wait - putting aside the colossal amount of content in the rest of the post, did you make that google sheets sushi reference??? 
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I mean this honestly goes well beyond anything I could have expected. This is remarkable. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to dive further into this.
Lol this website is incredible. Wtf.
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Haha I did not! I bought it for $30 because I was WAAAY overwhelmed by choice.
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No worries! Took less work than writing a food write up from scratch since most of this research was already done and I’m just compiling information together
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Ehh, no need to be humble. And the best of luck on your trip! When I have time to sit down and digest this, I’ll be sure to lob some questions your way.
Also, eager to see the eventual Quintonil write-up. Curious how you found it to be!
Feel free to co-op this thread as a massive trip report, or start your own! The Asia section on here is slow enough that we need to get some decent intel going on!
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Admittedly I’ve been remiss in my FTC duties lately. I went back to Tokyo and Kamakura for a week last month to celebrate a turkey-less Thanksgiving, and haven’t yet had the chance to offer insights on my first visit to Japan since the pandemic began. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to share.
I see that there are already tons of great restaurant recommendations here. I’ll try to contribute first, rather, by going into some nitty-gritty information about general travel in Japan. Apologies if you already know some/all of this…
For you as first-time visitor, I will go against the popular sentiment expressed on this thread thus far and advise that you DO spend at least some time in Tokyo. Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area on earth, and the beautifully interwoven complexity of its urban planning and layout is astounding. The sheer variety of food styles found in Tokyo is incomprehensibly vast. As for which ward to stay in, I’d recommend anywhere near a major “hub” station where multiple lines intersect. Doing so puts you in easier striking distance of most other parts of greater Tokyo. On past visits, I did not enjoy staying in Shinjuku because, as great as the area was, it felt a bit far removed from center of Tokyo. On another trip though, I really DID like hanging out in Nakameguro, where my friend was staying - charming little area, with galleries, indie stores, coffee shops, etc. Also, because there exists a superb and reliable train service network, many daytrips can be had if you are staying in Tokyo. For example, on this past trip, I went on a day hike in Kamakura to Kotoku-in, home of the Daibutsu.
Entry logistics: Anytime I plan to enter Japan via Tokyo, I usually try to fly into Haneda rather than Narita. For me, I like to be close to the heart of the city from where my plane touches down. Definitely use the app “Visit Japan Web”, which is the (current) official Japanese government portal to upload your passport and COVID-19 vaccination clearances ahead of your arrival. You can even complete your customs card on this app. You can do all of this even up to a few hours before you land in Japan. If you enter the requested data within the specified time, then the QR codes the app gives you will allow you to breeze your way through health control, immigration and customs at the airport - So modern and easy!
Connectivity: Secure a portable Wi-Fi hub rental for pickup at your airport before you arrive in Japan. Having constant map service on your mobile will save you time with finding all those hard-to-spot restaurant frontages. Plus, many of the Wi-Fi hubs now also double as phone charger battery as well, just in case your phone need the extra juice when the chef gives you permission to take lots of food photos lol.
Money: Yes, many more places in Japan now take cards than ever before, but definitely have cash on hand. Japan is still a place where cold hard cash reigns. No tipping in Japan. When it comes to prices: WYSIWYP! The USD is quite strong against the JPY (USD $1 = JPY ¥136 as of the writing of this).
Transport: Make good use of public transport. Download the” Japan Travel by NAVITIME” app to search for routes, down to the minute. And yes, the system all runs with incredibly punctuality. Prepared to walk at least 15,000 steps a day (so healthy!). Get a Suica card at the machine as soon as you get to a transit station (English menu available), and load up a few hundred yen on it to start with. Suica is also accepted for payment at most konbinis and also many vending machines as well. Taxis can be a bit on the expensive side, but do not be hesitant to hail a cab if you are hopelessly lost or running late to a reservation. Having said that, I’d try to mostly stick with public transport, as it is just excellent. Etiquette note: Try to refrain from talking on metro trains in Japan.
Lodgings and Reservations: A baller hotel usually has a baller concierge. Staying at one of these hotels can be key to getting you into some of the hard-to-secure seatings in town. In this realm, in case you decide to splurge, I find the concierges at the Tokyo Station Hotel, Aman Tokyo, and Palace Hotel to be particularly strong.
Reservations: Tokyo is a formal city, and as such, reservations are highly respected (and expected) for pretty much any higher-end eatery (sushi, tempura, teppanyaki, kaiseki, etc). But many casual eateries such as ramen-ya, depachika, izakaya and kissaten operate very much on walk-in business. As many food workers do not want to handle cash, I’d advise any visitor to get used to the “chip vending machine” way of ordering at many noodle shops and casual places.
Unfortunately, I found on this latest trip that sushi “high temple” seatings have become even harder to procure since the pandemic. Many places simply have no available seats for foreigners, with chefs having discovered (and cultivated) a core group of devoted local customers during Japan’s relative isolation in the last 2 years; and this base already allows for sustained financial security for these shops. Famed sushi-yas such as Saito, Sugita, Arai, Sawada and Kimura have always been popular with Tokyoites. Now, I think many of these chefs realize that they will do just fine without any tourist business henceforth (sigh). But on the bright side, many shops are still very much open to tourist traffic. If time permits, I will probably be writing up my experience at one such place (Sushi Keita) on a future thread.
Reservation Apps: Already well-covered in the above entries on this thread. But I would state that I personally will not be using TableAll in the future, as I had a pretty bad restaurant experience with it on this most recent trip to Tokyo.
Tokyo highlights I enjoyed on my latest visit (food and otherwise):
Echiré Maison du Beurre (Marunouchi): Best viennoiserie in Toyko right now. Heavenly baked goods made with butter from Deux-Sèvres. Expect a long line. Croissants sell out pretty quickly on weekends. Their 50% sel croissant stands as the finest croissant I’ve ever had, anywhere…
Gonokami Tsukemen Seisakusho (Shinjuku): Ebi-based broth is intense (I loved the miso) and life-changing. Noodles are on the firm side. Damn, damn good!
Momijigari (autumn colors viewing), Koishikawa Korakuen (Bunkyo)…
teamLab Planets (Toyosu): Immersive art, truly impressive. Though teamLab Borderless has closed, teamLab Planets remains open. Reservations highly recommended…
Daibutsu, Kotoku-in (Kamakura)…
Aoyama-san slices up the maguro for us, Sushi Keita (Tsukiji)…
Seiko gani, Sushi Keita…
Been there, done that from my previous trips. Closed on this evening as I passed by Ginza…
Sweet potato vendor (Higashi-Azabu)… Gotta get this!
No picture but great soba, at Kawakami-An (Azabujuban)
… and nearby, kaiseki in Tokyo: Azabu Kadowaki
I’d also echo the sentiments of other FTCers and recommend that you visit Kyoto. With its ancient temples and serene feel, Kyoto offers a really nice contrast from the uber-megacity tempo of Tokyo. On my last trip there (in 2017), I had two great meals in Kyoto: Takehisa and Michelin one-star Sushi Kappo Nakaichi. Try to stay at a ryokan if your budget allows for it. The in-house kaiseki meals at ryokans are well worth it!
Enjoy Japan!
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They remember me in Kyoto! If memory serves, this spot is only a few blocks away from Takehisa!
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All the tempura places where we dined (pre-Covid) only accepted cash for whatever reason. Have your ATM card ready. 
Gang, when I asked for Japan help, I could not have imagined this.
@J_L Many thanks for this wonderful primer. Nakameguro sounds right up my alley. I think based on collective advice, Kyoto will certainly happen. I think I had a small fear that Kyoto was so perfect that it was too perfect (maybe like a Dubrovnik versus a Split situation, or a Venice versus anywhere else in Italy) but Kyoto sounds much mellower than those places and much larger, so it seems way easier than I anticipated to avoid the hordes.
Also, I need to dress well for this trip huh? None of my usual dross.
I will be sure to check out Echiré Maison du Beurre. Gonokami Tsukemen Seisakusho looks perfect, though my shellfish-allergic friend might have to sit outside haha.
Also, I’m going to see what I can do to make Sushi Keita happen. It makes sense that the “high temple” spots have gone more local, but a bit of a shame for us 
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Split is the “nicer” city if you want experience Croatia
Oh I know. Spent a month there. Great food city as well. (Also I bet the Croatians are dancing tonight.)
not to hijack but also to brainstorm - any recommendations for tempura (set menu or casual) in Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka?
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This is already an epic thread. I unfortunately will not be able to visit Japan again any time soon, but will live vicariously through all of you. Will still throw in my $0.02.
I agree with most, especially if it’s your first time in Japan, to definitely visit Kyoto and Tokyo. Kyoto for the history (even if sometimes a bit touristy), and Tokyo for the sheer scale. Sure it’s a metropolis, but it’s still a distinctly Japanese metropolis.
A couple other things before getting to food - I personally just get the international pass capability if your operator offers it (I know Verizon does but don’t know who you have). It’s $10 / day, which is not much different than a personal Wifi, and you can use your data quota overseas.
Also, as you are probably doing both Kyoto and Tokyo, I assume you’ll take the shinkansen aka bullet train. That’s an experience in and of itself in Japan (so serene, so efficient), so I it’s an experience to try.
And of course, on the shinkansen, don’t miss out on “ekibens” or train station bento boxes. Yes they’re highly processed, but I think they’re a delicious.
A couple ekibens and a saba bozushi from a train station.
In terms of timing, for a Feb visit, you might be a bit too late for some of the higher end restaurants, especially in Kyoto. For a number of restaurants though, reservations open up on Jan 1 for February so would contact your hotel before that.
Also, I personally had a good experience with Tableall - sad to see @J_L ‘s experience was not the same, and his data point is more recent than mine. I would say they have exclusive access to a few restaurants - e.g., Sushi Kimura in Tokyo only allows foreigner reservations through Tableall. I was able to book at Kimura a few years back this way.
Kyoto Recs
Agree with what @Bagel said. Some background though - I don’t know enough to be authoritative about this, but kaiseki in Kyoto is more traditional than what you’ll see in Tokyo, and as a result, the flavors can seem austere to a lot of folks. So I can see why many don’t feel Kyoto kaiseki meals are “life-changing” whereas the ones in Tokyo might seem more special. That said, I have a couple of recs for Kyoto
My FTC post about a recent Kyoto (and Tokyo) trip is below
Sumibi Kappo Ifuki
My avatar shows a dish from here - this restaurant focuses on grilled foods, so it’s a pretty unique place even for Kaiseki. FYI, Ifuki is a 2 star Michelin - I’ll list this info for informational purposes below but it shouldn’t necessarily be a deciding factor for you.
Hyotei
Hyotei serves kaiseki and is as old school as they come - it was founded around 400 years ago and was a destination for pilgrams to Nanzenji temple. It’s a 3-star Michelin restaurant - I am actually recommending the lunch “shokado bento” for 6000 JPY at they Hyotei Annex, or their breakfast and not their dinner. It’s an “accessible” way to try 3-star Michelin cuisine but with a much lower financial and time commitment.
Ryuhei Soba
A reasonably priced soba set menu - we tried this during lunch. It is a bit of a schlep away from the middle of Tokyo. I highly recommend this for the quality of soba and the great other types of food you can try.
Jiki Miyazawa
This is a one-starred Michelin restaurant that focuses on Kappo (counter) cuisine. The original chef, Masato Miyazawa originally opened this place but has since opened Godan Miyazawa and cooks there now. Jiki Miyazawa still has a lunch course around 7000 JPY that gives you a nice sampling of kappo cuisine.
The below is some tofu is ground sesame
@tktktktk you asked about tempura and one place I really liked in Kyoto was Kyoboshi. However, there are numerous, numerous places in Tokyo, so you might want to try those.
I would also highly, highly recommend MItsuyasu (**), a kaiseki restaurant - some of the best vegetables I’ve ever had. But I think the restaurant books months (i.e…, > 6) so not sure if it’s feasible now.
Tokyo
For Kaiseki, in addition to what others recommended, I would add two, though both are very pricey (with premium quality ingredients to match).
Goryukubo **
This is, of course is one of the places where Chef Brandon Go trained (the other being Ishikawa) before returning stateside. It’s ** dining, and I think reservations are a lot more straightforward to get than some of the other kaiseki restaurants. I’ve had the good fortune of going twice and both meals were fantastic.
My post is here:
Kimoto
This is the restaurants where I had my favorite kaiseki meal, which means it’s probably my favorite meal ever. Resys are pretty hard to get (log on Omakase right on the dot) but if you can swing it and get it, it was pretty life changing for me.
Post here:
For sushi, my favorite sushi meals ever have been at restaurants that serve Jiro-style sushi. I’ve never been to the honten location of Sukiyabashi Jiro, but I’ve had the pleasure of dining at Mizutani (now closed), Harutaka**, and Sushi Masuda**. Chef Harutaka Takahashi and Masuda Rei were both apprentices of Jiro (Harutaka left before the documentary, but you can see Masuda-san in the documentary). I view Jiro-style sushiyas as places where you’re not going to get a lot of types of fish you haven’t tried elsewhere, but what you will get is pristine quality neta served on sharply acidic komezu (white vinegar) seasoned rice.
Harutaka ** is open late with 2 seatings, so reservations are pretty feasible. Due to the hours, and of course the quality, it’s evidently a favorite of other chefs. I will say relatively speaking that the nigiri, and not otsumami, is the strength here.
My post here:
Sushi Masuda **
I believe he closed his original Tokyo shop in Omotesando and moved to Taiwan for a period, but is not back in Tokyo and opened a new version of the shop.
Sushi Kimura
A break from the Jiro-style places above - Kimura-san serves super aged fish, and I think the execution is really good. It’s nigh-impossible to reserve, but Kimura-san speaks good English and I think still takes reservations through Tableall.
Non sushi/kaiseki meals 
Ramen
Tsukemen (like what they serve at Tsujita) can be transcendental here. As others have mentioned, you’ll line up at good ramen places. I really really liked Rokurinsha and Menya Kissou. Gonokami Seisakujo is really good, though it’s a very very specific type of tsukemen (the dipping broth tasted like seafood bisque to me).
The tsukemen at Rokurinsha
The line at Rokurinsha
The tsukemen at Menya Kissou
The line at Menya Kissou (with seats to relax once you get into the first 10 spots)
The ramen at Gonokami
(you guessed it) the line at Gonokami
Ramen Mugi to Olive was a shop in Ginza that was really good and didn’t have a line, so might be a good last minute drop in.
Udon Maruka
I like Udon Maruka - the noodles are perfect, and they have all sorts of preparations. I recommend getting a cold udon to better appreciate the texture.
Toriki *
This is an old school yakitori place - the chef speaks pretty good English. Just to be safe, I would personally not eat the livers / organs rare again.
Moyan Curry
Mini chain in Tokyo and has the best Japanese curry I’ve every had.
Depending on how much you want to splurge, I think wagyu in Japan is different from eating it here and worth trying. The price extends into the stratosphere, but a pretty good place to try is a micro chain of teppanyaki restaurants called Ukai-Tei. There’s one in Ginza and I believe one in Omotesando. Think Benihana on steroids but with high quality cooking and premium beef.
If you want to really go all out, you could go to Shima or Dons De la Nature - I had good meals at both, but (especially at the latter), I left with a much lighter wallet.
Can’t recall if others mentioned this, but of course also visit the deepachikas, or food courts in the departments stores!
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a tip on locating those hard-to-find restaurants with minimal signage is to look at the exterior photos of the shop on tabelog and cross-reference that with google street view. i like to virtually “walk” the route (usually from the nearest train station) so i know exactly where i’m going before i even leave. it’s helped me from being late to my reservation at least a couple times.
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Also, if you are truly lost but in the local vicinity of your target restaurant and see a local constabulary kiosk (koban), just ask the police for the location. More often than not, if it’s within a few blocks, you’ll get a “personal police escort” to the restaurant!
Cell carrier-wise: T-Mobile was awesome for me. No need for any chip changes or special additions to my plan. T-Mobile just worked as soon as I got to Japan.
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A side note. After learning that Niseko has night skiing, we’ve sacrificed a precious ski afternoon to slide into a noon slot at Rakuichi. Excited is an understatement.
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second this recommendation - especially since some places can be in obscure alleyways or not on the first floor
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We’ve tried Kondo and Fukamachi in Tokyo. It’s been a few years. From what I can remember, we like Fukamachi slightly better.
Just putting this out there in case anyone’s in town the same as the res! I have 1 seat available @ Sushi Tsubomi. One friend dropped, and I don’t want to drop the reservation if i can find a replacement stand-in. You would be joining me and one of my friends
Fri, Feb 03, 2023 @ 20:30 or 8:30 pm Japan time
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