Why is it hard for visitors to book restaurants in Japan?
In our experience, four things get in the way when visitors try to book a restaurant in Japan on their own: the language, the booking sites, the accounts they ask for, and phone-only restaurants.
Language is a common problem for visitors in general, not only when booking. In a Japan Tourism Agency survey of 4,110 visitors leaving Japan (November 2025 to January 2026), 15.4% said that communicating with staff, for example when English was not understood, was a problem during their trip. It was the second most common problem, after the lack of trash bins (17.2%). Among the places where visitors had this problem, restaurants were mentioned most often (38%).
Booking often has to be done in Japanese
In our experience, booking often has to be done in Japanese. You need to give the date, the time, the number of people and any requests, and understand what the restaurant tells you in reply.
Booking sites are made for people in Japan
In our experience, Japanese restaurant booking sites are made for people who live in Japan, and they can be hard to use if you are not used to them.
You usually have to create an account
Booking sites usually ask you to create an account before you can book. It is one more step, and it takes time.
Some restaurants only take reservations by phone
Some restaurants only take reservations by phone, so you cannot book them online. In our experience, when it is easiest to get through by phone depends on the restaurant.
What should you check before you book?
Check four things before you confirm a booking: counter seats, credit cards, allergies and the cancellation policy. These are the points we mainly check with the restaurant when we book for you.
- Counter seats. If you want to sit at the counter, check that counter seats are available for your booking.
- Credit cards. Check whether the restaurant accepts credit cards. In the same Japan Tourism Agency survey, 10.7% of visitors had trouble using credit or debit cards during their trip, and among them, restaurants were the place mentioned most often (32%).
- Allergies. Tell the restaurant about any allergies in advance. In Japan, food allergy labels are required on packaged foods, but not on dishes served at restaurants, according to the Consumer Affairs Agency. When we book for you, we ask the restaurant how they handle allergies.
- Cancellation policy. Check the restaurant's cancellation policy and any cancellation fee before you confirm.
How can we book for you?
Tell us the restaurant, or what kind of place you are looking for, plus the date, the time and the number of people. We call the restaurant in Japanese and book for you.
- Send us your request. Use the booking form on our homepage, or email us at info@reservejapanesefood.com. We generally reply within 24 hours, by email or WhatsApp.
- We call the restaurant in Japanese. We check the points above with the restaurant and tell you the details before you confirm, including the cancellation policy, any cancellation fee and any deposit.
- Your reservation is confirmed. You pay our fee by card only once your reservation is confirmed. If we cannot secure a reservation, you pay nothing.
Our fee is ¥1,500 (about US$9)Approximate, at US$1 = ¥158.35 (Bank of Japan, 5 p.m. JST, October 14, 2026). Our fees are charged in Japanese yen. per reservation when you tell us the restaurant, or ¥2,500 (about US$16)Approximate, at US$1 = ¥158.35 (Bank of Japan, 5 p.m. JST, October 14, 2026). Our fees are charged in Japanese yen. when we also find it. See How it works & Pricing for the full details.
Same-day requests are welcome, including restaurants that only take reservations by phone.
Whether we can book depends on the restaurant.
If the restaurant has not opened reservations for your date yet, please contact us first. We discuss what we can do case by case.
We take requests for restaurants anywhere in Japan. Our recommended areas are Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka and Hokkaido (mainly Sapporo). For more questions, see our FAQ.