Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Specialist tempura, three years on OAD.
A three-year Opinionated About Dining recognised tempura specialist in the heart of Ginza, Tenichi is the right booking for food-focused visitors who want to eat this cuisine at close to its ceiling. Chef Junichi Yabuki runs a seven-day kitchen with genuine flexibility on timing. Book a weekday lunch slot and prioritise this over any multi-cuisine alternative that includes tempura as a single course.
Tenichi has appeared on the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in Japan list three consecutive years — ranked #461 in 2024 and #567 in 2025, with a Recommended listing in 2023 — which tells you this is a kitchen that serious diners track. Set in Ginza's 6-chome, one of Tokyo's most concentrated dining corridors, it sits in a neighbourhood where expectations run high and the competition is relentless. If you're serious about tempura and want a Ginza address with external validation behind it, Tenichi earns a booking.
Tempura as a tradition rewards precision above almost everything else: oil temperature, batter weight, the sequence of ingredients, the gap between frying and serving. These are not variables that forgive inattention. Under chef Junichi Yabuki, Tenichi's reputation rests on exactly that kind of technical discipline. The OAD recognition, sustained across three years, points to a kitchen that isn't coasting , the movement in rankings from Recommended to #461 to #567 reflects a competitive field rather than any drop in standard, given how tightly contested OAD's Japan list has become by 2025.
Where Tenichi sits within the tempura category is worth thinking through before you book. Tokyo has a small group of tempura specialists that consistently draw serious attention: Tempura Kondo and Tempura Motoyoshi operate at the leading of the formal counter-style tier, while Tempura Ginya and Fukamachi offer distinct approaches to the same craft. Tenichi's Ginza location and multi-year OAD presence put it squarely in that serious-dining conversation. It is not a casual lunch stop , it's a destination for someone who wants to understand what this cuisine looks like at close to its ceiling.
The venue runs seven days a week, opening at 11:30 am and closing at 10 pm each day. That consistency is practically useful: you have genuine flexibility on day and time, which most destination restaurants in Tokyo don't offer. A Ginza tempura counter with no closed days and a full evening service is easier to schedule around than many peers in the same tier.
Book Tenichi if tempura is a deliberate choice, not a fallback. Food-focused travellers who want to eat through Tokyo's specialist traditions , the same people who would spend an evening at Edomae Shinsaku for sushi or cross town for a specific kaiseki counter , will find this is the right level of seriousness. The OAD standing gives you independent verification without requiring a Michelin star to justify the trip.
If your Tokyo itinerary already includes a broader range of cuisines, Tenichi slots in well as the dedicated tempura meal. It's a sharper choice than a multi-cuisine kaiseki that includes tempura as one course among many. For context on how tempura specialists compare across Japan, Numata and Shunsaiten Tsuchiya in Osaka are the closest regional equivalents if you're building a multi-city itinerary.
Weekday lunch is the timing to target. The 11:30 am opening gives you a clean start before Ginza's lunch crowd peaks, and a weekday slot is generally easier to secure than Saturday at prime hours. If you're visiting Tokyo in spring or autumn , when seasonal produce is at its most varied and the case for precision tempura is strongest , prioritise locking in a reservation before your trip rather than trying to book in-country. Ginza restaurants at this level fill on short notice during peak travel periods.
See the comparison section below for how Tenichi sits against other Tokyo dining options across different cuisine categories.
For weekday lunch, a week's notice is usually sufficient. Weekend evenings and peak travel periods , Golden Week, spring cherry blossom season, autumn , warrant booking two to three weeks out. Tenichi is rated Easy for booking difficulty by Pearl, which means it's more accessible than many Ginza destination restaurants, but that shouldn't encourage last-minute planning during busy periods.
Specific current menu details are not confirmed in Pearl's data, so verify with the venue directly. What the OAD recognition signals is that the kitchen's core tempura programme is the reason to be there. At a specialist of this standing, the set course or omakase-style tempura sequence , if offered , is the right way to eat. Ordering à la carte selectively is possible at many tempura counters, but the full progression gives you a better read on what the kitchen does technically.
Tenichi is a focused tempura specialist in Ginza, not a general Japanese restaurant. First-timers should arrive with an appetite built around a single-cuisine experience rather than expecting variety. The OAD recognition (three consecutive years) tells you the kitchen holds a standard worth your attention. Come at the start of a meal rather than after a heavy lunch elsewhere , tempura rewards an undivided appetite. Check current hours and booking requirements directly with the venue before your visit, as Pearl's data may not reflect recent policy changes.
Lunch is the practical choice for most visitors. Opening at 11:30 am seven days a week, Tenichi gives you a clean midday slot that keeps your evening free for a different dining experience. In a city where dinner commitments fill calendars quickly, banking your tempura meal at lunch is smart itinerary management. If dinner is your preference, the kitchen runs until 10 pm, which allows for a late start , useful if you're coming from another part of the city.
Yes, with the right expectations. Ginza address, consistent OAD recognition, and a chef-led kitchen make it a credible special-occasion choice for anyone who values culinary depth over spectacle. It will suit a celebration where the quality of what's on the plate matters more than a grand room or theatrical service. If your guest prefers a broader kaiseki format for a special meal, RyuGin covers that ground. For a pure tempura experience as a deliberate, focused celebration, Tenichi works well.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenichi | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #567 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #461 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Recommended (2023) | — | |
| Harutaka | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| RyuGin | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| L'Effervescence | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| HOMMAGE | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Florilège | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Book at least two to three weeks out for a weekday lunch slot, which is the most accessible timing. Weekend bookings at a Ginza address ranked on the OAD Top Restaurants in Japan list three consecutive years tend to fill faster — aim for a month ahead if your travel dates are fixed. Lunch at the 11:30am opening gives you the best chance at availability without a last-minute scramble.
Tenichi specialises in tempura, so ordering through the kitchen's set sequence is the right move rather than treating it like an à la carte situation. Tempura at this level is a precision format: the chef controls oil temperature, batter weight, and ingredient order, and the experience is built around that structure. Defer to whatever the kitchen offers as its primary course option rather than picking selectively off a menu.
Tenichi is a focused specialist venue in Ginza, chef-driven and OAD-recognised three years running — not a generalist Tokyo restaurant that happens to do tempura. Come with tempura as the deliberate goal, not as a default choice. The address is 6 Chome-6-5 Ginza, Chuo City, and the kitchen runs daily from 11:30am to 10pm, so scheduling around lunch avoids the heaviest evening foot traffic in the neighbourhood.
Lunch is the stronger call. The 11:30am opening slots you in before Ginza's midday crowd peaks, and weekday lunch is generally easier to secure than an evening reservation at a venue with three consecutive OAD rankings. Dinner works if your schedule demands it, but you're competing with more bookings and the surrounding Ginza district is busier in the evening, which adds noise to what is otherwise a precise, focused meal.
Yes, with the right expectation set. Tenichi is a specialist tempura counter in Ginza with chef Junichi Yabuki and back-to-back OAD recognition — that's a credible setting for a food-focused occasion. It's a better fit for a two-person dinner where tempura is the point than for a large group celebration. If the occasion calls for broader menu variety or a more theatrical setting, RyuGin or L'Effervescence in Tokyo would suit a different brief.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
