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The Best Places in Japan

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  1. Rank 2184. Gen Yamamoto

    Cocktail Bar

    Eight seats, one bartender, and a flower chosen to match each drink: Gen Yamamoto runs cocktails the way Kyoto runs kaiseki. You choose a flight of four, six, or seven courses, each one built around whatever ingredient the season hands over, each served in its own piece of glassware. It is a cocktail bar in the way a tea ceremony is a cup of tea. Yamamoto-san holds a spot on The 50 Discovery list.





  2. Rank 2184. Jazz Bar Samurai

    Cocktail Bar

    A small jazz listening bar on the fifth floor in Shinjuku, where the soundtrack is smooth, the drinks are dive-bar cheap, and roughly a thousand cat figurines watch you order. A five-foot white maneki neko presides over the shelves like a landlord. The cocktail list leans feline, including a peach-schnapps number topped with a neon green cherry, and most pours cost about what a train ride does.


  3. Rank 2184. Kirimugiya Jinroku

    Japanese Noodle Shop



  4. Rank 2184. Kosoan

    Dessert





  5. Little Soul Cafe is a listening bar in Setagaya where the owner shakes your drink, then crosses the room to pick the next record from a wall of vinyl that runs well past ten thousand. Soul and funk come through a very good sound system, and you'll sit at a seven-seat counter or sink into a couch that feels borrowed from a friend. The menu is short except for the rum, which gets four pages. Smoking is still allowed.


  6. Rank 2184. Ok Coffee

    Coffee


  7. Rank 2184. Omnipollos

    Beer Bar

    Omnipollos is a craft beer bar from a Stockholm brewery, tucked into a former eel restaurant with a traditional tile roof, rainbow neon, and a yellow smiling-face lantern, all dropped into a grey business district. Inside it goes psychedelic, with baby blue walls, cloud-shaped lanterns, and ombre tabletops. Half the taps are Japanese, and the beer slushy with soft serve is a cheerful way to ignore your commute. It's on The Infatuation's Best Bars In Tokyo list.




  8. Rank 2184. PST Higashi Azabu

    Neapolitan Pizzeria


  9. Rock Fish is a standing bar in Ginza where the kakubin highball is the whole conversation, and regulars put them away by the dozen. The whisky is a Suntory bottling that reaches almost no one else, the soda is a Japanese brand sharp enough to feel in your throat, and there's no ice, so the glass is simply chilled until it behaves. The Infatuation lists it among Tokyo's best bars. A fried sesame sphere handles snack duty.













  10. Rank 2230. ADAMS

    Italian

    The awards


    Address
    452-6 Kuwae, Chatan Town, Okinawa 904-0103, Japan · Chatan Town
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 7 PM

    Saturday 7 PM–11 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  11. Rank 2230. Amistad

    Portuguese

    The awards


  12. Rank 2230. BACAR

    Italian

    The awards


    Address
    3-16-15 Kumoji, Naha City, Okinawa 900-0015, Japan · Naha City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Saturday 5 PM–10:15 PM

  13. Rank 2230. bistro 11

    French

    The awards


    Address
    3-7-13 Takaban, Meguro Ward, Tokyo 152-0004, Japan · Meguro Ward
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Saturday 5 PM–Midnight

  14. The awards


  15. Rank 2230. campesino

    French

    The awards


    Address
    6-21 Shiromicho, Kochi City, Kochi 780-0824, Japan · Kochi City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Saturday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 6 PM–9 PM

  16. The awards


    Address
    1-2 Tenjinmachi, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo 162-0808, Japan · Shinjuku Ward
    Hours

    Closed now, opens noon

    Saturday Noon–3 PM, 6 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  17. The awards


  18. The awards


  19. Rank 2230. EL ALMA

    Iberian Spanish

    The awards


    Address
    8-19 Fukushima, Osaka City, Osaka 553-0003, Japan · Osaka City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 3 PM

    Saturday 3 PM–Midnight

  20. Rank 2230. Fungi do

    Italian

    The awards


    Address
    3 Chuuoukuminami, Sapporo City, Hokkaido 060-0063, Japan · Sapporo City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens noon

    Saturday Noon–3 PM, 6 PM–11 PM

  21. Rank 2230. gonki

    French

    The awards


  22. Rank 2230. Hikidashi

    Japanese

    The awards


  23. Rank 2230. Hitsujiya

    Japanese Barbecue

    The awards


    Address
    4220-15 Tominami, Murayama City, Yamagata 995-0208, Japan · Murayama City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Saturday 11:30 AM–3 PM, 5 PM–9 PM

    Online
    Website
  24. Rank 2230. jibunchi

    Italian

    The awards


  25. The awards


  26. The awards


    Address
    3-5-19 Fujitsukacho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa 760-0071, Japan · Takamatsu City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Saturday 11 AM–2 PM, 5 PM–10 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  27. The awards


  28. Rank 2230. Mirongyuan

    Chinese

    The awards


    Address
    2-3-16 Harimayacho, Kochi City, Kochi 780-0822, Japan · Kochi City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Saturday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 6 PM–9:30 PM

    Online
    Website
  29. Rank 2230. Nature

    French

    The awards


    Address
    24 Asahimachi, Kouzan City, Gifu 506-0017, Japan · Kouzan City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Saturday 5:30 PM–10 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  30. The awards


  31. Rank 2230. osteria due

    Italian

    The awards


    Address
    1-8-12 Tomari, Naha City, Okinawa 900-0012, Japan · Naha City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Saturday 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5 PM–11 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  32. The awards


    Address
    2-18-11 Kume, Naha City, Okinawa 900-0033, Japan · Naha City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Saturday 5 PM–11:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  33. The awards


    Address
    374-1 Nishimaecho, Kyoto City, Kyoto 600-8083, Japan · Kyoto City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Saturday 11:30 AM–3 PM, 5 PM–10:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  34. Rank 2230. PEZ

    French

    The awards


  35. The awards


    Address
    28 Shiraho, Ishigaki City, Okinawa 907-0242, Japan · Ishigaki City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Saturday 5:30 PM–10 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  36. Rank 2230. Pizza Gorge

    Pizzeria

    The awards


    Address
    7 Koikecho, Nagoya City, Aichi 465-0047, Japan · Nagoya City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Saturday 5:30 PM–10 PM

  37. The awards


    Address
    41 Minamimama, Kochi City, Kochi 780-0971, Japan · Kochi City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Saturday 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5:30 PM–9 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  38. The awards


    Address
    2-7-14 Watanabedori, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka 810-0004, Japan · Fukuoka City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Saturday 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5:30 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  39. The awards


  40. Rank 2230. rokusyo.

    French

    The awards


  41. The awards


  42. The awards


  43. The awards


    Address
    527 Untembaru, Nago City, Okinawa 905-1634, Japan · Nago City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Saturday 5:30 PM–11 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  44. Rank 2230. VAGABUNDO

    Mexican

    The awards


    Address
    188-1 Okawa, Ishigaki City, Okinawa 907-0022, Japan · Ishigaki City
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Saturday 5:30 PM–11:30 PM

    Online
    Website
  45. Rank 2230. Yakitori Morimoto

    Japanese Barbecue

    The awards


  46. The awards


  47. Rank 2267. Ajihei

    Japanese Hot Pot


  48. Rank 2267. Akagakiya Namba

    Japanese Tavern


  49. A mixed-use complex in the heart of the city with over a hundred food options under one roof, which sounds like a nightmare until you realize it contains a second location of Sushi Saito. Florilège holds two Michelin stars here, and the rest of the lineup runs from Arabica Kyoto coffee to Sembikiya parfaits to wagyu burgers at Shogun Burger. Arrive hungry and without a fixed plan; the place rewards wandering.


  50. Rank 2267. bar MEIJIU

    Cocktail Bar


  51. Rank 2267. Binbiya

    Izakaya



  52. Rank 2267. Butagumi

    Japanese


  53. Rank 2267. Coffee L'ambre

    Traditional Japanese Café


    Address
    3-chōme-31-3 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan · Tokyo
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 9:30 AM

    Saturday 9:30 AM–11 PM

    Online
    Website
  54. Rank 2267. Daigen

    Japanese

    A takoyaki stand in Amerikamura, the Osaka district of vintage shops and record crates, where the teenage regulars clearly know something the Dotonbori tourist trail does not. The elderly couple running it have been at this for decades, turning out octopus balls piled with green onions and a version called takosen, where the whole thing gets sandwiched between two thin shrimp crackers. The batter lands soft inside and crisp out, which sounds obvious but rarely is.


  55. A pull-string activates a heating device tucked into the beef tongue bento, which tells you everything about how seriously Japan takes train food. This ekiben shop inside Tokyo Station stocks around 170 regional bento boxes sourced from across the country, each one a kind of edible postcard from wherever you're not going. Grab one with your green tea before boarding the shinkansen and feel extremely correct about your life choices.


  56. Rank 2267. Ginzaya

    Izakaya


  57. An old-school unagi restaurant that claims to have invented the Osaka style of preparing freshwater eel, which skips the steaming step common elsewhere and goes straight from sauce to flame. The result is a crispier, more intensely flavored dish than the Tokyo version. Head-to-tail cutting adds to the richness. Summer is the season locals treat this as a destination, though the place has been drawing them in for longer than anyone can reasonably claim to remember.


    Address
    中央区高麗橋2丁目5-2, 大阪市, 大阪府, 541-0043 · Osaka
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 10:30 AM

    Saturday 10:30 AM–6 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  58. Okonomiyaki, the savory pancake whose name translates to "whatever you'd like, grilled," is Osaka's most democratic dish, and this snug alley spot in Dotonbori takes it seriously. The chef layers batter, cabbage, and your chosen mix of beef tendon and konjac, or scallops and cheese, onto an iron griddle until it's light and cooked through, then finishes with sauce and an optional egg. Casual, cheap, and deeply Osaka.


    Address
    1 Chome-7-10 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0071, Japan
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Saturday 11:30 AM–3:30 PM, 5 PM–11 PM

    Online
    Website

  59. Rank 2267. Itamae Yakiniku Itto

    Japanese Barbecue


  60. Every evening at this tiny street food stand, chef Toyoji Chikumoto torches tuna cheeks with something closer to a flamethrower than a kitchen tool, cigarette dangling, bare hands in the fish. The result is charred outside, raw and cold within. The rest of the menu leans into the same excess: fatty tuna, sea urchin, salmon roe piled together like a dare. Bring cash, bring patience, and lower your expectations for personal space.


  61. Rank 2267. Kagari Ramen

    Japanese Noodle Shop


  62. Rank 2267. Kanbukuro

    Dessert


  63. The wood counter is a little wobbly and the chefs are elderly and absolutely not interested in rushing. This old-school udon shop is credited with pioneering Osaka's zaru style, serving chewy, hand-cut noodles cold alongside a dipping sauce. The chefs slice the dough by hand with Japanese knives, which gives the noodles a smoothness a machine can't quite replicate. A bowl here feels like lunch at someone's kitchen, which is more or less the point.


  64. Rank 2267. La Pizza Napoletana Regalo

    Neapolitan Pizzeria


  65. Rank 2267. LIAISON

    French Japanese

    A French technique restaurant in Fukushima where the name does double duty: it's a culinary term and a philosophy, nodding to the chef's tight network of hunters, farmers, and fishmongers supplying Ezo deer, Aomori duck, and Awaji Island seafood. The whitewashed room is calm and unhurried, and the set menu moves from delicate amuse-bouches through earthy, fragrant combinations that feel like they required a lot of phone calls to pull off.


  66. Rank 2267. Maruyama

    Japanese


    Address
    Japan, 〒103-0026 Tokyo, Chuo City, Nihonbashikabutochō, 3−5 K5ビル 1階 · Tokyo
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Saturday 11:30 AM–3:30 PM, 6 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  67. Rank 2267. Matsuyoshi

    Japanese Barbecue


  68. Rank 2267. Menya Jouroku

    Ramen Shop


  69. Rank 2267. Moeyo Mensuke

    Ramen Shop


  70. Rank 2267. Muguni

    Japanese


  71. Rank 2267. New Light

    Japanese


  72. The hassun tray arrives looking more like an ikebana arrangement than a dinner course, small dishes composed with the kind of deliberate beauty that makes you pause before picking up your chopsticks. This is a kappo counter in Nishitemma where the seasonal Japanese menu drifts into Burgundy wine and the occasional thread of cheese or duck. The all-female team runs the room with real warmth, which stands out in Osaka's fine dining scene.


  73. Rank 2267. Shabusen

    Japanese

    Each diner gets their own personal hot pot at this casual Ginza counter, cooking thin-sliced wagyu or pork through simmering broth and finishing in sesame dressing, ponzu, or a raw egg for sukiyaki. It's a no-fuss, deeply satisfying format, the kind of place where the tableware, handmade in the mingei folk-craft tradition, quietly outclasses the surroundings. The menu is essentially two items, and nobody seems to mind.


  74. Rank 2267. Shimanouchi Ichiyo

    Seasonal Kappo

    Kappo sits somewhere between kaiseki's ceremony and an izakaya's ease, and Shimanouchi Ichiyo leans hard toward the easy end. It's a small, informal spot built around whatever came in from the Seto Inland Sea that morning, so the menu shifts daily. The kitchen has a taste for unexpected pairings, eel with kelp, fried sweetfish with tartar sauce. The sashimi platter ventures into less familiar cuts, rainbow trout and filefish served with its own liver.


  75. A Shinto altar anchors the dining room, and that's not decoration, it's the concept. Shinon Washoku Senryu is an 18-seat kaiseki restaurant built around osagari, the practice of first offering food to the gods before serving it to you. Shoji screens, a hushed atmosphere, and seasonal dishes that lean subtle rather than showy follow from there. The kind of place where you eat slowly and think about things.


  76. Rank 2267. Sougo

    Vegetarian Japanese

    Shojin ryori, the centuries-old vegetarian cuisine of Buddhist monasteries, gets a modern Roppongi address at this quiet, thoughtful restaurant. The kitchen works with land and sea vegetables alongside traditional ingredients like fu and yuba, the kind of pantry that rewards curiosity. For the curious who want to go further, there's a cooking school inside. The international crowd in this neighborhood means the chef can lean into the tradition without having to explain it apologetically.




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Eat Score

The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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    Drink Score

    The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

      How we score →

      Stay Score

      Four fifths of the score is the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin Key outweighs a listicle. The last fifth is where it is: the ranked places to eat and things to do around it, and how safe the country is. When you sort by what's nearby, distance from you changes the order, never the score.

        How we score →

        Do Score

        The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

          How we score →

          Best Place Score

          The Best Place Score rates the area around a point, not any one place. The places are 60% of it: the best of what's within reach, weighed by distance. The setting is the other 40%: how life goes in that country (how people rate their own lives, how long and how well they live, how safe they are) and what it's like right there (the air, and the weather). If the score looks low, we probably haven't found enough critics out here yet.

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