Japan is one of the easiest countries in the world to eat well in, and one of the easiest to get caught out in. Not because anything is hidden — because the assumptions are different. Here is everything that has tripped me up, drawn from the eighteen Tokyo and Kyoto restaurants covered on this site.
1. Cash Is Still King, Except When It Is Banned
The stereotype is that Japan is cashless now. The reality is that it is split, unpredictably, and the split does not follow price. A ¥8,800 tempura counter in Ginza takes every card there is. A ¥1,000 ramen shop takes none.
| Cash only | Cards fine | Cashless only |
|---|---|---|
| Robata Musashi (Shimbashi) | Tempura Kondo (Ginza) | I’m donut? (Ikebukuro) |
| Nakaji (Kudanshita) | Sushi Muku (Roppongi) | — |
| Kokochi (Koenji) | Nodaya (Iriya) | — |
| Marugo (Akihabara) | Goto (Shinjuku) | — |
| Yamamoto Menzou (Kyoto) | Sake Pachi Pachi (Nakano) | — |
| Maguro-tei (Akihabara) | Konakara (Ochanomizu) | — |
Carry ¥10,000 in cash per person per day. The one place that refuses cash entirely is a doughnut shop, which is exactly the sort of reversal that makes this hard to predict.
2. Closing Days Will Ruin an Afternoon
Almost nothing in Japan closes on Saturday, and a great deal closes on Sunday or Monday. Check before you build a day around a restaurant.
- Closed Sundays: Tempura Kondo, Konakara, Robata Musashi, Misoza Tamayura (also holidays), Goto (also holidays)
- Closed Mondays: Nodaya, Marugo (also Tuesdays), Kokochi (also Tuesdays)
- Closed Tuesdays: Maguro-tei
- Closed Thursdays: Yamamoto Menzou (and the 4th Wednesday)
There is also the afternoon break. Many restaurants shut between roughly 14:00 and 17:00. If you land at 15:30 hungry, your options narrow sharply — which is when the Chinese food court in Ikebukuro (10:00–22:00) and Nakamoto (10:00–23:00) become genuinely valuable.
3. Reservations Follow Three Different Systems
- Book weeks ahead: Tempura Kondo wants about a month, even for lunch.
- Book online in English: Yamamoto Menzou releases off-peak seats three days ahead at midnight through TableCheck — no Japanese phone call needed. Most visitors never find this and queue instead.
- No reservations at all: Marugo, Nakaji, Robata Musashi, Maguro-tei, Koyanagi. Turn up early or accept the queue.
One more trap: Naraya in Ikebukuro takes bookings, but not for weekend or holiday lunch — and has said it will not take bookings from people who are not drinking.
4. Smoking Is Still Allowed in Some Places
Most restaurants are non-smoking now, but the older, more atmospheric ones frequently are not — and the atmosphere and the smoke come from the same era. Robata Musashi and Kokochi both allow smoking throughout. If that is a problem, they are not for you, however good the food is.
5. Otoshi Is Not a Scam
At an izakaya, a small dish you did not order will arrive and appear on the bill. This is otoshi, and it functions as a cover charge for the seat. It is typically ¥300–500. Refusing it is not really done. At Sake Pachi Pachi it was grated daikon with spicy cod roe and worth having; at Robata Musashi it was a dumpling I had no use for at a grill counter. Either way, it is the price of sitting down.
6. Portions and Ordering Quirks
- Ask for less rice. Ramen shops will usually halve or quarter your noodles for the same price — Nakamoto will even serve a bowl with none at all.
- Order down, not up. “Large” at Maguro-tei means a full bowl of rice plus a full plate of sashimi.
- The cheaper grade is sometimes identical. At Koyanagi, both eel grades use one whole eel — the ¥550 difference is extra rice.
- Two people can split grades. At Nodaya you can order two different eel farms and halve them; they have a printed liner for it.
- Signature dishes are sometimes not in the course. Kondo’s famous sweet potato tempura is an add-on to either lunch course, not part of them.
7. You Can Eat Well Without Any Japanese
Three of the best experiences on this site need no language at all. At Robata Musashi the ingredients are laid out in front of the grill and you point. At the Ikebukuro Chinese food court you point at photographs. At yakiniku you cook it yourself. Sushi Muku has an English menu and English-speaking staff, which makes it the softest possible introduction to an omakase counter.
The Short Version
- Carry cash. Assume the cheap places refuse cards.
- Check the closing day before you plan the day.
- Beware the 14:00–17:00 gap.
- Turn up at opening time for anywhere with a queue.
- Order one size smaller than you think.
- Pay the otoshi and stop worrying about it.
Eat well, drink better, and see you at the next hangover.
もう一杯どうぞ！
