I’ve tried Tablelog, but one restaurant I looked at would only let me proceed to inputting email and other details if I chose a set menu for a dish I did not want to eat (it was a tempura restaurant but it was making me select a duck hotpot for 6 people and it was the only option listed).
I tried Jpneazy, but it did not offer me lunch time slots for the other restaurant I wanted (only had dinner time slots).
I tried contacting the concierge at the 4star hotel I booked in Tokyo (maybe only 5 star hotels can book?), but they referred me to Open table which did not have time slots listed for any day in any month so not sure if they were actually connected to open table (the hotel also said they couldn’t reserve time slots for day of arrival or departure so they couldn’t help me with any of the inquiries for the other restaurants I wanted to visit). The hotel I booked in Kyoto did not respond to my email requests for help.
When I’ve checked restaurant websites, some of them appear to only have a “call” option.
I looked up videos on YouTube on how to make reservations in Japanese over the phone but a) I don’t think I’d be able to convincingly state the proper information and b) I fear I will not understand what the person on the other end is saying and end up not being able to confirm details properly.
I have an acquaintance who lives in Japan, but I feel bad asking her to make reservations for me since I would need help making reservations for like 6 places over the course of my 8 day trip and we’re not so close that I would risk straining our relationship with this sort of ask.
Any tips on how to make reservations? I’ll be going this summer during peak tourist season and fear I will wander aimlessly for hours, fatigued and hungry, as I get turned away from one packed establishment after another.
Edit: I do plan on eating at grab and go street food vendors and stalls, food courts, etc too. This is more an inquiry about getting reservations for sit down restaurants with limited seats which seem to get very crowded around dinner times.
Edit: Thanks for all the tips everyone !
by SHK9reddit