Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Five-year Tabelog Bronze. Book it.
Ren Mishina is a strong case for kaiseki in Ginza at JPY 50,000–59,999 per head. Five consecutive Tabelog Bronze Awards (2022–2026) and three Tokyo Top 100 selections back up a kitchen built on charcoal technique, seasonal fish, and minimal pretension. The 16-seat basement room — six counter seats, two private rooms — is easy to book and well-positioned five minutes from Ginza Station.
At JPY 50,000–59,999 per head, Ren Mishina is one of the most consistent kaiseki arguments in central Tokyo. Five consecutive Tabelog Bronze Awards (2022–2026), three selections for the Tabelog Japanese Cuisine Tokyo Top 100 (2021, 2023, 2025), and a score of 4.11 from Japan's most demanding reviewing platform make the case clearly. If you are spending serious money on kaiseki in Ginza, this is a booking worth making.
Ren Mishina seats 16 people across a six-seat counter and two private rooms, one for four and one for six. You access the restaurant through a lattice door off Ginza's main axis, descending to a basement room where Indian-ink lotus paintings line the wall behind the counter. The scale is deliberate: intimate enough that you are close to the preparation, contained enough that the room stays quiet. For a solo diner or a couple, the counter is the right call. For groups of four or six, the private rooms are available and bookable. The room is entirely non-smoking. Skip strongly scented perfumes or colognes — the restaurant asks guests to avoid them to preserve the integrity of the food experience.
The address puts you five minutes on foot from Ginza Station's C2 exit and four minutes from Shimbashi Station, which makes Ren Mishina the most accessible of Ginza's serious kaiseki addresses. That convenience matters when you are coordinating around an evening's dining in central Tokyo. For context on what else this neighbourhood offers, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide, alongside guides to Tokyo hotels, Tokyo bars, Tokyo wineries, and Tokyo experiences.
Chef Jun Mishina's stated orientation is toward honesty in cooking: no affectation, no theatrical flourish, just precise technique applied to seasonal Japanese ingredients. The kitchen is particular about fish and about the quality of its sake programme. The drink list covers nihonshu, shochu, and wine, with notable attention paid to both sake and wine selections. BYO is accepted, which is worth knowing if you have a specific bottle in mind for a special occasion.
Ren Mishina opened in June 2018, which means the track record is now substantial — seven years of consistent award recognition across Tabelog's most competitive market. That longevity in Ginza, where turnover among high-end restaurants is real, is its own signal. The venue is also ranked #331 in Japan by Opinionated About Dining (2025 data), which confirms that recognition extends beyond the domestic audience. Tabelog reviewer spending suggests most guests land in the JPY 30,000–39,999 range based on review averages, though the listed price band is JPY 50,000–59,999 , worth checking directly before booking to understand the current menu structure.
For visitors looking to compare kaiseki quality across Japan, the traditions represented here have close parallels at Hyotei and Kikunoi Honten in Kyoto, and in Tokyo, RyuGin and Kanda occupy adjacent territory at the leading of the format. Within Ginza specifically, Ginza Kojyu and Ginza Shinohara are the most direct peers on the same block. Outside Tokyo, the kaiseki tradition extends to Gion Sasaki in Kyoto and, further afield, to HAJIME in Osaka.
Ginza is the address that makes Ren Mishina easier to recommend to a visitor than to a Tokyo local planning around the city's full options. It is central, well-served by transit, and positioned in a district where the surrounding neighbourhood , galleries, high-end retail, bars , means you can build a full evening without crossing town. The basement entrance with its gallery at street level is also the kind of detail that distinguishes this from restaurants that sit in anonymous tower lobbies. The lotus-season paintings behind the counter are not decorative filler: in Japanese floral symbolism, the lotus carries a clear meaning (purity, an unaffected spirit), and it matches the cooking philosophy directly. For food-focused travellers interested in this level of alignment between setting and food, it adds a layer that is worth knowing before you arrive. If your Tokyo itinerary also includes destinations like Kohaku, or you are planning wider Japan dining at akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, or 6 in Okinawa, Ren Mishina fits naturally into a serious itinerary without requiring a detour.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy by Pearl. Reservations are available and accepted, but the restaurant's own policy notes that any changes to date, time, or guest numbers incur a cancellation fee calculated from the date the change is requested. Book with a confirmed group and stick to the plan. Lunch runs Wednesday through Saturday from 12:00; dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday from 17:00 with last seating appearing to extend to midnight. The restaurant is closed Sundays, most Mondays, and on public holidays including early May, late August, and year-end. Credit cards accepted (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, Diners, UnionPay). No electronic money or QR code payment. Parking is not available.
Yes, for kaiseki at this price tier. Five consecutive Tabelog Bronze Awards and three Top 100 inclusions give this menu more sustained peer validation than most Tokyo kaiseki rooms in the JPY 50,000–59,999 range. The kitchen is particularly focused on fish and seasonal produce cooked over charcoal with minimal affectation, which means the value case is built on technique and sourcing, not spectacle. If you are comparing it to RyuGin, expect a more restrained register here , Jun Mishina's approach is quieter but no less demanding.
Yes. The six-seat counter is the leading option in the room for a solo guest , you are close to the preparation and the pace of the meal is easy to follow. At JPY 50,000–59,999, solo dining here is a meaningful spend, but this is one of the few kaiseki addresses in Ginza where the counter experience is genuinely set up for it. If kaiseki solo dining in Tokyo is a priority, also consider Kanda, which operates in adjacent territory.
Lunch is the better practical choice for first-time visitors. It runs Wednesday through Saturday from 12:00 and, based on review-period spending data, guests often land in the JPY 30,000–39,999 range at lunch versus the full JPY 50,000–59,999 dinner rate , though you should confirm current menu pricing directly with the restaurant. The dinner service runs to midnight, which suits guests who want the full unhurried format. If you are combining Ren Mishina with other Ginza stops, lunch allows the afternoon for the neighbourhood.
The available data does not confirm a specific dietary restriction policy. Given that the format is kaiseki with a particular focus on fish, guests with severe seafood restrictions should contact the restaurant directly before booking. The website is ginza-ren.jp and the phone number is +81-3-6265-0177. Do not assume adaptations are possible without confirming in advance.
Groups of up to six are well-served. There are two private rooms , one for four guests and one for six , that can be booked directly. The entire venue seats 16 and is not available for exclusive hire. For groups larger than six, this is not the right venue; consider alternatives across Ginza's broader kaiseki options, including Ginza Kojyu or Ginza Shinohara, and confirm group capacity before booking. Note that any changes to the reservation incur a cancellation fee, so confirm guest numbers carefully at the time of booking.
At JPY 50,000–59,999, Ren Mishina sits at the leading of Ginza's kaiseki pricing band, but the award record , five straight Tabelog Bronze wins, three Top 100 inclusions, and an OAD Japan ranking of #331 , gives it more independent validation than most competitors at the same price. The kitchen's philosophy (charcoal cooking, seasonal sourcing, no unnecessary flourish) means you are paying for precision and product quality, not production. Compared to higher-profile Tokyo kaiseki names, this is not a room that sells on prestige , it earns its price through the food. That said, if your priority is maximum prestige signalling, RyuGin carries more global name recognition at a comparable spend.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Ren Mishina | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Harutaka | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| L'Effervescence | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| RyuGin | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| HOMMAGE | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Crony | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes, for the format. At JPY 50,000–59,999 per head, you are paying for a restrained, technique-led kaiseki built around seasonal ingredients — bamboo shoots, pike conger, matsutake, puffer fish — cooked over charcoal without theatrical flourish. Five consecutive Tabelog Bronze Awards and inclusion in the Tabelog Tokyo Top 100 for 2021, 2023, and 2025 put it among the most consistently rated kaiseki restaurants in central Tokyo. If you want showmanship or fusion ideas, look elsewhere; if you want honest Japanese cooking at a high level, this justifies the price.
Yes. The six-seat counter is the right setting for a solo guest: you get full access to the kitchen view and the natural rhythm of the meal without the social pressure of a private room. The 16-seat total means the room stays quiet. Book the counter directly when reserving.
Lunch is the more practical option. At JPY 30,000–39,999 per head based on reviewer-reported spending, lunch runs meaningfully cheaper than dinner (JPY 50,000–59,999), and the format appears comparable. Lunch runs Wednesday through Saturday from 12:00; dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday from 17:00. If the price gap matters to your budget, lunch is the clearer value case.
check the venue's official channels before booking — the venue data does not specify a formal dietary accommodation policy. Given that kaiseki menus are composed around seasonal Japanese ingredients and the kitchen emphasises fish, guests with seafood restrictions or strict dietary requirements should confirm in advance via the restaurant's website at ginza-ren.jp or by phone at 03-6265-0177. Changes to reservations after booking incur cancellation fees, so clarify requirements before confirming.
Groups of up to six can be seated in the larger private room; a second private room seats four. The full restaurant holds only 16 guests, so parties larger than six cannot be accommodated without booking the entire venue — which is listed as unavailable for private hire. For groups of two to six, a private room is a reasonable option and worth requesting at the time of reservation.
At JPY 50,000–59,999 for dinner, it sits at the upper end of Tokyo kaiseki pricing, but the track record supports the ask: Tabelog Bronze every year from 2022 through 2026, a Tabelog score of 4.11, and a ranking of #331 in Opinionated About Dining's Japan list for 2025. The Ginza address adds convenience for visitors. Where it earns its price is in consistency and restraint rather than spectacle — if you are after a bolder, more contemporary kaiseki statement, RyuGin makes a stronger case for the same spend.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
