Where to go for high-end dining in Osaka, Kyoto & Izumi (Kyushu): 

Japan is a heaven for lovers of fine dining. No trip in this country is complete without eating your way through its diverse culinary landscape. When first visiting Japan back in 2019, I tried to dine at as many different restaurant types as possible. This in order to fully immerse in the local culture. On the second journey my husband and I made recently, I did not feel the same need for variety any more. Instead, I chose the places that appealed to me the most. As always, I checked out the Michelin and other guides for this purpose. Find in the following six top fine-dining restaurants in Japan. They are located in Osaka, Kyoto and – to my and probably others great surprise – Izumi in the Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu.

Some preliminary information on restaurants in Japan

Before coming to some upscale culinary spots in Osaka, Kyoto and Izumi, first a few comments to dining out in style in Japan. In case you should be interested in the types of restaurants that exist in this country, I made a corresponding post after our first trip to this country. While not all the dining spots I mentioned there are still in business, I checked them all out and indicated a possible changed status.

If you should wonder how to find and reserve truly good restaurants in Japan, have a look at another blog post I did at the time. Here I gave an overview about the guides you should use for your dining-spot evaluation and the different ways to secure reservations at this places. While the tips in this post are still valid, further clarification on reserving dining spots through intermediaries may be helpful.

Restaurant reservations in Japan via intermediaries

Since our last Japan trip, making reservations through booking platforms has become even more common. Yet, there seem to be intermediaries that operate in Japan whose bookings are not always valid. From what I read this concerns third-party reservation apps like Autoreserve in particular. Therefore, it is important to use secure alternatives. On my research I found out that the following Japan booking platforms are considered safe:

1. Pocket Concierge: This is the one I recommended in my corresponding former post. It specializes in high-end spots, often Michelin-starred ones.
2. Omakase: This booking platforms caters for the same audience as Pocket Concierge (upscale restaurants). It is an official Michelin partner in Japan.
3. TableCheck: Here you can reserve dining spots of any kind. In addition, it also partnered up with Michelin to integrate booking technology into this guide’s ecosystem.

When we wanted to place a reservation, we first checked out if a direct booking with the restaurant was possible. If not, we proceeded as follows. As we often picked dining places featured in the Michelin Guide, we carried on in this manner. After identifying a spot, we moved on to its listing in the Michelin Guide. This in order to find out if reservations were available and through which intermediary. After a crosscheck of the menu price, both with the restaurant website and with other intermediaries, we made the booking.

Now to the dining spots my husband and I visited on our recent Japan journey. This time we only needed off-site restaurants in the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Izumi (Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu). Everywhere else – in rural Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu – we were on a half-board plan at the hotels we stayed.

Osaka: 2 Michelin listed restaurants (1 with a star) out of 6 top fine-dining restaurants in Japan

1. Restaurant Kitashinchi Yumiba Shinnosuke

Japanese cuisine, Michelin listed, 4.8 on Google, 3.75 on Tabelog

This was my favorite dining spot on this Osaka stay. Here you get innovative Japanese cuisine, grounded in tradition. You are seated at a U-shaped counter. There is an omakase menu only (10 courses for 19,360 Yen). Shinnosuke Yumiba is on the helm, a young chef (36 year-old), who trained for 12 years in Osaka before opening his own place in July 2021.

Staff/Cuisine

While the chef was not fluent in English, he liked to engage in conservation with us (we were the only westerners). Also another female staff member was eager to give explanations (with Google Translate), which was helpful and interesting. Shinnosuke Yumiba places high value on serving dishes at their optimal temperature. And he strives to highlight the natural aroma of each ingredient.

Food

On our visit, we got many varieties of fish, many of them I have never heard of. The staff members pointed them out for us on their mobile phones. The sashimi was intriguing in particular, it came with a nori seaweed soy sauce and monkfish liver with ponzu.

And the chef served black bear too in a hot pot version! It was very aromatic, though it was too fatty for me and a bit tough too. After the meat course, the chef served two mixed-rice dishes. They were cooked in clay pots right at the counter. And I liked them very much, one was with firefly squid, the other with cabbage and minced duck. He even offered a second helping that we could not resist!

2. Restaurant Iwaki

Japanese cuisine, one Michelin star, 4.7 on Google. 3.20 on Tabelog

Iwaki, actually Kappo Iwaki, is a highly-acclaimed dining spot. Here owner-chef Ryoichi Endo infuses traditional kaiseki with progressive western elements and modern twists. The restaurant is named after his hometown in the Fukushima Prefecture. The chef has been at this location for 16 years and has received one Michelin star every year since 2011. Before he spent 13 years training at Semba Ketchi, a formerly famous high-end restaurant.

Setting/Menu

Iwaki features a 8-seat counter in an elegant setting.

There is a private dining room too, which was occupied on our visit. No Japanese guests were present, only English was spoken on this evening. You could watch the chef’s exact culinary techniques, which was enticing. However, the light was low, making it hard to see everything clearly. You get here an omakase menu, which is ever-changing – from what I read (12 courses for 25,000 Yen). And apparently Ryoichi Endo – he probably is in his early-to-mid 50s – constantly aims to progress.

Staff

As to the experience we had at Iwaki, it was a bit mixed. The chef worked on his own with the help of a server, who was primarily responsible for the private dining room. While he was polite, he appeared quite reserved and somewhat stressed to me, maybe because of the full house he had. He offered a three-glass sake pairing to me as I did not want the proposed 5-glass one. But then he let me sit with my first glass in front of me until we inquired about the second one. He had obviously forgotten our agreement, so I told him to leave it at this single glass.

Food

In terms of food, everything was of great quality, nicely presented and full of taste. His speciality seems to be artfully arranged starters with seasonal flowers and leaves as well as nicely adorned simmered dishes. The only complaint I have that the dinner was a bit insufficient in quantity. A second helping of the tasty firefly rice would have been appreciated.

Kyoto: 3 Michelin listed restaurants (2 with a star) out of 6 top fine-dining restaurants in Japan

1. Restaurant Deux Filles

Modern French cuisine, Michelin Bib Gourmand, 4.7 on Google, 3.64 on Tabelog

This intimate 8-seat restaurant (4 tables) with its reasonably priced French-Japanese cuisine (7 courses, 12,000 yen) is an absolute find in touristy Kyoto where fine-dining prices are steadily rising. It was all the more incomprehensible that my husband and I were the only guests on a Thursday night in mid-april! Upon arrival, we saw the chef working in the half-open kitchen. The setting is pleasant yet rather minimal and casual.

Food

Throughout the evening we were looked after by the same host that welcomed us. We appreciated his friendly demeanour and his expertise in wine. When it came to food, a trio of snacks set the tone for an enjoyable dinner, which was light, delicious and rich in vegetables (the latter applies only to the savory courses) from the beginning to the end. After a potato-almond soup with scallops there was broccoli in unison with salmon. Next was the chef’s signature dish, a salad with 30 kinds of vegetables, followed by sea bass, beef and two desserts, a vanilla pudding and a creation made with setoka, an exclusive citrus variety.

Chef

Owner-chef Daisuke Iwata – born in 1981 – opened “Deux Filled” (“Two Sisters”) in March 2017. He built his skills across several high-end European and Japanese kitchens. Most notably, he trained at the one-Michelin starred La Biographie in Kyoto where a similar cuisine is celebrated as he does it now. It is evident from the previous menu description that the chef values vegetables highly. From what I read he personally travels to regions like Kameoka and Kamigamo to source fresh, seasonal vegetables directly from the farmers.

2. Restaurant Yokoi

Japanese cuisine, Michelin star (since April 2026), 5.0 on Google, 4.03 on Tabelog

At Yokoi we enjoyed the best and most memorable Japanese dinner in this country so far! This venue got its Michelin star shortly after we dined here (before it was listed in this guide). And I was anything but surprised about the award! At Yokoi you are treated to a fabulous kaiseki meal where chef Hiroshi Yokoi incorporates his own touches (13 courses, 27,500 Yen).

After 18 year of training in Kyoto – 12 at two-star Michelin Kodaiji Wakuden – he opened his own place in fall 2023 at the age of 36. He did this in a 180-year-old machiya, a traditional wooden townhouse.

The main dining area features a 10-seat counter plus there is a private room. The rules for eating here are strict: shoe-off policy (not barefoot), smart casual dress code, no photos of staff, no perfume).

Experience

When my husband and I arrived at Yokoi, we were warmly welcomed and immediately got a cup of Kakegawa tea from the chef’s native Shizuoka. I was impressed by the number of chefs present. There were four of them plus one server for 9 guests on this evening. And we were the only not-Japanese. When dishes were served, chef Hiroshi Yokoi provided details about them and readily answered questions. He was also kind to us westerners although his English speaking skills seemed limited. That went so far that he even clinked glasses of sake with us and suggested taking a photo together after dinner in front of his restaurant!

While we could not follow his explanations about the individual dishes, he indicated an app where the whole menu was described in English.

Food

A highlight on the menu was for me the warm dish, white asparagus with fatsia sprouts and ginger paired with snow crab.

Also the abalone with bamboo and hosts shoots combined with hana yuzu and shellfish in broth was great. Midway through the dinner, the chef hand-rolled sushi in front of us – filled with sea urchin, tuna and egg yolk – and gave it to us to eat right away. Perhaps he got this skill from his father, a sushi chef. Then the charcoal-grilled bamboo shoot was an extraordinary dish.

And I very much liked the beef shabu-shabu he served with sansho blossoms.

A stand-out dish was finally the rice that came with lotus root, salted salmon, dried young sardines, squid with pollock roe and pickled vegetables. Later on, the chef served a second helping, this time with raw egg yolk. What a great meal that was, more refined and inventive than we had elsewhere! And the chef was so approachable. If you could choose only one of my 6 top fine-dining restaurants in Japan, this would be the one!

3. Restaurant Creative Dining Takayama

Modern Italian cuisine, Michelin star, 4.8 on Google, 3.95 on Tabelog

I had high hopes for this dinner, yet it ended up as a mixed bag for me. Upon arrival, the Taiwanese host asked every guest to take a moment to freshen up in the restroom before the dinner. Once finished he inquired whether he should store away my (small) handbag, an odd question because a woman requires her purse at dinner. Then we were ushered in the clinical-looking dining-room (all in white) where 12 seats on a semicircular counter surrounds an open kitchen. We were on time, others were not, so we waited a quarter of an hour until everyone was present. All were westerners, mostly a younger crowd in their thirties.

Setting/Staff

The setting is  impressive, however it reminded me of an operation theater.

Imagine every diner had its own cutlery drawer.

Then a dinner began that was more a theatrical performance than a traditional dinner. The first snack, some sort of chocolate with a liquid center, had a QR code on it to find out today’s menu on Instagram, original but dramatic. The already mentioned Taiwanese host presented every dish with a detailed narrative. He was one of five staff members. Further, there was the chef, Tadashi Takayama, a nice person who speaks good Italian plus two more chefs. One more front of house staff member, not a really experienced one, completed the team. Astonishingly enough, chef Takayama was also responsible for the wines, so that he had quite a lot on his plate.

Some issues

Back to the Taiwanese host. One of his duties seemed to be to entertain the diners, which he did in an unconventional – cheeky – way. For instance he called someone who ordered the whole wine pairing a heavy wine drinker. I found such a behavior especially surprising as the staff in Japan is usually very respectful. Other aspects failed to convince me too. As the counter was in a semicircle, you had a (too) good view of the other diners and little private space. And as it was a collective “performance” (everyone ate the same dish at the same time), I felt pressured to keep up with the group. And everyone else ate faster than I. Finally, while I was fond of the wine pairing, the small one stopped in the middle of the dinner.

Food

Now to the food, which was very good. You get here contemporary Italian fare that comes with lots of extras meant to impress you. Many courses were in the form of an assortment of small dishes, similar to Spanish tapas (10 courses for 30,000 Yen, one glass of Champagne included; wine pairing 16,500 Yen, 1/2 wine pairing 9,500 Yen).

I liked the last snack in particular, a truffle cookie, as well as both starters – 5 finger food items

followed by 5 small dishes, all typical Italian classics with the chef’s take on them. Afterward, the bread arrived, the best one I ever had – and I have had many good ones lately. Fish and beef were good but not really out of this world. Pasta and risotto came in portions too small to give a verdict. Excellent, on the other hand were the dolci, the desserts, especially the petit-fours. As there were way too many of these miniature pastries, they readily packed the leftovers for us!

Izumi (Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu): 1 Tabelog Bronze Award restaurant 

Restaurant Kai

Modern Italian cuisine, 4.2 on Google, 4.22 on Tabelog

My husband and I landed in remote and untouristy Izumi more or less just by chance – we found here a great renovated samurai residence, RITA Izumi Fumato. When I browsed the Tabelog website (Japan’s most popular restaurant review platform) for this town, I found to my complete surprise Restaurant KAI, rated 4.22. This score indicates exceptional, world-class culinary quality. Only the top 0.07% of all establishments reach such a high rating. The chef even holds the prestigious Tabelog Bronze Award! And this – sorry Izumi – in the middle of nowhere. So, we booked two seats at the 6-seat corner dining spot that has been only open since January 2023.

Some mishap of our side

After some confusion – we reserved the right day of the week but with the wrong date – , we managed to get an alternative booking. We noticed our error when having dinner nearby at the very time we should have been at KAI. After dinner we went to this place in the hope to solve the issue on the spot. We burst in there in the middle of the service where we looked at “our” two empty seats with shame. But the young chef – Kai Oya, 34-year old – , remained calm and turned out to be courteous. We quickly sorted it out, via Google Translate, as he does not speak English. And we returned the following day for lunch.

Cuisine/Chef

And lucky us for succeeding in doing so! What a great lunch that was! You are in here for a skillfully and refined meal (11 courses for 11,000 Yen).

Kai Oya merges fine Italian cuisine with Japanese wood-fired cooking. And he does this in a nice, contemporary setting. We loved everything here, maybe with the exception of the wine pairing, which was mostly unexceptional. The rest was phenomenal! This included the professional and efficient service. Before moving to Izumi, Kai Oya worked at a top-tier Italian place in Tokyo. He grew up on Yakushima where his parents run a (simpler) Italian restaurant, Il Mare.

Food

As to the food, I adored the risotto – with squid and bamboo shoots –

and the two pasta dishes. The first one was with handmade “Chitarra” square-egg pasta and was combined with carrot, cheese sauce and chicken.The second one were simple yet delicious spaghetti with tomato sauce. They came right after the meat course, which was a fabulous spot-bill duck, a wild bird.

From what I read, the chef likes to prepare hyper-local game meat in general. Also the desserts were deeply satisfying. Kai Oya first served a lighter one, yoghurt ice cream with a sauce made of shiranui citrus, an intensely flavourful variety. Then he presented a heavier “dolce”, a pudding made of brown sugar and marsala.

Looking back on my Japan content

I started my Japan reporting with an off-the-beaten-path itinerary for Kyushu, Shikoku and unknown Honshu. My husband and I chose this route because we had already done the (Extended) Golden Triangle/Route, a favorite of most first-timers to Japan on an earlier journey – see here my corresponding posts. The second blogpost was about the luxury hotels we stayed along the way.

And just before I covered the (Michelin) fine-dining restaurants we visited in Japan. They are not that numerous because we were on half board at our hotels quite often. We only dined out  in Osaka, Kyoto and Izumi (Kyushu, Kagoshima Prefecture).

Date of stay: April 2026

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