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The Best Places to Eat and Stay in Japan

Eat + Stay, change section
  1. Cottage-style villas on a remote stretch of Amami Ōshima beachfront, with Akaogi Bay sitting right outside. Each villa comes with exposed beams, tatami, a deep soaking tub, and a private furnished deck, so you never have to share a view with strangers unless you choose to. The reception desk organizes guided treks and wildlife tours through the surrounding forest. It's the kind of resort where the isolation is the whole point.

    The awards


  2. Five villas on the far southeastern tip of Miyako Island, itself already a detour from Okinawa, which is itself a detour from anywhere. Each villa at this small, private resort reads like a meditation on stone and tile, softened by cool textiles and just enough tropical green, with its own terrace and infinity pool aimed squarely at the Philippine Sea. After dark, the stars take over completely.

    The awards


  3. Perched on stilts above Miyako Island's southern coast, this boutique resort looks like a stack of futuristic glass boxes from the outside and barely more than that inside, which is the point. Slate floors, white linens, and sliding doors onto private patios keep nothing between you and the water. Breakfast is a carefully arranged spread of organic island produce. Imugya Marine Garden, a snorkeler's haunt, is directly across the street.

    The awards


  4. Four rooms and suites sit at the southernmost tip of Shikoku, inside Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park, with the Pacific filling every window. TheMana Village is a small, minimalist-luxe resort where the landscape does most of the heavy lifting, and the Italian restaurant on site, Azzurrissimo, takes its cues from the same ocean view. A Michelin Selected Hotel, and the kind of place where "remote" feels less like a sacrifice than a point.

    The awards


  5. Two private villas on the edge of Lake Kussharo, the largest crater lake in Japan, inside the remote Akan-Mashu National Park in Eastern Hokkaido. RERA lets waves slap against its floor-to-ceiling windows; FURE, the two-story option, runs quieter. Both have wood-burning fireplaces, hot-spring baths, and multiple bedrooms. A short path connects to the lakeside restaurant, where the team serves traditional Japanese cuisine over water views.

    The awards




  6. Address
    3-chōme-7-2 Hirano, Koto City, Tokyo 135-0023, Japan · Tokyo
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 9 AM

    Thursday 9 AM–5 PM

    Online
    Instagram


  7. Address
    Japan, 〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo City, Ginza, 6-chōme−12−16 片桐ビル Ⅱ 2階 · Tokyo
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

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

    Online
    Website
  8. Rank 2106. Chatei Hatou

    Japanese Café






  9. Rank 2106. common.

    Coffee




  10. Rank 2106. Fuglen Tokyo

    Nordic Coffee





  11. Rank 2106. Kirimugiya Jinroku

    Japanese Noodle Shop



  12. Rank 2106. Kosoan

    Dessert





  13. Rank 2106. Ok Coffee

    Coffee




  14. Rank 2106. PST Higashi Azabu

    Neapolitan Pizzeria













  15. Rank 2143. ADAMS

    Italian

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 7 PM

    Thursday 7 PM–11 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  16. Rank 2143. Amistad

    Portuguese

    The awards


  17. Rank 2143. BACAR

    Italian

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Thursday 5 PM–10:15 PM

  18. Rank 2143. bistro 11

    French

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Thursday 5 PM–Midnight

  19. The awards


  20. Rank 2143. campesino

    French

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Thursday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 6 PM–9 PM

  21. The awards


  22. The awards


  23. The awards


  24. Rank 2143. EL ALMA

    Iberian Spanish

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 3 PM

    Thursday 3 PM–Midnight

  25. Rank 2143. Fungi do

    Italian

    The awards


  26. Rank 2143. gonki

    French

    The awards


  27. Rank 2143. Hikidashi

    Japanese

    The awards


  28. Rank 2143. Hitsujiya

    Japanese Barbecue

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Thursday 11:30 AM–3 PM, 5 PM–9 PM

    Online
    Website
  29. Rank 2143. jibunchi

    Italian

    The awards


  30. The awards


  31. The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Thursday 11 AM–2 PM, 5 PM–10 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  32. The awards


  33. Rank 2143. Mirongyuan

    Chinese

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

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

    Online
    Website
  34. Rank 2143. Nature

    French

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Thursday 5:30 PM–10 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  35. The awards


  36. Rank 2143. 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

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

    Online
    Instagram
  37. The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Thursday 5 PM–11:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  38. The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

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

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  39. Rank 2143. PEZ

    French

    The awards


  40. The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Thursday 5:30 PM–10 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  41. Rank 2143. Pizza Gorge

    Pizzeria

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Thursday 5:30 PM–10 PM

  42. The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

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

    Online
    Instagram
  43. The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

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

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  44. The awards


  45. Rank 2143. rokusyo.

    French

    The awards


  46. The awards


  47. The awards


  48. The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Thursday 5:30 PM–11 PM

    Online
    Instagram
  49. Rank 2143. VAGABUNDO

    Mexican

    The awards


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

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Thursday 5:30 PM–11:30 PM

    Online
    Website
  50. Rank 2143. Yakitori Morimoto

    Japanese Barbecue

    The awards


  51. The awards


  52. Rank 2180. Ajihei

    Japanese Hot Pot


  53. Rank 2180. Akagakiya Namba

    Japanese Tavern


  54. 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.


  55. Rank 2180. bar MEIJIU

    Cocktail Bar


  56. Rank 2180. Binbiya

    Izakaya



  57. Rank 2180. Butagumi

    Japanese


  58. Rank 2180. 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

    Thursday 9:30 AM–11 PM

    Online
    Website
  59. Rank 2180. 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.


  60. 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.


  61. Rank 2180. EUREKA!

    Sake Japanese Cocktail Bar

    A sake bar up a flight of stairs in Nishiazabu, where the sign reads "strawberry meeting," a translation of ichigo ichie that sounds like a very polite jam session. The list runs past 200 bottles, from sparkling to cloudy doburoku, plus a few made with local breweries that you won't find elsewhere. The egg in black squid ink mayonnaise looks like a river rock until you crack it, which is the whole bit.


  62. Rank 2180. Ginzaya

    Izakaya


  63. 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

    Thursday 10:30 AM–6 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  64. 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 5 PM

    Thursday 5 PM–11 PM

    Online
    Website

  65. Rank 2180. Itamae Yakiniku Itto

    Japanese Barbecue


  66. 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.


  67. Rank 2180. Kagari Ramen

    Japanese Noodle Shop


  68. Rank 2180. Kanbukuro

    Dessert


  69. 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.


  70. Rank 2180. La Pizza Napoletana Regalo

    Neapolitan Pizzeria


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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.

    How we score →

    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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