MattEvan

PH Tokyo has booked me into the Ginza branch twice now, with very limited Japanese language skills. The "no non-Japanese speakers" thing is an internet rumor.

bocastephen

The Sheraton concierge was not able to get through to the Ginza location on Apr 1 which was the opening day for May reservations - not sure how often they tried, but by the time someone answered the phone, my date was already booked up

They did book us at Roppongi, but I'm wondering if another hotel concierge or the Amex Plat concierge desk could get us into Ginza - perhaps they prefer working with specific hotels or concierges.

MikeFromTokyo

I doubt that Amex will help, as Jiro does not even accept credit cards of any kind.

The Peninsula and Four Seasons Marunochi are the closest high-end hotels to the restaurant, and likely the Concierges are better known to Sukiyabashi Jiro than Sheraton's.

MattEvan

Just to add one more data point, the Conrad (which is also near the Ginza branch of Jiro) just booked me in for next month. Concierges in Tokyo are miracle workers, I swear.

bocastephen

Just curious - which date did you get? I'm trying to book May 24 which is 'officially sold out', but I will move my hotel reservation to a property with a concierge that can get me in.

MikeFromTokyo

At six weeks out you should have a chance, but it would help if you could be flexible and give the concierge a window of dates instead of one specific date. Priority is given to returning regulars, so first time customers cannot necessarily be accommodated at the specific date and time they request (neither can regulars sometimes, for that matter).

Have you contacted the concierge of any hotels? You could simply tell them that you will move your reservation to their hotel if they can secure you a reservation at Jiro.

bocastephen

I've tried the Westin (who is banned), the Sheraton (who could only confirm Roppongi) and the Peninsula (who reported Ginza is sold out, as did the Sheraton). I will try the Conrad and the Four Seasons - if they can't book it, then I would assume it's just not going to be available.

MattEvan

Jiro is great, but it's been built up by the film hype.

Consider Sawada which I find better all-around (food, service, atmosphere).

aceofangel

Anyone been there by themselves? I guess there is no social aspect if you just go in and eat sushi for like 30mins and get out. However solo eating can be awkward in certain places. Thinking of going by myself since I can't convince my friends to go with me. Mostly interested in the Ginza location as I feel if I don't go at least try it in the near future I may never get the chance.

MattEvan

Jiro is very solo-friendly. Sushi bars in general are inherently so.

MikeFromTokyo

A meal at Jiro typically is finished in less than an hour, and excessive chatting while eating is frowned upon. It is a breach of etiquette to leave a piece of sushi untouched for too long, and they are served very quickly. So, Jiro is actually a perfect place to eat alone!

reizz

I visited Sukiyabashi Jiro Ginza branch 2 weeks ago, sushi was great, service was professional however the atmosphere was a little intimidating and rushed (we finished our dinner in 40 minutes). Here's the link to my journal (Jiro on Day 3):

http://www.tripcolor.com/user/60113/...tronomic-Tokyo

robyng

FWIW - this is the 5/31 issue of the Wine Spectator:

http://www.winespectator.com/issue/show/date/2013-05-31

Anyone interested in this restaurant (or sushi in general) should probably pick up a copy. Robyn

quirrow

While I have not tried Sukiyabashi Jiro, I did try various sushi places across Japan, and IMO, there are a few sushi outlets in Vancouver that has quality as good, if not surpassing those at Japan. The difference lies in the selection of the fish variety.

copilot5

Just to add another data point: the concierge at the Sheraton Miyako has done a great job so far helping us make reservations at high-end sushi places for our trip in June. We gave them a date range and a list of restaurants, filled out the credit card authorization form (required to hold reservations), and they got back 24 hours later with detailed info on which restaurants had reservations available at which times on which dates, plus prices and cancellation policies.

Saito was all booked for both lunch and dinner for the entire month of June (which I can totally believe, given that it's #1 on Tabelog AND a bit cheaper than the others). Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi Hills was available, but ultimately we decided on Sushi Sawada for dinner. Both Mizutani and Sukiyabashi Jiro Ginza were unreachable because of Golden Week, but the concierge said they would try again next week.

If the Westin can't book reservations for you, try staying at the Sheraton if you want to keep it in the SPG family. Their concierge is very responsive.