Asia - Kaiseki in Tokyo

Anyone have a good recommendation for a wonderful kaiseki meal in Tokyo? We were looking at Takamura initially but read somewhere that they only have tables for 4 (?). Price is no object and we are only going to be in Tokyo (I hear the kaiseki meals at the countryside ryokans are better but alas, we don't have that luxury). Thanks!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by blueDC:
Anyone have a good recommendation for a wonderful kaiseki meal in Tokyo? .... Price is no object and we are only going to be in Tokyo </font>Are you sure about that? It will run well above USD 1000 per person for the food only, and you do require a referal to get into the top places. Sometimes the concierge at the Four Seasons hotel can arrange this, so if you really want to do this you must stay at the right hotel and hope for the best (maybe a half-dozen concierges have the connections to do this for you, but this is one of the more difficult requests you can make of them).
Considerably cheaper (USD 200) is the kaiseki meal at the Fujiya hotel which is an hour by train from Tokyo and may be considerably easier to arrange. I haven't stayed there but it is on my list to try. See http://www.fujiyahotel.co.jp/english/

If excellent vegetarian kaiseki in amazing surroundings at a slightly more affordable price sounds like an option, consider Daigo. This and a few other ideas here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum55/HTML/000353.html

Oops, my mistake. $1000/pp is too high. I can do that price for a couple. Sorry I wasn't more clear. Due to time constraints, we would like to dine in downtown Tokyo (within the Yamanote Loop), if possible. Your idea to ask the concierge sounds great. (Is the Okura a "right hotel"? http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif)

jpatokal, thanks for the suggestion. Do you have a recommendation that includes fish/meats? On a separate note, AK released SIN-BKK seats on their website. S$120 r/t! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

Meat is not a part of the traditional Japanese diet and never features in kaiseki. Seafood, on the other hand, is a big component. Note that I'm usually not vegetarian, but the Daigo experience was so otherworldly that I didn't mind one bit.

I have no personal experience of 'real' kaiseki places in Tokyo. I hear that Tsujitome (http://www.tsujitome.co.jp/, all Japanese) is pretty good, but at Y30,000+/head it had better be... and the usual rigmarole of introductions and invitations applies. Quite frankly, unless you've been eating real Japanese food for a long time, I'm not sure going that going for 'real' kaiseki is worth the prodigeous expense.

Daigo has always gotten great reviews, but I prefer Bon, in Iriya. Like Daigo, it is also Shojin-ryori (Zen-vegetarian), but at a little more than half the price of Daigo (I think it's about 7000 to 10,000 per person these days). This traditional "old-town" neighborhood of Tokyo is the perfect setting for this restaurant, and the exquisiteness of its atmosphere as well as food does not disappoint.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by blueDC:
(Is the Okura a "right hotel"?</font>

curious, what is a "right hotel"?

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by blueDC:
Oops, my mistake. $1000/pp is too high. I can do that price for a couple. Sorry I wasn't more clear. Due to time constraints, we would like to dine in downtown Tokyo (within the Yamanote Loop), if possible. Your idea to ask the concierge sounds great. (Is the Okura a "right hotel"? http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif)
http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif</font>

The concierge at the Okura should be able to arrange a very nice Kaiseki meal for $300-$500 per person. It won't be the $1000 experience but it will be very traditional and very good. I'd suggest sending them a fax describing what you want and then calling to follow up. Make sure to emphasize you don't want a gaijin place, easy for foreigners, but traditional kaiseki. Be specific about the maximum amount per person and whether that includes alcohol.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by jtrader:
The concierge at the Okura should be able to arrange a very nice Kaiseki meal for $300-$500 per person. It won't be the $1000 experience but it will be very traditional and very good. I'd suggest sending them a fax describing what you want and then calling to follow up. Make sure to emphasize you don't want a gaijin place, easy for foreigners, but traditional kaiseki. Be specific about the maximum amount per person and whether that includes alcohol.</font>

...and while Japan in general doesn't do tips, service like this is outside the call of duty and should be rewarded. The concierge won't accept cash, but he'll be happy to take a discreet envelope containing cash...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by jpatokal:
...and while Japan in general doesn't do tips, service like this is outside the call of duty and should be rewarded. The concierge won't accept cash, but he'll be happy to take a discreet envelope containing cash...</font>

I would not do this at a first class hotel in Japan. I don't think it is exepcted or appropriate. I also don't think it is outside the call of duty. At the Okura, Imperial, Four Seasons, Park/Grand Hyatt, this is exactly the sort of thing they expect to do. If you're particularly pleased, writing a note to the general manager would be very appropriate and very much appreciated.

I often bring a few small boxes of chocolates or other souveneirs from home to give in lieu of tips in Japan. It becomes an "o-miyage" as opposed to a tip, and is thus very much appreciated.

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The note and souvenirs in lieu of tips is very solid advice. Tipping is just not right here so go with the flow folks. The note is perhaps the best idea of the two for the simple reason that one incurs no "Giri" or obligation to return something when receiving thanks or praise in such form. The souvenir may still make the recipient feel that they have incurred a slight obligation and as such if you wish to be absolutely sure of having left that person with a good feeling and no accompanying debt, just do the note. On subsequent occasions making sure you thank them in front of colleagues is also a rather good one. In Japan we work as a team and it makes the whole team feel good when one person is seen to have helped a customer interfacing with the organization. The companies here do not generally operate as meritocracies and as such employees are most flattered when seen to be showing the group's best face rather than just their own.

Mike

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