Uemura

About Uemura

Uemura (formally Ryoriya Uemura) sits on the fourth floor of a building on Nakayamatedori in Kobe's Chuo Ward, seven minutes on foot from Sannomiya Station. The room holds 11 seats, all at the counter. There are no private rooms. For groups wanting the full space, private hire is available for up to 20 people, which makes it a workable venue for a corporate dinner or a small celebration where exclusivity matters.

The counter format is central to the experience here. Eleven seats means chef Ryosuke Uemura and the team are cooking for a small, fixed number of guests at any one time. For a special occasion dinner, that physical intimacy is part of the proposition: you are close to the preparation, the pacing is controlled, and the room is non-smoking throughout. If you are used to kaiseki at larger Kyoto establishments, the spatial register here is more compressed and personal. For a comparison point in the kaiseki category, Ifuki in Kyoto and Kikunoi in Tokyo offer a sense of how the format plays out at different scales.

The drinks program is worth factoring into your budget planning. Uemura is noted as particular about both sake (nihonshu) and shochu, with wine also available. In kaiseki settings, sake pairings tend to drive the bill significantly beyond the food price, which likely explains the gap between the listed JPY 30,000–39,999 range and the JPY 50,000–59,999 figure that emerges from review spending data. If you are coming for the full counter experience, plan for the higher figure. Credit cards are accepted (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners); electronic money and QR payments are not.

Timing matters at Uemura. Lunch runs 12:00–14:00 with a last order at noon, and is available only on weekends and public holidays for individuals; weekday lunch requires a group of 10 or more. Dinner runs in two sessions: first from 18:00, second from 20:40 (last order 21:00). Closing days are not fixed, so confirm directly before booking. Cancellations on the day of reservation carry a 100% cancellation fee, which is standard for this tier in Japan but worth noting before you commit.

For broader context on dining in the region, see our full Kobe restaurants guide. If you are building an itinerary across the Kansai region, HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, and akordu in Nara are worth considering alongside Uemura.

Quick reference: 11-seat counter, JPY 30,000–59,000 per head depending on drinks, reservation-only, 10% service charge, credit cards accepted, no parking on-site, 7 min walk from Sannomiya Station.