Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Structured sushi dinner, Michelin-noted, book ahead.
A Michelin Plate-recognised Japanese counter in Kagurazaka, Ichiu takes first-timers through a structured evening: sake on arrival, soup and steamed courses, sushi as the centrepiece, and takikomi gohan to close. At ¥¥¥, it delivers a coherent traditional Japanese tasting sequence at a more accessible price than Tokyo's starred alternatives. Book one to two weeks ahead for weekends.
Ichiu is the right choice if you want a structured, intimate Japanese dinner that moves through a considered sequence rather than a parade of courses ordered off a menu. This is a venue for someone marking an occasion — a birthday, an anniversary, or a first serious dining night in Tokyo , who wants a meal with a clear beginning, middle, and end rooted in Japanese culinary tradition. It sits in Kagurazaka, one of Tokyo's quieter dining neighbourhoods, which makes the evening feel genuinely unhurried. Come on a weekday if you can; the neighbourhood is calmer and the experience lands better without the weekend foot traffic outside.
The structure at Ichiu follows a deliberate arc. The evening opens with a cup of sake, which functions as both a welcome and a palate primer before the kitchen begins. Soup and steamed dishes follow, establishing a warm, savoury foundation before the meal's central movement: the sushi. Chef Koichi Hamano has built his reputation in Japanese cuisine with sushi at its core, and the progression here reflects that , the early courses exist to prepare you for the sushi, not to compete with it. The meal closes with takikomi gohan, a rice dish cooked with various ingredients, which brings the sequence back to something grounding and complete. It is a classical structure: aperture, development, resolution. First-timers to this format should know that the pacing is intentional and the closing rice course is not an afterthought , it is the meal's conclusion, and it earns its place.
The physical space reinforces this sense of intention. A cedar bark door, roof tiles used as a nameplate, and a rope curtain that mirrors the geometry of the ceiling: the room is built around the concept that gives the restaurant its name. 'Ichiu' translates as 'under one roof', and the ceiling is shaped like a roof to make that point concrete. For a first-time visitor, the room itself communicates what kind of evening you are in for before the first course arrives. It is not showy; it is precise.
Ichiu holds a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 , recognition that signals consistent, quality cooking without the price escalation that comes with starred venues. A Michelin Plate is the Guide's acknowledgment of good food; it does not carry the same weight as a star, but it is a meaningful credential in a city where the competition is as dense as anywhere on earth. At the ¥¥¥ price tier, Ichiu sits below Tokyo's starred sushi counters and kaiseki rooms, which makes it a more accessible entry point into serious Japanese dining without sacrificing the structured experience that makes those formats worthwhile.
The Google rating of 4.7 across 111 reviews is consistent with a venue that delivers reliably rather than occasionally. For a small counter-style restaurant in Kagurazaka, that volume of reviews with that average suggests the experience holds up across a range of diners and expectations.
Kagurazaka is worth understanding before you book. The neighbourhood has a long association with traditional Japanese hospitality , it was historically a geisha district , and several of Tokyo's more considered dining rooms are concentrated here. Kagurazaka Ishikawa is the neighbourhood's flagship, a three-Michelin-starred kaiseki room that operates at a significantly higher price point than Ichiu. Ichiu benefits from being in the same neighbourhood without carrying the same booking difficulty or price. If you are spending several nights in Tokyo and want to distribute your dining budget across different experiences, Ichiu fits well as your mid-range structured dinner alongside a higher-spend evening elsewhere. For broader planning across the city, our full Tokyo restaurants guide covers the range, and you can also reference our Tokyo hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide for planning the rest of your trip.
If you are visiting Japan beyond Tokyo, comparable structured Japanese dining experiences are available at Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, HAJIME in Osaka, and Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama. For something further afield, akordu in Nara and Isshisoden Nakamura in Kyoto are worth considering as part of a wider Japan itinerary. Within Tokyo itself, Myojaku, Azabu Kadowaki, Ginza Fukuju, and Jingumae Higuchi all operate in the same serious Japanese dining category and are worth comparing depending on your preferred neighbourhood and format. Venues outside the main cities , Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa , round out a Japan dining itinerary if your travels extend that far.
Booking at Ichiu is rated Easy. No website or phone number is listed in current records, which means you will likely need to use a third-party reservation platform or contact the venue directly through a hotel concierge if you are staying locally. Given the Michelin Plate recognition and the small size typical of this format, booking at least one to two weeks ahead is sensible for weekends; weekday availability is likely more open. The address is 2 Chome-22 1F, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku City, Tokyo. The neighbourhood is walkable from Kagurazaka Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line.
Dress code information is not confirmed, but for a traditional Japanese counter of this type, smart casual is the appropriate default. Loud or overly casual clothing tends to read as incongruous in rooms built with this level of material care.
Quick reference: Ichiu, Kagurazaka, Tokyo , ¥¥¥ , Michelin Plate 2024 & 2025 , 4.7/5 (111 reviews) , Easy to book , Traditional Japanese tasting sequence with sushi as the centrepiece.
Yes, at the ¥¥¥ price tier the structured menu represents good value for a Michelin-recognised sushi experience in Tokyo. The sequence , sake, soup, steamed dishes, sushi, takikomi gohan , is coherent and complete, not padded. If you want a la carte flexibility, look elsewhere; but if a guided Japanese dinner is what you are after, the format here delivers it at a more accessible price than starred alternatives.
Kagurazaka Ishikawa is the neighbourhood's leading option if budget is not a constraint (¥¥¥¥, three Michelin stars). For sushi specifically at a higher price point, Myojaku and Ginza Fukuju are worth comparing. Azabu Kadowaki and Jingumae Higuchi offer traditional Japanese formats in different Tokyo neighbourhoods at varying price levels.
No confirmed information is available on dietary accommodation. Given that the menu follows a fixed traditional sequence built around sushi and Japanese staples, significant modifications are unlikely. Contact the venue directly before booking if you have restrictions , a hotel concierge in Tokyo is your most reliable route given no phone or website is currently listed.
Booking is rated Easy relative to Tokyo's harder-to-access venues, but at least one to two weeks ahead is sensible for weekend evenings. The Michelin Plate recognition draws consistent interest, and small Japanese counters fill quickly. Weekday bookings are likely more available at shorter notice.
Yes. A structured tasting format at a counter is one of the better solo dining configurations available , you are not occupying a table built for two, and the kitchen's pacing gives the meal a natural rhythm that does not require conversation to sustain. Tokyo's counter-dining culture is also notably welcoming to solo diners in a way that is less common in Western cities.
At ¥¥¥, yes. You are getting Michelin-recognised cooking in a room built with genuine material care at a price point that sits below Tokyo's starred venues. The comparison that matters: for the same spend you could eat at several casual Tokyo restaurants, but you would not get the structured sequence and the counter experience. If that format appeals to you, Ichiu justifies the price.
Yes, and it is better suited to occasions where the intimacy of the setting matters more than the size of the group. The traditional room, the opening sake, and the deliberate progression of courses give the evening a ceremonial quality that works well for a birthday or anniversary dinner for two. For larger groups, check capacity before booking , the venue format suggests limited seating.
Counter seating is the standard format at a venue of this type in Japan, so eating at the counter is likely the primary or only configuration rather than an exception. No specific bar or walk-in policy is confirmed. Contact the venue to clarify seating arrangements before arriving without a reservation.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ichiu | Japanese | ¥¥¥ | A door of cedar bark, roof tiles for a nameplate, and a rope curtain with the same diagonals as the ceiling. ‘Ichiu’ means ‘under one roof’, and the ceiling is shaped like a roof to emphasise this point. The menu is faithful to the spirit of Chef Koichi Hamano, a man experienced in Japanese cuisine, particularly sushi. The evening begins with a cup of sake; soup and steamed dishes are then served. After the sushi, takikomi gohan - rice with a variety of ingredients concludes the meal.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Harutaka | Sushi | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| RyuGin | Kaiseki, Japanese | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'Effervescence | French | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| HOMMAGE | Innovtive French, French | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Florilège | French | ¥¥¥ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
How Ichiu stacks up against the competition.
For the format, yes. The sequence — sake on arrival, soup, steamed dishes, sushi, then takikomi gohan — is a coherent arc, not a loose collection of courses. At ¥¥¥ pricing, you are paying for structure and intent, which is appropriate for a Michelin Plate-recognised kitchen. If you want à la carte flexibility, this is the wrong room.
For high-precision sushi omakase with stronger name recognition, Harutaka in Ginza operates at a higher price point but carries more accolades. RyuGin offers a modern kaiseki format if you want a broader sequence than sushi-led dining. Ichiu sits in a more intimate, neighbourhood register than either — Kagurazaka rather than central Tokyo, which is part of the appeal.
No phone number or website is listed for Ichiu in current records, which makes communicating restrictions before arrival harder than at venues with direct booking infrastructure. Use whatever third-party platform you book through to flag requirements in advance. A structured omakase with a fixed arc — including sushi and rice — has limited flexibility by design, so confirm before you commit.
No direct booking channel is publicly listed, so you will need a third-party reservation service. Build in enough lead time to secure a slot through that route — at least two to three weeks is a reasonable starting point for a Michelin Plate venue in a neighbourhood like Kagurazaka. Booking is rated Easy, but that refers to difficulty of the process, not same-week availability.
Probably yes. The cedar-bark door and rope curtain entrance, the roof-shaped ceiling, and a menu that opens with a personal cup of sake all point toward an intimate, counter-style setting — the kind of room where solo diners are a natural fit rather than an afterthought. The omakase format also removes the awkwardness of ordering alone.
At ¥¥¥, Ichiu sits in the mid-to-upper range for Tokyo omakase. The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 signals consistent kitchen quality, not just a good run. For that price in Kagurazaka, you are getting a considered sequence rooted in Chef Koichi Hamano's sushi background — reasonable value if the format suits you, less so if you are comparing raw prestige to Ginza-tier options.
Yes, with the right expectations. The room has deliberate symbolic design — the name means 'under one roof', the ceiling is shaped like a roof to reinforce it — and a meal structure that builds toward a closing rice course rather than ending abruptly. That kind of considered arc suits an anniversary or a meaningful dinner more than a business meal or a casual group night out.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
