10 Great Places in Tokyo Where You Can Try Traditional Japanese Cuisine Discover Oishii Japan -SAVOR JAPAN -Japanese Restaurant Guide-

Update-date: Mar 05 2024

Author: SAVOR JAPAN

10 Great Places in Tokyo Where You Can Try Traditional Japanese Cuisine

Traditional Japanese food culture, called [washoku] in Japanese, was designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2013. When you come to Japan, the first thing you should do is try genuine washoku. In Tokyo in particular, there are a host of fine restaurants lined up competing for your patronage. This article will introduce a selection of 10 of the best restaurants for you to visit in Tokyo, as well as the history and special characteristics of washoku. We at Savor Japan are confident that you will love these restaurants, so please check them out!

See full listings of Kaiseki restaurants found in and around Tokyo.

What Is Washoku?

Washoku is used to describe the Japanese food culture that makes use of Japan's abundant seasonal produce grown by the seas and rivers, and on the mountains and land. Meals primarily consist of a combination of dishes including rice, soup, side dishes, and pickles. Washoku was designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, noted for its unique developments that saw it adopt and incorporate foods from overseas while still respecting its own traditions. Integral to washoku is the dashi (broth). It is this soup, made by drawing out the umami (Japanese savory taste) from ingredients such as katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), kombu (kelp), and niboshi (dried baby anchovies or sardines), that provides the fundamental flavors of the cuisine. Another characteristic flavor comes from the use of fermented condiments such as soy sauce and miso. Well-known washoku dishes include sushi and tempura, while foods from foreign cultures that have been adapted to a Japanese style are also eaten. Examples of such dishes include curry, ramen, and sukiyaki (hot pot stew).

Recommended Restaurants in Tokyo

Here is an introduction to 10 restaurants in Tokyo where you can try delicious washoku! You can use this as a guide on your trip to Japan.

1. Japanese Restaurant SEIZAN (Shirokane-Takanawa / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

Situated in a quiet residential area, Japanese Restaurant SEIZAN is a starred restaurant run by a young chef. Particular care is taken in the making of the dashi here. Two types of dried fish flakes are used, katsuo (skipjack tuna) and maguro (bluefin tuna), and the amount of time the kombu is soaked in water is altered to suit the season. The Shogoin Daikon and Amadai Soup is a seasonal dish that fully showcases the flavor of this dashi. You can also try the set menu options with courses consisting of refined dishes made from ingredients such as organic vegetables that have been carefully chosen by the chef.

Japanese Restaurant SEIZAN

Open: [Tuesday - Sunday, National Holidays, Day before National Holidays]Dinner: 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 9:30 pm )

[Tuesday, Thursday - Sunday, National Holidays, Day before National Holidays]Lunch: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm (L.O. 1:30 pm )
Closed: Monday
Average price: [Dinner] 17,000 JPY / [Lunch] 6,000 JPY
Access: 8 minutes walk from Shirokane-takanawa station on the Tokyo Metro subway
Address: B1F, Grande Mita, 2-17-29, Mita , Minato-ku, Tokyo Map
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2. Oryori Shunso (Komazawa-daigaku / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

3. Oryori Shunso (Komazawa-daigaku / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

Oryori Shunso] is run by an owner who spent 20 years building their knowledge of Japanese cuisine before opening their own restaurant. Sample the charms of washoku with their multi-course set menus. One of the dishes from the course menu is the [Appetizer Platter] which is made up of 7 small dishes cooked using seasonal ingredients such as mackerel stewed in fish sauce, oysters stewed in Kyoto red miso, and Pacific cod marinated in kombu. This dish alone is extravagant enough to make it feel like you have eaten a banquet. The numerous tasteful bowls and dishes are also a point of interest, and they enhance the food.

Oryori Shunso

Open: [Monday, Tuesday, Thursday - Sunday, National Holidays, Days before National Holidays] Dinner 6:00 pm - 11:30 pm
Closed: Wednesday
Average price: [Dinner] 7,000 JPY
Access: 12 minutes from Komazawa-Daigaku station on Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line/15 minutes from Gakugei-Daigaku station on Tokyu Toyoko Line
Address: 1F, Dayawardy, 2-5-1 Nozawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo Map
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3. Shunsai Oguraya (Ikejiri-Ohashi / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

4. Shunsai Oguraya (Ikejiri-Ohashi / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

Situated next to Ikejiri-ohashi Station, not far from Shibuya station, Shunsai Oguraya is a small restaurant that frequently attracts food connoisseurs. Enjoy dishes full of seasonal flavors that make use of an abundance of ingredients such as beef and duck reared in Yamanashi Prefecture, as well as organic vegetables. Of these dishes, you must try the Seasonal Donabe Takikomi Gohan. This mild-flavored dish consists of rice cooked until fluffy in an earthenware pot along with ingredients that change with each season, including ikura (salmon roe), sea bream, pike, and sweetfish.

Shunsai Oguraya

Open: [Opening hours] 6:00 pm - 2:00 am (L.O. 1:00 am)
Closed: Sunday
Average price: [Dinner] 6,000 JPY
Access: A 1-minute walk from the east exit of Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line, Ikejiri-Ohashi station. Follow the road that intersects diagonally with Tamagawa-dori.
Address: 2F, 2-31-18 Ikejiri, Setagaya, Tokyo Map
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4. Ginza Ishizuka (Ginza-itchome / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

8. Ginza Ishizuka (Ginza-itchome / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

Ginza Ishizuka is a Japanese restaurant in Ginza. As you walk through the shop curtain and enter the shop, you can't help but be impressed by the large hinoki cypress counter. You can try seasonal cuisine made from specially selected ingredients such as fish caught in Setouchi and flown in fresh every morning, and Kagawa-produced Sanuki Wagyu olive-fed beef⁠—a meat that is not too oily or heavy but has an intense, concentrated flavor. They offer a menu with highlights such as Lightly Simmered Tonguefish and Claypot Sea Bream Rice that is loved by customers of all ages.

Ginza Ishizuka

Open: [Weekdays, Saturday, Days before holidays] Lunch 11:30 am - 2:30 pm (L.O. 1:30 pm)

[Weekdays, Saturday] 5:30 pm - 12:00 am (L.O. 11:30 pm)
Closed: Sundays
Average price: [Dinner] 15,000 JPY / [Lunch] 2,500 JPY
Access: Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line, Ginza Ichome Station, 1 minute walk from exit number 10. After exiting, turn left at the Family Mart. It's on your left.
Address: Habiuru Ginza 5F, Ginza 1-13-8, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Map
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5. Nihonbashi Osaka (Mitsukoshimae / Japanese Cuisine)

9. Nihonbashi Osaka (Mitsukoshimae / Japanese Cuisine)

Nihonbashi Osaka is a restaurant hidden away in one of Nihonbashi’s back alleys. The restaurant offers a range of delights particular to their style, from the Sea Bream Chazuke that has a creamy flavor coming from the nuts and sesame seeds in it, to a rather unique Sukiyaki made with top-quality, A5 rank, domestically-reared beef that you dip in egg that has been turned into a mousse. Try and get a special counter seat so that you can see the chef’s amazing skills up close.

Nihonbashi Osaka

Open: [Weekdays, Saturday] Dinner 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm *Currently closed for lunch
Closed: Sunday, National Holidays
Average price: [Dinner] 13,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,500 JPY
Access: A six-minute walk from Mitsukoshimae Station. Head left from Exit A6, cross the Honmachi Ni Chome traffic signal (toward the east), and turn right. Turn left at the second corner, and the restaurant will be 100 meters ahead on the left.
Address: 4F Green Building, 6-16 Nihonbashi-kobuna-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Map
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6. Kappo Aun (Fuchu / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

10. Kappo Aun (Fuchu / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

You will find this restaurant in a detached property in Fuchu away from the noise of the city center. Here you can try genuine Japanese cuisine made using old-fashioned techniques to bring out the best of the ingredients without having to rely on time-saving devices such as pressure cookers. You must try the Braised Pork and Colorful Vegetables (980 JPY (plus tax)) that is cooked over 9 hours to let the flavors permeate through the dish, or enjoy the Hoba-yaki (grilled on a magnolia leaf) (2,400 JPY (plus tax)) made with A5-rank Japanese beef and served with a special miso dressing. As the prices are quite reasonable, it is a good place to drop in when you're feeling hungry.

Kappo Aun

Open: [Monday, Tuesday, Thursday - Sunday, National Holidays, Day before National Holidays] Lunch 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm *[Kaiseki Gozen (set meal)] is offered for 6 or more people. Reservation required / Dinner 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm (Food L.O. 10:00 pm, Drink L.O. 10:30 pm)
Closed: Wednesday
Average price: [Dinner] 8,000 JPY / [Lunch] 5,000 JPY
Access: 6 minutes walk from [Fuchu Station] on Keio Line or [Fuchu Honmachi Station] on JR Nambu Line
Address: 2-22-18 Miyamachi, Fuchu city, Tokyo

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7. Japanese Restaurant TAKEMOTO (Shibuya / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

5. Japanese Restaurant TAKEMOTO (Shibuya / Japanese Cuisine / Kaiseki)

Japanese Restaurant TAKEMOTO is one of the country's leading Japanese restaurants, boasting a highly trained chef. A wealth of wonderful dishes allows you to experience the true depth of Japanese cuisine made using simple preparation methods to bring out the best of the ingredients. In addition to the exquisitely smooth textured, rich-flavored Cod Milt and Lily Bulb Steamed With Egg and the Lightly-simmered Oysters and Shintorina (a type of vegetable related to rapeseed) which combines a flavorful Edo period vegetable with large oysters, you must try the decadent Sea Urchin Cooked With Rice containing rare sea urchins.

Japanese Restaurant TAKEMOTO

Open: Lunch: 12:00 pm -1:30 pm. A reservation made at least one day in advance is required / Dinner: 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm. Last admittance 10:00 pm. (A reservation is required.)
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 12,000 JPY / [Lunch] 7,000 JPY
Access: Alight at Daikan-yama station on the Tokyu Toyoko line, and we will be on the street right behind Hachiman Avenue, near Hachiyama Junior High School.
Address: Daikanyama Twelve II 1-A, Uguisudani-cho 8-10, Shibuya, Tokyo

8. Azabu-juban Kanazawa (Azabu-Juban / Japanese Cuisine)

6. Azabu-juban Kanazawa (Azabu-Juban / Japanese Cuisine)

Enjoy extravagant washoku at this restaurant that focuses on using ingredients produced in the Hokuriku region such as Noto beef, nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch), and Kaga vegetables. The restaurant's most renowned dish is the Rice Cooked in an Iron Pot With Nodoguro, Mullet Roe, and Ikura (5,000 JPY). Enjoy the rice along with the flavors of the oily sea perch and the salty golden mullet roe. Aside from the wonderful flavors, you will be amazed by its glorious appearance. You also can't help but admire the colorful Kutani ware (a type of ceramic produced in the Kaga region of Ishikawa Prefecture) used to showcase the dish.

Azabu-juban Kanazawa

Open: [Tuesday - Sunday Day before National Holidays] Dinner 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 8:30 pm) *Consumption tax and 10% service charge will be added.
Closed: Monday National holidays
Average price: [Dinner] 15,000 JPY
Access: 1-minute walk after crossing the road from exit No.7 of Oedo Line [Azabu-juban station] / 3-minute walk to the right after exiting from the exit No.5B of Namboku Line [Azabu-juban station]
Address: B1F, Hasebeya Bldg., 1-7-7 Azabu-juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo

9. Nihonbashi Suitengu Nanatosha

Nihonbashi Suitengu Nanatosha is a reservation only Kaiseki restaurant near Suitengu Shrine. Here, guests can enjoy a luxurious time while having Japanese masterpieces cooked before their eyes and enjoying sake. A representative item of this restaurant is the course option Boiled Clear Clam Soup. It uses natural hot spring water from Kagoshima, and is made with fine cooking techniques, such as using different seasonings depending on the season and ingredients. Nanatosha only has a counter with 6 seats, letting guests comfortably relax in a calm space.

Nihonbashi Suitengu Nanatosha

Open: [Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday] Lunch 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm (L.O. 1:00 pm) / Dinner 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm (L.O.7:00 pm)
Closed: Wednesday
Average price: [Dinner] 25,000 JPY / [Lunch] 25,000 JPY
Access: 2-minute walk from Exit 4 and Exit 5 of Suitengumae Station on the Hanzomon Line. 5-minute walk from Exit A1 or A2 of Ningyocho Station on Hibiya Line and Toei Asakusa Line
Address: 1F, 2-2-4, Kakigara-cho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Map

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From the traditional to the unique, there are all sorts of restaurants serving all kinds of Japanese foods. We hope you can use this article as a starting point to delve deeper into the world of Japanese cuisine.

Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.