A Japan dining concierge plans where and when you eat across the whole trip, then arranges each table in your names. At STAYGO that means choosing restaurants that fit your route and dates, reading each one's booking rules, asking the kitchen about your dietary needs before anything is arranged, and, where our contacts in Japan make it possible, arranging tables that take no online bookings or seat new guests only by introduction. You pay each restaurant directly, at its own prices. Our Signature planning fee is USD 3,500 for your group, for a journey of 7 to 14 days.
We checked the booking rules quoted on this page on the official websites of Kyoto Kitcho, Hyotei, Kikunoi and Misono on October 15, 2026. Restaurants revise their terms, so we confirm them again for your dates. The sources are listed at the end.
Key points
- Some restaurants take online bookings in English, some take none online, and a few counters seat new guests only by introduction.
- Cancellation charges begin days ahead: 30% from five days before at Kyoto Kitcho Arashiyama, 50% from three days before at Hyotei.
- Party size changes the rules. Hyotei takes meal bookings from two guests, and groups of six or more are charged 30% from seven days before.
- Kitcho asks for every guest's allergies at the time of reservation.
- You pay each restaurant directly, with no markup or commission.
WHAT A DINING CONCIERGE DOES
Most of the work happens before anything is arranged. We decide which meals carry the most weight: the dinner that marks an anniversary, the lunch between a temple at opening time and an afternoon train, the evening spent at the ryokan because its kaiseki dinner is part of the stay. Then, for each meal:
- Choose the restaurant for your route and the way you like to eat, with a second choice named.
- Read its rules on cancellation, party size and dress, and show you the cancellation terms before anything is arranged.
- Ask the restaurant about allergies, vegetarian or religious requirements before arranging anything, and include only those that confirm they can accommodate you.
- Make your arrangements in your names. We can arrange hard-to-book restaurants, ryokan and private experiences through our contacts in Japan. Each depends on the venue's own conditions and availability, so we tell you plainly what is realistic for your dates, and we never present anything as secured until it is confirmed.
- Put every table, time and address in your STAYGO portal, and stay reachable by message there or on WhatsApp while you travel.
HOW JAPANESE RESTAURANTS TAKE BOOKINGS
Online and sometimes in English
Kikunoi's reservation page says guests from outside Japan can book online through its English and Chinese pages. Kyoto Kitcho takes reservations through an online form. Hyotei lists online booking and notes that a web booking follows the terms of the booking site used.
No online booking
Other restaurants keep their book offline. Kikunoi's own reservation page states that Roan Kikunoi, the group's smaller restaurant in Kyoto, does not take online bookings. Many smaller counters work the same way, with no booking channel in English at all.
By introduction
A small number of counters, mostly in Tokyo and Kyoto, seat new guests only when someone they already know introduces them. They do not say so on a booking page, so we do not name them here. Where an introduction can open a door that is usually closed, we arrange it for you. How this system decides who sits where is explained in how Tokyo's best tables actually work and how to get a reservation at Japan's best restaurants.
WHAT RESTAURANTS ASK OF OVERSEAS GUESTS
The rules below are as each restaurant publishes them, and they apply to every guest.
| Restaurant | How it takes bookings | Cancellation | Other rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyoto Kitcho Arashiyama | Online reservation form | 30% from five days before, 50% the day before, 100% on the day | Smart casual, no strong perfume, allergies for all guests at the time of booking |
| Hyotei, Kyoto main restaurant | Online or directly with the restaurant, meals from two guests | 50% from three days before, 100% on the day. Groups of six or more: 30% from seven days before | From November 1, 2026, lunch from ¥44,275 and dinner from ¥50,600, tax and service included |
| Kikunoi, Kyoto and Akasaka | Online for guests from outside Japan, through the English and Chinese pages. Roan takes no online bookings | Not stated on the reservation page | Each restaurant handles its own bookings |
| Misono, Kobe | Online or directly with the restaurant | 30% of the food price plus tax if the menu is chosen, otherwise ¥3,300 per person | A booking is cancelled if you arrive more than 30 minutes late without notice. 10% service charge at dinner only |
The charge starts well before the day, a party of six is treated differently from a party of four, and lateness counts: Kitcho treats a booking as cancelled if it cannot reach you 30 minutes after the reserved time. We plan each day around the meal with that in mind. Some dining experiences are paid ahead: our Toyosu Market morning with a sushi chef is paid in advance by card, in yen, with a full refund up to four days before.
ALLERGIES AND DIETARY NEEDS
Tell us about allergies, vegetarian or religious requirements, or anything else that matters. We ask each restaurant and hotel before arranging anything, and include only those that confirm they can accommodate you. Timing matters: Kyoto Kitcho asks for every guest's allergies when the table is booked, and says it will make every effort with vegan, vegetarian, halal and kosher requests made in advance, while it may not meet every one.
What to ask, and why a dish of vegetables can still contain fish, is covered in our guides to vegetarian and vegan dining, food allergies and gluten-free dining and halal fine dining.
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE PLAN THE MEALS
How the meals might sit in six nights split between Tokyo and Kyoto. The names change with your dates and what each kitchen confirms.
- Tokyo, arrival. A short dinner close to the hotel.
- Tokyo, day two. The Toyosu Market morning with a sushi chef.
- Tokyo, day three. A counter dinner that takes no online bookings, if our contacts can arrange it for your date, with an alternative already named in the plan.
- Kyoto, day four. A kaiseki lunch, priced below dinner at Hyotei.
- Kyoto, day five. Dinner at the ryokan, as part of the stay.
- Kyoto, day six. Kobe beef at a designated restaurant, in Kyoto or on a day in Kobe.
FEES AND HOW YOU PAY
Restaurant planning is part of the journeys we plan. Signature is USD 3,500 for your group, for journeys of 7 to 14 days. Longer or more complex journeys are planned as Bespoke, priced with you, and you see the number before you commit. A 25% deposit begins your planning, and the remaining 75% is due 60 days before you travel. For journeys departing within 60 days, the full fee is due when you confirm.
You pay hotels, restaurants and providers directly, at their own rates, with no markup or commission. More detail is in what a bespoke Japan trip costs.
WHAT WE CANNOT PROMISE
- A named counter on a named night. Each restaurant depends on its own conditions and availability. We tell you what is realistic for your dates, and nothing is presented as secured until it is confirmed.
- Every dietary request. Some kitchens cannot adapt their menu. We include only those that confirm they can.
- Waived cancellation charges. The restaurant sets its terms, and any charge is paid to it directly.
OUR DINING GUIDES
- Kaiseki etiquette: the course order, the rules that matter, and Kyoto prices.
- Vegetarian kaiseki and vegan fine dining: why bonito dashi matters, and shojin ryori in Kyoto and Tokyo.
- Food allergies and gluten-free dining: what the labelling law covers and where wheat and fish hide.
- Halal fine dining: halal kaiseki, halal wagyu, hidden alcohol and prayer rooms.
- Authentic Kobe beef: how to check the certificate and ID, and published prices.
- How to get a reservation at Japan's best restaurants: the levels of access and how far ahead to plan.
- How Tokyo's best tables actually work: regulars, introductions and lunch as the way in.
- Toyosu Market and sushi with a chef: the market with a chef, then nigiri at his counter.
SOURCES AND HOW WE CHECKED
We read each rule below on the restaurant's own website on October 15, 2026. We did not contact the restaurants for this page, and we confirm terms again when we arrange your table. The note on introduction-only counters refers to no restaurant named here.
- Kyoto Kitcho, reservation policy: booking form, cancellation, the 30-minute rule, dress, allergies, dietary requests
- Hyotei, official site: online booking, two-guest minimum, prices from November 1, 2026
- Hyotei, cancellation policy: charges by day and for groups of six or more
- Kikunoi, reservations: online booking from outside Japan, Roan offline
- Misono Kobe, shop page: cancellation fee, lateness, service charge
- STAYGO, Toyosu Market and sushi with a chef: advance payment and cancellation terms
QUESTIONS ABOUT DINING IN JAPAN WITH STAYGO
Can you get a table at a restaurant that does not take online bookings?
Often, yes, through our contacts in Japan. Each depends on the venue's own conditions and availability, and we never present anything as secured until it is confirmed.
How far ahead should I plan dinners in Tokyo and Kyoto?
Three to six months ahead gives the widest choice, especially in cherry blossom and autumn foliage season. If you travel sooner, we check availability before recommending a restaurant.
What happens if we need to cancel a restaurant booking?
Each restaurant sets its own terms, which we show you before anything is arranged. At Hyotei, 50% is charged from three days before and 100% on the day, paid to the restaurant.
Can you plan meals around allergies or a halal or vegetarian diet?
Yes. We ask each restaurant before arranging anything and include only those that confirm they can accommodate you.
PLAN THE TABLES WITH THE TRIP
Send us your dates, your cities and any dietary needs. We will come back with a first shape for the trip and its meals.
Begin planning →