363 Best Restaurants in Japan

At the original branch of Monsoon Cafe, which has a dozen locations (including in Shinjuku and Omotesando), the pan-Asian menu is complemented by rattan furniture, brass Thai tableware, colorful papier-mâché parrots, Balinese carvings, and ceiling fans. The best seats in the house are on the balcony that runs around the four sides of an atrium-style space. Try the butcher's plate (mixed grilled meats), steamed shrimp dumplings, or nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice).

In business since 1887, Monzen Toraya is best known for its skewers of sweet kusa-dango rice dumplings, which come topped with red-bean paste and are a popular snack for visitors en route to Taishakuten Temple. The more substantial lunch menu features ramen, udon noodles, and rice bowls topped with seasonal tempura. For fans of the Otoko wa Tsurai Yo Japanese movie series, earlier films used Monzen Toraya as two different settings.

Homestyle o-banzai cooking is the specialty of this sophisticated restaurant found in a beautiful machiya (town house). Bonito sashimi, simmered pumpkin, and gingery ground chicken are artfully presented on lacquer trays, feasts for the eyes that taste even better than they look. There's a choice of set meals (lunch and dinner), featuring a rich variety of local seasonal fare often numbering between 8 and 12 courses. Kimono-clad hostesses will attend to you. The lovely inner courtyard garden makes for a relaxing dining experience.

Located in the Benesse House Museum, Restaurant Issen serves teishoku lunches and traditional kaiseki-style bentos in beautifully curated surroundings. It's a highly aesthetic experience—and one of the most elegant dining options on the island. At dinner, the menu switches to full (and far more expensive) kaiseki dinners, although those are currently offered only to guests of Benesse House. Note that children below the age of six are not allowed.

This ever-popular place in Hirome Market has perfected katsuo tataki, the regional fish specialty and the only item on the menu other than beer and rice. Fresh cuts of skipjack tuna are seared to perfection by a cook perilously close to being engulfed by the flames that he's feeding with big handfuls of straw. So look for the orange flames erupting from this stall's window. You can have the fish served on a bed of rice, sprinkled with salt, or drizzled with a citrusy soy sauce, and you'll never get enough of it. Myojin-Maru belongs to the captain of the largest fishing vessel in the port town Kure, where most of the restaurant's fish comes from. Locals love this place. To avoid lines, arrive early for lunch or dinner.

An offshoot of the nearby Nadagiku Sake Brewery—one of Himeji's most prominent sake makers—this cozy izakaya-style restaurant a couple of blocks north of Himeji Station serves up the popular belly-warmer oden (fishcakes and vegetables in a broth), which pairs very well with their excellent varieties of sake (or a cold draft beer). Seating is limited, but wait times are usually short, and there is an English menu. Open for both lunch and dinner.

This restaurant serves the famous local beef, which can be cooked in the teppan style, table-side. The most popular menu is steak, but they also have yakiniku (Japanese beef BBQ), beef on rice, and beef hamburger steak.

For a post-shopping drink and a bite to eat, stop by this tiny brewpub amid the side streets just east of Nakano Broadway. The rustic decor makes the place seem as if a carpentry enthusiast has made a bar in their garage (the name kobo translates to "workshop," after all), but you're really here for the beer. Although offerings change often, reliable choices include IPA, stout, and white beer—perhaps accompanied by sausage, buffalo wings, or fries.

Nakano-san presides over the catch of the day in a small restaurant, run since the 1970s by the same family. Take a seat at the wooden counter, over which Nakano-san offers you whatever seafood is in season. Open from midday to midnight.

The wooden tables, antiques, and patches of raised tatami flooring give Nantai a very rustic feel. Try the Nikko specialty, yuba (tofu skin), which comes with the nabe (hot pot) for dinner. It's the quintessential winter family meal. The seafood here is fresh, and both the trout and salmon are recommended. Each meal comes with rice; pickles; side dishes like soy-stewed vegetables, tempura, or udon; and dessert.

A short walk west of Nanzen-ji's middle gate, Junsei specializes in yudofu (simmered tofu) served in the traditional Kyoto kaiseki style. The beautiful Edo-period building sits among wonderful sculpted gardens; entrance is slightly set back from the road, through a small gate with two lanterns hanging on either side.

Near Nanzen-ji Temple, Kikusui serves elegant kaiseki ryori (traditional cuisine) with an aristocratic flair. Dine on tatami mats at low tables or at table-and-chair seating, all overlooking an elegant Japanese garden. The subtle flavors of the set menus are embellished by the setting, where in spring a canopy of pink-and-white cherry blossoms accents a meal, and in autumn the fiery red-and-orange maples highlight the warm flavors. Kyo-no-aji, smaller versions of kaiseki ryori served for lunch, make it possible for you to savor Kikusui's elegant setting and fine cuisine for less than half the price of dinner. This restaurant seats 200, yet the serene garden view makes it feel cozy and intimate.

The chefs at this chic little bistro transform standard Japanese ingredients into extraordinary cuisine. Antique tables and plush chairs create a sedate setting for delicious lunch plates and excellent handmade pastries. Don't worry about the Japanese-only menu—just order the daily lunch set or the best-looking dessert from the glass display case.

Sizzling yakitori (meat on wood skewers) and other local favorites like grilled salmon and herring accompany imports like spareribs and tacos at this place in Hirafu Village. The folks at the nearby tables could become tomorrow's skiing or whitewater rafting buddies, and your hotel's staffers probably enjoy their evenings off here. It's open for dinner, but if you're in the area around lunchtime consider the sister restaurant Bang 2 (Deux) just next door. English translations are on the menu.

Slip into this little shop, in business since 1859, for a scoop of delicious sofuto kurimu (soft-serve ice cream) or a cup of tea. You can relax in the small garden in the rear or on benches out front. At the far end of the Tate-machi shopping street, the heavenly scent of roasting green tea leaves wafts out the door. The café is open daily 9:30 to 6:30.

Situated near Shimokitazawa Station, Norah's is a great place to do some people-watching while enjoying a coffee (including an Irish coffee if you'd like) and a snack. It also serves tea, wine, and beer.

In a traditional house with a tile roof, this lively izakaya-style restaurant has a helpful picture menu. On the second floor there are Okinawan music and dance performances most nights at 6:30, 8, and 9 (with an additional ¥1,100 service charge). It's on Kokusai Street a few blocks south of the Starbucks.

The Okonomimura Building contains around 20 shops that all serve okonomiyaki (literally, "as you like it grilled"). Okonomiyaki is best described as an everything omelet, topped with bits of shrimp, pork, squid, or chicken, cabbage, and bean sprouts. Different areas of Japan make different okonomiyaki; in Hiroshima the ingredients are layered rather than mixed, and they throw in lots of fried noodles. Seating in these lively shops, which are generally open late, is either at a wide counter in front of a grill or at a table with its own grill. This complex is near the Hondori shopping street, just west of Chuo-dori.

Sit down for a genuine taste of western Japan at this eatery serving savory okonomiyaki pancakes, as well as noodle dishes like yakisoba. It's inexpensive for the area, so expect a wait.

Two blocks before the Chitose-bashi Bridge, this Japanese version of a traditional British pub serves fish-and-chips and pizza along with local Matsumoto beer and rotating craft brews from elsewhere. It's close to Parco department store, between the station and castle.

The country-style exterior of this popular noodle shop near the Philosopher's Path echoes the hearty fare served within. Men means noodles; the O is honorific, appropriately so. The ingredients are served separately with a small bowl of fresh sesame seeds for you to sprinkle as liberally as you like. You can dine on stools at the counter, chairs at tables, or tatami mats. Reservations are accepted only on weekdays.

This branch of the famed soba noodle shop is convenient to the downtown shopping area, just across the river from Gion. It's a perfect place to drop in for a lunch of udon noodle soup with a liberal sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Seating is limited at this small stand near Naka Meguro Station, but the baristas are extremely knowledgeable about how to properly prepare espressos, hand-drip coffees, and lattes. And the name of this chain of roasteries isn't a misspelling of "omnibus," but rather a playful mix of "oni" (devil) and "bus."

Hidden down a quiet street just south of Ara-ike in Nara Koen is this intimate restaurant serving exquisitely presented traditional kaiseki meals. Within the faded wooden walls, a common architectural motif in Nara, you can sit at a rustic counter or in one of two serene tatami rooms. Choose from one of the two set meals. Both lunch and dinner here are short and served early (noon–1 for lunch, 6–7:30 for dinner).

Located in one of the warehouses beside the Otaru Canal, Otaru Beer a great place to try the local weizen, pilsner, and dunkel. The international menu includes such differing foods as pizza, paella, German sausage, and roast pork. The shiny copper brew kettles, brick walls, and wooden beams help create a great atmosphere. Otaru Beer has been a favorite amongst locals and visitors for nearly three decades. 

Standing apart from all the sushi joints in Otaru is this lamb barbecue heaven at the easy-to-find branch of a famous jingisukan restaurant. Purchase a plate of tender, succulent lamb, which you cook by yourself on a dome-shaped griddle with side orders of alfalfa sprouts (moyashi) and leeks (negi). If you're still hungry, pick up a crepe or a treat on your way out from one of the shops in the cute collection of buildings. Reservations are required on weekends.

In the middle of Otaru's famous strip of sushi restaurants, Masazushi serves up the morning's catch of herring, tuna, abalone, salmon, and more perched on quality vinegared rice. The staff will check your wasabi horseradish tolerance levels when taking your order. A good, quick lunch is the basic 10-piece akane set. The restaurant is quiet and removed from the day-tripper crowds, and in the evening it's where local business leaders hold court in private rooms, but there are English menus.

It's difficult to travel around Japan and avoid all animal products, but if you're looking to sample some home-cooking-style cuisine, check out this restaurant that is welcoming, lively, and full of healthy vegetarian food—no eggs, meat, fish, dairy, white sugar, or chemicals. This place is hard to find, hidden in what looks like it might be someone's house, so don't miss it. If you're heading from the west, you'll cross a bridge and the tiny noren curtain on your left will be a clue.

This excellent bakery is the perfect place for a quick bite or to assemble a picnic for the beach. There are French staples including baguettes, croissants, and pain au chocolat, plus Japanese favorites such as melon pain.