Japan Has Reopened for Tourism—Here’s What to Know for Your Next Visit, from Visa Requirements to New Hotels

Even with a tumultuous two decades of pandemic-induced dining restrictions, the meals scene is flourishing with the arrival of a new wave of ambitious, young chefs bringing refreshing point of view and global aptitude to the Japanese capital. British-born Daniel Calvert kicked off the craze with Sezanne, positioned in an artwork-filled space inside the Four Seasons Marunouchi. In its very first calendar year, the location has previously racked up a string of accolades—including a Michelin star and the variety 17 slot on the listing of Asia’s 50 Finest Restaurants—for impeccable signatures like a layered heirloom tomato tart with burrata cream and Calvert’s French riff on Shanghainese drunken chicken. 

At Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, head chef Antonio Iacoviello interprets Japanese substances by way of the lens of Italian delicacies (consider eggplant Parmigiana-fulfills-spaghetti aglio e olio, in a smoky dashi of fermented eggplant). Iacoviello’s stunning displays match the interior outfitted with antique mirrors and tables set with Gucci cups and plates. A handful of blocks absent at Ginza Yuzan, Japanese-American chef Keiichiro Kurobe (of L.A.’s Hinoki and The Chicken fame) delivers a flavor of California-model multiculturalism with dishes this sort of as claypot-cooked arroz con pollo and egg-stuffed arancini with umami sauce. Virgilio Martinez’s brand-new Maz Tokyo, led by Santiago Fernandez, explores Peru’s various terrain and meals tradition in ingenious combinations like iwana river fish topped with watermelon granita and coconut-herb sauce, and desserts that use each and every aspect of the cacao fruit—from the fermented and roasted rind to a sweet-and-tart jelly produced from the pulp within the pod.

Other noteworthy additions include things like 3110NZ by LDH Kitchen, an art gallery-cum-sushi joint collaboration concerning gallery Nanzuka Underground and renowned Sushi Saito, set in a futuristic area with glowing recessed lighting cut into the white walls. At Nine by La Cime, chefs Yusuke Takada (of Osaka’s two-Michelin-starred La Cime) and Toru Tokushima make provocative, seafood-centric tasting menus, and Ippei Hanten a hidden 6-seat counter devoted to Cantonese good eating. Immediately after 9:00 p.m., the cafe transforms into the much more relaxed Ye Hong Kong, serving epic spouse and children-fashion feasts in two non-public rooms.

Seeking to indulge your sweet tooth? Head to Azuki to Kouri, a stylish shaved ice location specializing in fresh-fruit kakigori, or decide on up a person of Jerome Quilbeuf’s signature burnt Basque cheesecakes at the chef’s eponymous shop in Ginza’s new Exit Melsa. This summertime, Quilbeuf will also roll out a 2nd branch of his popular Spanish gastrobar, Gracia, in a bigger room with terrace seating in Ichigaya.

Former Earth Barista Champion Conceal Izaki generates “the supreme espresso break” with rare specialty brews, bespoke Japanese ceramics, and seasonal sweets ready by cafe Narisawa at Cokuun, which launches in early autumn. The expertise marries coffee tradition with features of conventional tea ceremony and will take place inside of a pod-like tea place, shaped like an iron pot, with seats for 4 company.

Kyoto

The previous two several years have viewed enlargement in Kyoto’s luxurious lodge area, starting off with Kengo Kuma’s lattice-included Ace Resort and the classy Hotel the Mitsui, a 161-home property built on the grounds of the Mitsui family’s centuries-outdated previous home opposite Nijo Castle. The just lately opened Shinmonzen in the historic Gion district blends the facilities of a Western boutique lodge with the hospitality and aesthetics of a common Japanese ryokan. Intended by Tadao Ando with interiors by Remi Tessier, the luxe 9-suite hotel features roomy rooms appointed with hinoki wood bathtub tubs and offers an astounding collection of present-day artwork. A restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten will launch in late autumn in the meantime, keeping friends can appreciate pleasant dinners that make fantastic use of natural and organic make from the mountains north of Kyoto, served in suite, and Provençal-inflected afternoon tea in the lounge overlooking the Shirakawa River.