Restaurant in Osaka, Japan
Residential Kyoto izakaya, easy to book.
A Pearl Recommended izakaya in Kyoto's quieter Sakyo Ward, Touhichi earns its 4.1 Google rating (1,311 reviews) from a local-skewing crowd rather than tourist footfall. Easy to book relative to the region's more decorated venues, it works best for relaxed small-group dinners with seasonal Japanese small plates. Most rewarding in autumn and winter when the format and produce align.
Touhichi earns a Pearl Recommended Restaurant recognition for 2025, and getting a table is easier than most izakaya worth your time in the Kansai region. If you are planning a low-key special occasion, a relaxed evening with a small group, or simply want to experience what a neighbourhood izakaya does well, this is a reasonable yes. The booking difficulty is low, which is a genuine advantage when you are building an itinerary around tighter reservations at kaiseki counters or Michelin-recognised destinations. Note that while the listed city is Osaka, the address places Touhichi physically in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward, near Yamabana in the Shugakuin area — confirm your travel routing before you go.
Touhichi sits in the quieter residential fringe north of central Kyoto, far from the tourist corridors of Gion or Arashiyama. That geography is part of what makes it worth considering for a particular type of evening. The izakaya format here is not designed around spectacle. It works leading for small parties who want to settle in, drink well, and eat through a selection of Japanese small plates at a pace that doesn't feel managed. With 1,311 Google reviews and a 4.1 rating, the volume of responses suggests a venue that draws regular traffic, not just occasional acclaim.
The izakaya format is inherently seasonal in Japan. Kitchen output shifts with what's available: mountain vegetables in spring, cold preparations and chilled sake through summer, mushrooms and root vegetables in autumn, and winter's heavier, warming broths and grilled preparations. If you are visiting during autumn or winter, those are the periods when an izakaya in this part of Kyoto tends to be at its most purposeful. The kitchen has more interesting raw material to work with, and the format of ordering multiple small dishes feels especially well-suited to a colder evening. Spring visits are also strong — the appearance of sansai (foraged mountain vegetables) and lighter, greener preparations shifts the feel of the menu noticeably. Summer is the weakest season for this format if you are weighing it against other options.
For a special occasion, Touhichi's appeal is specific. This is not the venue for a formal anniversary dinner where presentation and ceremony matter. It is a better fit for a relaxed celebration with people who enjoy eating in a shared, informal style , a birthday dinner with a close friend, a post-event wind-down, or an evening where the goal is good food and drink without a fixed structure. The izakaya rhythm of ordering as you go, rather than committing to a set menu, suits those occasions well. If you need a more formal setting or a kaiseki-style progression of courses for a milestone event, Taian or Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama are the appropriate alternatives.
The Yamabana address puts Touhichi outside the typical visitor circuit, which means the room is likely to skew local. That is a reasonable indicator of consistent quality , venues in residential pockets of Kyoto without walk-in tourist traffic tend to survive on repeat customers. It also means the atmosphere will be quieter and less performative than izakaya in more central Osaka locations. If you are coming from central Osaka, factor in the travel time to Sakyo Ward before booking.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. No reservation platform or phone number is listed in available data, so approach via walk-in or search for current booking channels before your visit. Given the residential location and local-skewing crowd, arriving early in the evening is the most practical approach if you are unsure about availability. For broader trip planning, see our full Osaka restaurants guide and our full Osaka hotels guide.
Touhichi is a Japanese izakaya in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward (Yamabana area), Pearl Recommended for 2025, with a 4.1 Google rating from over 1,300 reviews. Booking is easy relative to comparable venues in the region. No dress code, price range, or set hours are confirmed in available data. The format is informal small-plate ordering. Leading visited in autumn or winter when seasonal Japanese produce is at its strongest. Confirm the Kyoto address if travelling from central Osaka. For comparable izakaya experiences internationally, see Budonoki in Los Angeles and The Aubrey in Hong Kong.
Quick reference: Pearl Recommended 2025 | Google 4.1 (1,311) | Izakaya format | Easy to book | Kyoto, Sakyo Ward
If you are building a broader itinerary across Japan, Pearl covers Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, Harutaka in Tokyo, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa. For everything around Osaka, see our Osaka bars guide, Osaka wineries, and Osaka experiences.
The izakaya format is well-suited to small groups , typically two to six people. Larger parties should check directly with the venue before booking, as seat count data is not confirmed. The informal, shared-plate ordering style works in your favour for group dining. For group-friendly alternatives with confirmed capacity, consider venues listed in our Osaka restaurants guide.
Specific menu items are not confirmed in available data, so avoid planning around particular dishes. What the izakaya format reliably delivers in Japan is a range of grilled, braised, and raw preparations to share. The strongest ordering strategy at any izakaya in this part of Kyoto is to follow what's seasonal: foraged vegetables in spring, hearty grilled preparations in winter. Ask staff what is fresh that evening rather than arriving with a fixed list.
Yes, for the right kind of occasion. Touhichi works well for a relaxed celebration with people who enjoy informal, shared eating. It is a poor fit if you need ceremony, set-menu progression, or a formal atmosphere. For milestone events that require more structure, Taian (kaiseki, ¥¥¥) or Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama (Japanese, ¥¥¥) offer the formality the izakaya format does not. Touhichi's Pearl Recommended status and 4.1 Google rating suggest consistent enough quality that the evening is unlikely to disappoint, just be clear on the format before you book.
Bar seating is common in Japanese izakaya and is often the preferred option for solo diners or pairs. Specific seating configuration at Touhichi is not confirmed in available data. If eating at the bar matters to you, arrive early in the evening when options are most open. The izakaya format is typically well-suited to bar dining , ordering a drink, asking what's good, and letting the evening develop from there is entirely normal.
For a step up in formality and budget, Taian and Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama are the strongest Japanese options at the ¥¥¥ tier. For something more ambitious and internationally recognised, HAJIME and Fujiya 1935 operate at ¥¥¥¥ and require booking further in advance. If you specifically want the izakaya format in a more central location, see our full Osaka restaurants guide for current options across price tiers.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touhichi | Japanese Izakaya | Pearl Recommended Restaurant (2025) | Easy | — |
| HAJIME | French, Innovative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| La Cime | French | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama | Japanese | Michelin 3 Star | Unknown | — |
| Taian | Kaiseki, Japanese | Michelin 3 Star | Unknown | — |
| Fujiya 1935 | Innovative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
How Touhichi stacks up against the competition.
Izakaya format generally suits groups of 2-6 comfortably, and Touhichi's residential Sakyo Ward location suggests a smaller, neighbourhood-scale room rather than a large venue. No private dining or group booking contact is listed in available data, so parties of 4 or more should arrive early or check current contact details via Google before visiting. For larger groups needing confirmed reservations, Taian or Kashiwaya in Osaka are more structured options.
Specific menu items are not documented in available data, but Touhichi operates as a Japanese izakaya, meaning the format centres on small shared plates alongside drinks. Order broadly across the menu rather than anchoring on one dish. With over 1,300 Google reviews and a 4.1 rating, the volume of repeat local customers suggests the kitchen has reliable staples worth asking staff to point you toward on the day.
It depends on what kind of occasion. Touhichi holds a Pearl Recommended Restaurant recognition for 2025 and has strong local repeat custom, which makes it a solid choice for a relaxed, low-ceremony dinner with people who appreciate neighbourhood dining over formal settings. For a milestone where a structured multi-course experience matters, Taian or Fujiya 1935 in Osaka would be more appropriate.
Bar seating is common in izakaya of this type and scale, and Touhichi's residential format suggests counter seats are likely available. No floor plan or seating configuration is documented in available data, so treat bar seating as probable but confirm on arrival. Solo diners and pairs are well-suited to this format; walk-in timing matters more than advance reservation given the Easy booking difficulty rating.
Touhichi is technically in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward, not Osaka proper, so geography matters when comparing. For Osaka-based alternatives, La Cime offers refined French-Japanese tasting menus at the higher end, Fujiya 1935 is the choice for serious contemporary Japanese cuisine with a track record of awards, and Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama is the go-to for kaiseki in a more formal register. If you want to stay in the casual izakaya range but closer to central Osaka, search by neighbourhood rather than name.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
