Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
50 minutes out. Eight seats. Book early.
A Tabelog Silver Award sushi counter in Tatebayashi, Gunma — roughly 50 minutes from central Tokyo — Obana prices its full course at JPY 35,000–43,000, well below comparable Ginza counters. With just 8 seats, a serious sake list, and BYO permitted at JPY 3,300 corkage, it rewards food-focused travellers willing to make the journey.
Yes — if you are willing to build a half-day around it. Obana is a sushi counter in Tatebayashi, Gunma prefecture, roughly 50 minutes from Kitasenju Station by limited express. It holds a Tabelog Score of 4.46, a 2026 Silver Award (upgraded from eight consecutive Bronze years), and has appeared in Tabelog's Sushi EAST Top 100 in 2021, 2022, and 2025. Opinionated About Dining ranked it #164 among Japan's leading restaurants in 2025. The price point — JPY 27,500 for the standard course, JPY 35,000 to JPY 43,000 for the full course , positions it well below the leading Ginza counters while delivering award-level consistency. That gap between quality and price is the clearest reason to make the journey.
Obana seats just 8 guests across a counter and one private tatami room for 2–3. The format is course-only, with two seatings on weekday evenings (17:30 and 19:30), a single Saturday evening sitting, and Sunday and public holiday lunch seatings at 12:00 and 15:00. The room is described as a stylish, relaxing house-restaurant format , a converted private residence rather than a city-centre dining room. That setting matters: this is not a slick Ginza operation. It is closer in feel to dining in someone's home, which suits guests who find Tokyo's more performative omakase counters exhausting. Compared to Harutaka in Tokyo, Obana trades metropolitan polish for a quieter, more personal atmosphere.
For guests focused on unagi rather than sushi, the broader Gunma-to-Tokyo corridor has alternatives worth noting: Akimoto, Hashimoto Unagi, Kabuto Unagi, Sangubashi Asaya, and Uomasa all operate in the Tokyo unagi space. Within Japan more broadly, Chikuyoutei in Osaka is the reference point for high-end unagi in the Kansai region, and Irin in Bratislava is an interesting outlier for travellers wanting context on how the format travels internationally.
Obana takes sake seriously. The database flags a particular emphasis on nihonshu (sake), alongside shochu and wine. BYO is also permitted, with a corkage fee of JPY 3,300 per bottle , a practical option if you want to bring a specific wine or bottle of sake. For a food-and-drink explorer, this matters: the combination of a serious sake list and a BYO policy gives you genuine flexibility to match drinks to a course that varies by ingredient availability. If sake pairing is part of why you travel for food in Japan, Obana rewards that interest more than many counters at this price level. Credit cards are accepted (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners); electronic money and QR code payments are not.
Access requires planning. From Kitasenju Station (Tobu Skytree Line), take the limited express Ryomo to Tatebayashi Station , approximately 50 minutes , then walk 15 minutes from the east exit or take a short taxi. By car, it is roughly 10 minutes from Tatebayashi IC on the Tohoku Expressway, with parking for up to 7 vehicles on site. New customers can only book through Pocket Concierge. Cancellation fees apply: 30% at 7 days out, 50% at 3 days out, and 100% for same-day or day-before cancellations. An English menu is available free of charge , request it at booking.
Obana sits outside central Tokyo, but it connects to a wider network of high-calibre dining across Japan. For other destination-worthy restaurants, see HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa. For planning the rest of your trip, use our full Tokyo restaurants guide, Tokyo hotels guide, Tokyo bars guide, Tokyo wineries guide, and Tokyo experiences guide.
Booking difficulty is relatively manageable compared to leading Ginza counters, but Obana's 8-seat format means availability disappears quickly for weekday evenings. Book through Pocket Concierge as soon as dates are confirmed , ideally 3–4 weeks out. Note the cancellation policy: 100% fee on the day, so do not hold a date unless the trip is firm.
Yes, particularly for a food-focused celebration where intimacy matters more than prestige address. The 8-seat counter, private tatami room option, and a full course priced at JPY 35,000–43,000 provide the right conditions for a considered dinner. If you want the full Tokyo dining-room spectacle, Harutaka or RyuGin deliver that in-city. Obana suits guests who see the journey as part of the occasion.
Only small ones. The total seat count is 8 , a counter plus a private tatami room for 2–3. The private room can be reserved for exclusive use, but the format does not suit parties larger than 6–7. For larger groups, you will need a different venue entirely. Call ahead (0276-72-1604) if you have specific group requirements, and note that private-use bookings are available in principle.
Three things: First, it is not in Tokyo , it is in Tatebayashi, Gunma, about 50 minutes from Kitasenju by limited express. Build your day around the trip. Second, courses are set-price and ingredient-led, so the full course (JPY 35,000–43,000) can vary slightly in price depending on what is available. Third, request the English menu at booking , it is free and avoids any guesswork at the counter. The sake list is worth engaging with; this is a kitchen that takes its nihonshu seriously.
For high-end sushi within central Tokyo, Harutaka is the closest peer in terms of counter intimacy and technical ambition, though it sits at the higher end of Tokyo pricing. For different cuisine formats at comparable price points, RyuGin (kaiseki) and L'Effervescence (French) both offer award-level experiences without the journey out of the city. If you want to stay within the unagi category, Akimoto, Hashimoto Unagi, and Kabuto Unagi are all worth considering in Tokyo proper.
Book as early as possible through Pocket Concierge — new customers cannot reserve by any other channel. With only 8 seats and consistent Tabelog recognition (Silver 2026, ranked #164 in Japan by Opinionated About Dining 2025), availability disappears quickly. Cancellation fees kick in at 30% seven days out and reach 100% on the day, so commit only when your dates are fixed.
Yes, with the right expectations. The format is counter-only or a private tatami room for 2–3, courses run from JPY 27,500 to JPY 43,000 per person, and the restaurant has held Tabelog award recognition every year since 2019. The private tatami room makes it viable for an intimate celebration; the counter suits solo diners or pairs who want to engage with the chef. No dress code is enforced, though strong fragrances are asked to be avoided.
Only in limited form. The entire venue seats 8 across a counter and one private tatami room for 2–3 guests; private hire of the full space is listed as available, but the physical scale means this suits small groups of 3 or fewer most naturally. Parties larger than 3 should confirm arrangements directly via Pocket Concierge before assuming the space will work. Counter seating is restricted to guests aged 12 and older.
Reservations through Pocket Concierge are mandatory for first-time visitors — there is no walk-in option. Expect a course-only format priced between JPY 27,500 and JPY 43,000 depending on ingredient availability. BYO is permitted with a JPY 3,300 corkage fee, and an English menu is available free of charge if requested at the time of booking. The restaurant is in Tatebayashi, Gunma, roughly 50 minutes from Kitasenju by limited express, so plan the journey as part of the commitment.
For sushi within central Tokyo at a comparable award level, Harutaka (Ginza) offers an omakase counter with Tabelog recognition and no day-trip logistics. If the draw is a small-counter, reservation-only format with high price-per-head, RyuGin covers similar exclusivity territory but within a kaiseki frame. Obana's case is the combination of Tabelog Silver-level quality and a destination outside the city — if you want that format closer in, Harutaka is the most direct substitute.
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