Furuta

Furuta, Ginza: Should You Book?

Most people assume that the leading creative Chinese cuisine in Tokyo means a large, theatrical dining room. Furuta corrects that assumption immediately. This is an eight-seat counter in Ginza, dinner only, reservation required, and the average spend runs above JPY 100,000 per person. If you are looking for a casual or drop-in Chinese meal, stop here and look elsewhere. If you are willing to commit, Furuta has held the Tabelog Silver Award every year from 2018 through 2026, earned Gold in 2017, and appears on the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in Japan list — ranked #95 in 2023, #103 in 2024, and #253 in 2025. The Tabelog score sits at 4.31. That track record, sustained over nearly a decade since opening in December 2014, is the clearest signal of consistent quality available in the data.

The Room and the Format

Eight counter seats, no private rooms, non-smoking throughout. The physical setup tells you exactly what the experience is: a single chef working in front of a small audience, every plate visible as it is composed. Visually, the counter format means there is nowhere for a dish to hide and no partition between the kitchen and the guest. That transparency is either the point or a dealbreaker, depending on what you want from a dinner at this price. The room is available for full private hire, which is the only way to bring a larger group, and even then you are working within an eight-person ceiling. Chef Hitoshi Furuta also runs Gifu Kaikatei, which gives some useful context: this Ginza address is a deliberate second stage, designed around a creative Chinese format rather than a regional one. Photography of dishes is permitted with the agreement of other guests at the counter — worth confirming at booking.

Timing: When to Go

Furuta opens Tuesday through Saturday, 5 PM to 10:30 PM, and is closed Sunday and Monday. There is no lunch service at all, which makes the PEA-R-14 angle clear immediately: if you arrive in Tokyo looking for a weekend brunch or a midday session, Furuta is not the answer. The dinner-only, Tuesday-to-Saturday window means your window is tighter than it looks. Tuesday or Wednesday early in the week gives you the freshest start after the Sunday-Monday closure, and arriving at 5 PM puts you ahead of the main Ginza dinner rush. Given the counter size and the reservation-only policy, there is no practical advantage to arriving later in the week unless that is when you can get a table. Book as far in advance as your schedule allows; the booking difficulty is rated Easy relative to peers, but eight seats is eight seats.

What to Know Before You Book

Furuta has been selected for the Tabelog Chinese TOKYO "Tabelog 100" in 2021, 2023, and 2024 , one of the few Chinese restaurants in Tokyo to appear on that list consistently. At JPY 100,000 or above per head for dinner, this sits at the upper end of Tokyo fine dining across all categories, not just Chinese cuisine. That price point puts it in direct comparison with kaiseki, French, and omakase sushi experiences at the same level. The question is not whether Furuta is expensive by Tokyo standards , it is , but whether the format delivers at that price. For a food enthusiast specifically interested in creative Chinese cuisine interpreted through Japanese precision, the awards record and Tabelog score provide the evidence base. For someone whose primary interest is sushi or kaiseki, the same budget covers strong alternatives in those formats.

Reservations: Reservation only; call +81-3-3535-5550. Changes to reservation date, time, or guest count incur a cancellation fee. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM; closed Sunday and Monday. Budget: JPY 100,000 and above per person for dinner; no lunch service. Seats: 8 counter seats only; no private rooms. Payment: Credit cards accepted (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, Diners); no electronic money or QR code payments. Smoking: Non-smoking throughout. Parking: Not available on site. Getting there: Five minutes on foot from Higashi-Ginza Station; approximately 318 metres from Shintomicho Station.

How Furuta Fits Into Tokyo's Chinese Dining Tier

Within Tokyo's creative Chinese category, Furuta sits at the leading of what Tabelog measures. Peer venues worth considering include Chugoku Hanten Fureika and Chugoku Hanten Kohakukyu (Amber Palace), both of which offer more seats and potentially more accessible booking windows. Ippei Hanten, itsuka, and Koshikiryori Koki represent other directions within the broader creative and formal Chinese category in the city. If you are building a multi-city Japan itinerary, the comparison broadens: HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa each offer their own case for the same level of dining commitment. For creative Chinese outside Japan, Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin and Mister Jiu's in San Francisco are the most useful reference points internationally.

For full Tokyo dining context, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide. You can also browse Tokyo hotels, Tokyo bars, Tokyo wineries, and Tokyo experiences.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is lunch or dinner better at Furuta? Furuta does not serve lunch. Dinner, Tuesday through Saturday from 5 PM, is the only option. If your schedule is limited to weekend mornings or weekday lunches, this venue does not fit.
• Is Furuta good for a special occasion? Yes, with conditions. The counter format, the price point above JPY 100,000 per head, and a sustained run of Tabelog Silver Awards make it a credible choice for a high-investment occasion dinner. The eight-seat room is also available for exclusive private hire if you want full buyout. It is not suited to large celebrations , the ceiling is eight guests , but for two to four people marking something significant, it delivers at the level the price implies.
• Can Furuta accommodate groups? The maximum is eight people, which is the full counter. Groups of that size would require a private hire arrangement. Call +81-3-3535-5550 directly to discuss availability. Parties larger than eight cannot be accommodated under any arrangement.
• What should I order at Furuta? Specific menu items are not published and are not available in our data. The format appears to be a set menu driven by chef Hitoshi Furuta's creative Chinese approach, which means ordering is not a decision you make at the table in the conventional sense. Confirm the current menu format when booking.
• Does Furuta handle dietary restrictions? No information on dietary accommodation is available in our data. Given the counter format and the reservation-only structure, this is a conversation to have directly with the restaurant at the time of booking: +81-3-3535-5550. Do not assume flexibility , confirm it.
• What are alternatives to Furuta in Tokyo? For creative Chinese at a comparable price tier, Chugoku Hanten Fureika and Chugoku Hanten Kohakukyu (Amber Palace) are the closest format peers. If you are open to spending the same budget on a different cuisine, Harutaka for sushi or RyuGin for kaiseki offer strong cases at the same investment level.