Booking a restaurant in Japan as a visitor

Japan is one of the best places in the world to eat, and one of the more confusing places to book. Lots of restaurants take reservations online now. Lots still don’t.

The phone is still a big part of it

Online booking has grown quickly. TableCheck, a reservation system used by many restaurants in Japan, says the online share of bookings went from 36% in 2016 to 56% in 2023. That’s a big shift, and it still leaves a large part of bookings made another way, mostly by phone.

Japan’s national tourism organisation doesn’t sugar-coat it: “Sometimes a phone reservation is the only option.” If that’s beyond you, it adds, “hotel concierges or travel agents may be able to assist.”

If you can book online

Tabelog, Japan’s biggest restaurant guide, has English booking. It lists around 890,000 restaurants, and over 70,000 of them can be booked instantly. Booking in English needs a payment method, Tabelog charges a system fee of ¥440 per person, and each restaurant sets its own cancellation policy.

For high-end places there are specialist sites such as Pocket Concierge. Expect to give card details: JNTO notes that “some places may require a deposit or a credit card to secure your spot.”

Why no-shows are taken seriously

In 2018, a study group set up by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) published a report on no-shows. It defines a no-show as not turning up at the booked time without contacting the restaurant, or ignoring its attempts to reach you, and puts the rate at just under 1% of bookings. It says losses are said to be around ¥200 billion a year. Counting cancellations made a day or two before, it estimates the rate at over 6% and the losses at around ¥1.6 trillion.

The report is clear that a booking is a contract, even one made verbally by phone, and that a restaurant can claim damages from a customer who doesn’t show. For a booked set course, it says the full course price can be charged if the cancellation policy says so.

Its advice to restaurants includes confirming bookings again before the day and explaining the cancellation policy, even on the phone. Its main ask of diners is simple: if you can’t come, tell them as soon as you know.

Being a good guest

• Book ahead for anywhere popular, and be ready to give a card.
• If you’re running late, JNTO’s advice is to “give the venue a heads-up”.
• If plans change, “cancel your reservation as early as possible”.
• Mention allergies or dietary needs when you book, not at the table.

When it has to be a phone call

If the place only takes calls, your options are a concierge, a friend who speaks Japanese, or a call made for you. That last one is the gap Alfred was built for. Whichever you choose, keep the booking: as the report shows, a missed table costs a small restaurant real money.