Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Serious kaiseki, lower barrier to entry.
Tsujitome is a strong pick for special occasion kaiseki in Tokyo without the extreme booking difficulty or formality of the city's most decorated rooms. Chef Yoshikazu Tsuji's kitchen holds OAD and La Liste recognition, and the Motoakasaka basement setting suits dates and business dinners where the food needs to impress but the atmosphere should stay composed.
Yes — Tsujitome is worth booking if you want serious kaiseki cooking in a setting that doesn't demand the formality or price premium of Tokyo's most decorated rooms. Under chef Yoshikazu Tsuji, this basement-level kaiseki counter in Motoakasaka has built a consistent track record with specialist critics: ranked #382 on Opinionated About Dining's Japan list in 2024, climbing to a Highly Recommended in 2023, and appearing in La Liste's global leading restaurants in 2025 with 84.5 points. For a special occasion meal where the food quality needs to hold up but the atmosphere doesn't need to intimidate, Tsujitome delivers reliably.
Tsujitome sits below street level in Motoakasaka, in the kind of discrete building address — basement floor of Toraya Daini Building , that Tokyo's leading restaurants seem to favour. The visual register down there is composed and understated: this is not a room that announces itself, which is partly the point. Kaiseki at this level is built on restraint, and the setting reflects that. For a date or a small business dinner where the conversation needs space to breathe, the low-key surroundings work in your favour.
What the OAD trajectory signals is that Tsujitome isn't resting. Moving from Highly Recommended in 2023 to #382 nationally and then pulling a La Liste placement in 2025 suggests a kitchen that has been improving, not coasting. For the special occasion diner who wants evidence of a kitchen operating with intent, that upward arc is meaningful. It also places Tsujitome in a competitive tier: well-regarded by specialist sources, not yet at the level of Tokyo's most globally recognisable kaiseki names, but credible enough that the meal should deliver.
The kaiseki format here follows the seasonal, multi-course logic of the tradition: dishes built around what is available at that moment in the Japanese calendar. Lunch and dinner services run Monday through Saturday, with no Sunday service, and seatings are tightly framed , 12:00 to 2:00 pm for lunch, 5:00 to 9:00 pm for dinner. That window structure is typical for kaiseki and worth planning around if you are combining the meal with other Tokyo plans. For where to stay nearby, see our full Tokyo hotels guide.
Google reviews sit at 4.3 across 50 responses , a modest sample, but the score holds. The guest base here is not primarily tourist-facing, which tends to keep scores like this grounded. For a broader read on Tokyo's dining tier at this level, Kikunoi Tokyo and Hirosaku offer useful reference points in the kaiseki and traditional Japanese space. Closer in neighbourhood to Tsujitome, Akasaka Ogino and Aoyama Jin are worth knowing as alternatives if your dates don't align.
The practical case for Tsujitome on a special occasion comes down to this: you get kaiseki with a genuine critical pedigree, in a room that won't make first-timers to the format feel out of their depth, at a booking difficulty that is considerably lower than the venues that dominate Tokyo's most-searched kaiseki lists. If the occasion calls for a serious Japanese meal but you don't need to be seen at the hardest table in the city, this is a strong option. Explore more kaiseki benchmarks at Ifuki in Kyoto and Ankyu in Kyoto if your trip extends beyond Tokyo.
For broader context on eating well in Japan, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, HAJIME in Osaka, and Goh in Fukuoka represent how the same level of critical recognition plays out in other cities. See also akordu in Nara, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa for regional reference. Our full Tokyo restaurants guide covers the wider field, and our Ajihiro page is worth checking if you want a contrasting Tokyo kaiseki option.
Two to three weeks out is a reasonable lead time for most dates. Tsujitome is rated easier to book than Tokyo's highest-profile kaiseki rooms, but with OAD and La Liste recognition behind it, the dinner seatings in particular can fill. If you have a fixed date for a special occasion, book as early as the window opens. Saturday lunch tends to be the most in-demand slot.
Kaiseki is a set-menu format , you don't order à la carte. The kitchen sets the progression of courses, typically built around seasonal Japanese ingredients. The leading approach is to book the full tasting menu for whichever service you attend. If the season matters to you (spring sakura ingredients, autumn mushrooms and citrus), time your visit accordingly , kaiseki is one of the formats where the calendar genuinely shapes what lands on the table.
Kaiseki menus are highly composed and ingredient-specific, which makes significant dietary restrictions harder to accommodate than at à la carte restaurants. Communicate any restrictions clearly at the time of booking. Fish, seafood, and dashi (fish-based stock) appear throughout traditional kaiseki progressions. Vegetarian or vegan adaptations are possible at some kaiseki restaurants but should not be assumed , confirm directly when reserving.
No confirmed bar or counter walk-in service is listed in the available data. Kaiseki restaurants at this tier typically operate on reservation-only seatings. If counter seating is a priority for your Tokyo visit, Hirosaku is worth checking as an alternative in the traditional Japanese category.
Group capacity data isn't confirmed for Tsujitome. Kaiseki restaurants in Tokyo generally work leading for parties of two to four , the format is intimate by design. For larger groups of six or more planning a special occasion meal in Tokyo, contact the restaurant directly to ask about private room availability. Booking with a full group early and noting the occasion tends to yield the leading outcomes at venues of this type.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tsujitome | Kaiseki | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #552 (2025); La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 84.5pts; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #382 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Highly Recommended (2023) | Easy | — | |
| Harutaka | Sushi | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'Effervescence | French | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| RyuGin | Kaiseki, Japanese | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| HOMMAGE | Innovtive French, French | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Crony | Innovative, French | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
How Tsujitome stacks up against the competition.
Kaiseki menus at this level are structured around seasonal ingredients and traditional Japanese technique, which makes significant substitutions difficult. Contact the restaurant well in advance of your reservation — ideally at the time of booking — to discuss specific requirements. Vegetarian or allergen-heavy restrictions are the hardest to accommodate in kaiseki format; if that is your situation, confirm explicitly before committing.
The venue database does not confirm a counter or bar seating arrangement at Tsujitome. For kaiseki restaurants of this type in Tokyo, private room or table seating is the standard format. If counter seating is important to your experience, verify directly when making your reservation.
Tsujitome operates lunch and dinner service six days a week from a basement address in a discrete Motoakasaka building, which suggests a compact room. Larger groups should enquire at booking — private room availability at venues like this is not guaranteed, and kaiseki pacing works better for parties of four or fewer. For a confirmed private dining setup in Tokyo kaiseki, RyuGin is a more documented option for groups.
Book at least four to six weeks out. Tsujitome has ranked on OAD's top restaurants in Japan every year from 2023 through 2025, which means demand from both domestic and international diners is consistent. Dinner slots go faster than lunch; if flexibility matters, target a weekday lunch booking.
Tsujitome serves kaiseki, which is a set-course format — there is no à la carte menu to choose from. Chef Yoshikazu Tsuji determines the progression. Your decision is simply lunch versus dinner, and whether to add sake or wine pairings if offered. Lunch is the lower-commitment entry point to the cooking.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
