For Ishikawa, they have switched to Omakase. Unfortunately I have never seen an open spot on there. I remember reading on some random corner of the internet that I cannot easily dig up where they actually have a phone line for the whole restaurant group with support for English speakers. They list the 050-3138-5225 number for multiple restaurants in the group which to my mind adds credence to this. I think in the post I found somebody had used the number to call in and were able to making a booking. It might be worth a shot if hotel concierge doesn’t work. I’ve been to Ishikawa as well and thought it was awesome, though I haven’t been to Goryu Kubo yet.
As to cost, some of the ultra expensive (400-600+) stuff I understand is related to using ultra premium ingredients. For example, during crab season it’s not just a certain type of crab, but also from a specific area, and then with specific features. I’ll refer to this older post on Goryu Kubo where the number of black circles on the crab is apparently a sign of quality where more is better. [Tokyo] Goryukubo (Nishi Azabu) 2 Michelin star kappo kaiseki heaven. Goryu Kubo I recall hearing before is that sort of restaurant. He tries to use the best and that’s built into the cost. I don’t think that’s the case for every place though. A rich foodie I follow on Instagram does occasionally note when an expensive place doesn’t have the best cost performance.
Personally, I’m not sure I have the palate or experience to appreciate the use of the very best ingredients so I historically have passed on such experiences, though after re-reading those GK reviews I’ll probably have to try to fit that in eventually. Of the three, I’m guessing that Ishikawa is the hardest resy so you could always keep the others as backups?
Adding a little to the ryokan discussion earlier in the thread:
- There’s also the Ogoto Onsen area on the other side of Mt Hiei from Kyoto. A bit off the beaten path but I stayed at Yumotokan before and very much enjoyed the rooftop open air bath overlooking Lake Biwa and remember the food being quite good.
- Arashiyama area is also typically a recommended destination for Kyoto area and has some ryokan as well, though the good ones I think were pricier.
- Within Kyoto itself, I’ve heard great things about the food at Kanamean Nishitomiya. It unfortunately does not have onsen water for its baths, though the rooms seem very nice.
I also agree that the Kaiseki dinners at Ryokan have, in my experience, not been comparable to stand-alone restaurant Kaiseki, though they can be fun. Went to a bunch of ryokan in Kyushu as part of a (very good) tour package and while they were good only one got kind of close to what I had in Tokyo. I actually did enjoy my meals at Yumotokan quite a bit but it was basically before I got more into food so I didn’t have much to compare to at the time.
There are apparently ryokan that might serve food on the same level as stand-alone restaurants but I think you have to go out of your way for that and will likely pay quite a bit for the experience. For example, one place I’ve been eyeing is a restaurant named Sower attached to a hotel in North Lake Biwa called L’Hotel du Lac. Very out of the way but the restaurant seems very interesting. Another more accessible example in Nara (especially since Nara is another typical recommendation for Kyoto/Osaka day trips) is Fufu Nara. Apparently good food but springing $600-800 for that and the hotel is definitely outside my budget.