 1837. Located in Northern Higashiyama. Led by chef Yoshihiro Takahashi.
Kitcho Arashiyama Honten ★ 4.9 · Kyoto
arashiyama · Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8385, Japan
Three-Michelin-star kaiseki on the Hozugawa river bend in Arashiyama, Kyoto, run by chef Kunio Tokuoka in a sukiya-style garden tatami room.
Mizai ★ 4.9 · Kyoto
higashiyama · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0071, Japan
Hitoshi Ishihara opened Mizai in a corner of Maruyama Park, Kyoto, after years at Kitcho Arashiyama. One nightly seating, all guests served in sync.
Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama ★ 4.9 · Osaka
Suita · 2-5-18 Senriyamanishi, Suita, Osaka 565-0851
Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama in Osaka holds three Michelin stars and a Michelin Green Star for sustainability, with chef Hideaki Matsuo drawing.
La Cime ★ 4.9 · Osaka
Kitashinchi and Fukushima · 3-2-15 Kawaramachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0048
La Cime holds two Michelin stars; chef Yusuke Takada refracts classical French through Kagoshima citrus, Satsuma chicken, and Osaka seafood at Kawaramachi.
Sushi Miyakawa ★ 4.9 · Sapporo
maruyama · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0824, Japan
Three Michelin stars in the 2017 Hokkaido guide, the only sushi at that tier in Hokkaido. Seven seats, two seatings (17:00 and 19:30), omakase only.
Tip: Reservations open through Tableall the first day of each month for the month two months out; closed Wednesdays.
Sushi Sakai ★ 4.8 · Fukuoka
nakasu · Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0002, Japan
Daigo Sakai's edomae sushi counter in Nishi-Nakasu. Three Michelin stars in the 2019 Kyushu special edition, after holding one star in 2014.
Tip: Pocket Concierge bookings open exactly two months ahead at 00:00 JST.
Gion Sasaki ★ 4.8 · Kyoto
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0811, Japan
Hiroshi Sasaki runs a teacher-and-apprentice kitchen on Komatsu-cho. Counter seats deliver a 12-course kaiseki with a freer hand than the old ryotei.
Koryu ★ 4.8 · Osaka
Kitashinchi and Fukushima · 3-3-3 Uchiawajimachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0047
Two Michelin stars; chef Shintaro Matsuo builds Osaka-style kaiseki with Naniwa produce, richer dashi, and deeper umami than Kyoto counterparts.
Sushi Harasho ★ 4.8 · Osaka
Tennoji and Abeno · 3-30 Uenomiyacho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0015
Sushi Harasho holds two Michelin stars; the chef seasons only with wasabi and nikiri at a 12-seat unmarked counter in a Nakanoshima back street.
Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten ★ 4.8 · Tokyo
Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten in Tokyo's Ginza is the 10-seat counter made famous by Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Yoshikazu Ono runs it; concierge bookings only.
Tip: The Ginza main shop no longer takes public bookings; the Roppongi branch (Takashi Ono) is the accessible relative, two stars in the 2026 guide.
Den ★ 4.8 · Tokyo
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
Den in Tokyo's Jingumae is Zaiyu Hasegawa's modern kaiseki room, Asia's 50 Best No. 1 in 2022. The DFC fried chicken and donabe rice are the through-line.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Phone reservations only; the line opens at 10:00 JST and fills the same day.
Aji Takebayashi ★ 4.7 · Fukuoka
akasaka · Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0074, Japan
Yuzuru Takebayashi's seasonal kaiseki counter in Akasaka, Fukuoka, held a Michelin star in the 2014 and 2019 Kyushu special editions before suspension.
Tip: Book through Pocket Concierge; lunch is a softer entry than dinner.
Chisou Nakamura ★ 4.7 · Fukuoka
hakata · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0039, Japan
A Hakata kaiseki room with two Michelin stars in the 2019 Kyushu special edition, the high-water mark of Kyushu-style kaiseki by counter. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Tip: Book through TableCheck or Pocket Concierge. One sitting per night.
Kichisen ★ 4.7 · Kyoto
demachiyanagi · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0805, Japan
Chef Yoshimi Tanigawa's kaiseki room beside Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto. Two Michelin stars in the current guide, formerly three. Monthly seasonal menus.
Kikunoi Roan ★ 4.7 · Kyoto
pontocho · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8012, Japan
Murata's casual-counter spinoff on Kiyamachi, opened for Kikunoi's 60th anniversary. Two stars, easier reservations than Honten, river views in season.
Gion Nishikawa ★ 4.7 · Kyoto
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0825, Japan
Masayoshi Nishikawa earned a star a year after opening at 33 in Kyoto. A quiet sukiya counter on a Yasaka Shrine alley with two stars for over a decade.
Sushi Wakon ★ 4.7 · Kyoto
higashiyama · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0932, Japan
Edomae sushi inside the Four Seasons Kyoto, in Higashiyama. Eight counter seats and a ten-course omakase from the team that opened the original Sushi Wakon.
Yugen ★ 4.7 · Osaka
Tennoji and Abeno · 14-14 Ishigatsujicho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0024
Yugen holds two Michelin stars; chef Keisuke Mifune offers an approachable kaiseki in Tennoji using Osaka seafood in seasonal multi-course progression.
Sushi Saito ★ 4.7 · Tokyo
Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032, Japan
Sushi Saito in Tokyo's Roppongi is Takashi Saito's eight-seat edomae sushi counter in Ark Hills South. Three Michelin stars 2009-2019, concierge-only.
Tip: Top hotel concierges and a few private members handle bookings; cold-call requests are not accepted.
Nihonryori RyuGin ★ 4.7 · Tokyo
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006, Japan
Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya is Seiji Yamamoto's three-Michelin-star kaiseki room. Asia's 50 Best lifetime list, holds No. 2 status in Japan.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The strawberry candy-apple dessert is the landmark closer; reserve through Tableall 90 days ahead.
Hakata Mizutaki Toriden Honten ★ 4.6 · Fukuoka
hakata · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0027, Japan
Toriden's mizutaki course is single-product fine dining: home-bred Kyushu chicken simmered six to seven hours into a creamy yellow broth, with golden ponzu.
Tip: TENJIN course at 6,600 yen per person is the most-ordered entry; the premium course adds more chicken cuts.
Tempura Tenyu ★ 4.6 · Kyoto
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8071, Japan
A nine-seat tempura counter in central Kyoto run by Tawaraya, the ryokan operating since the early 1700s. Located in Karasuma Kawaramachi. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Agnel d'Or ★ 4.6 · Osaka
Kitashinchi and Fukushima · 2-4-4 Nishihommachi, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0005
Agnel d'Or holds one Michelin star; chef Akinari Fujita works a ten-seat Nishihommachi counter building umami-rich dishes from Kyushu produce.
Sushi Minazuki ★ 4.6 · Osaka
Kitashinchi and Fukushima · 1-5-7 Sonezakishinchi, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0002
Sushi Minazuki in Kitashinchi holds one Michelin star for its artistically sequenced omakase at five counter seats, with chef Takayuki Saki showcasing Inland.
Nagahori ★ 4.6 · Osaka
Kitashinchi and Fukushima · 1-3-9 Uemachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 540-0005
Nagahori became the first izakaya in the world to earn a Michelin star in 2010 and retains it in the 2026 guide; chef Shigeo Nakamura serves heirloom.
Sushiya no Saito ★ 4.6 · Sapporo
susukino · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0806, Japan
Ezomae omakase counter since 2000 at the south edge of Susukino. Two course menus, Kiwami and Miyabi, both lean on Hokkaido seafood with light aging.
Tip: Book direct through the operator site; counter only, no private rooms.
Narisawa ★ 4.6 · Tokyo
Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062, Japan
Narisawa in Tokyo's Aoyama runs innovative satoyama cuisine: foraged Japanese ingredients through European technique. Two Michelin stars plus a Green Star.
Tip: Closed Mondays and Sundays. Lunch is easier than dinner; book through Tableall six weeks ahead.
Florilege ★ 4.6 · Tokyo
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan
Florilege in Tokyo's Azabudai Hills runs Hiroyasu Kawate's vegetable-led modern French tasting at a communal counter. Two Michelin stars, Asia's 50 Best 2026.
Tip: Closed Mondays and Tuesday lunch. Online bookings open one month ahead at 10:00 JST and fill within minutes.