Getting a reservation at an acclaimed restaurant can be an ordeal anywhere – but in Japan, it can be nearly impossible.
In Tokyo, where foodies flock annually to sample the world’s finest sushi, this can be a especially challenging. Many exclusive restaurants have as few as eight to 10 seats and may only serve one meal a day.
Frequently, the best strategy to get a table at the most elusive Japanese restaurants is to work with a broker who has a relationship with the country’s top spots. Restaurants view working through brokers or other connected individuals as insurance policy against a litany of customer sins, like behaving poorly in an establishment or failing to pay a bill at the end of the meal.
“My clients are way more powerful than me, they know so many people. But that’s not what gets things done,” says travel advisor Jaclyn Sienna India. “It’s care. It’s leading from the heart,” she explains. “I was a server for five years before I started my business. I understand what makes people tick.”
India knows more about getting people into restaurants than most. She is the founder of Sienna Charles, a concierge and travel planning service for the ultra-wealthy. Her expertise is reserved for families making in excess of $100 million and her past clients include George W. Bush and Mariah Carey.
Sienna Charles boasts a “black book” of more than 2,000 of India’s relationships across the hospitality industry — including yachts, hotels and high-end restaurants. The same relationship building that enables India to connect with people working in the hospitality industry has also allowed her to create unique travel and dining experiences for her clients.
“People have really moved away from fine dining, we very rarely have a client that wants to sit through a tasting menu,” she explains. “The entire shift in the last three years has been towards trendy restaurants where the focus is not necessarily on food. It’s never about food, it’s sort of about FOMO. It’s about saying that you got in, it’s a bragging right.”
If you’re interested in bragging rights of your own (and are willing to be persistent about fighting for a reservation) read on to see which Japanese restaurant tables are the hardest-to-get, according to Sienna Charles and other Japanese dining experts.
