Japanese restaurants in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago

Last updated October 22, 2026. Source: SnagRes availability record, 66,314,725 checks across 285 restaurants through October 22, 2026. How we measure. Open dataset.

SnagRes tracks 32 hard-to-book Japanese restaurants, including Raku, Ito, Ramen By Ra. Availability is rechecked throughout the day on the platforms represented here, and alerts can tell you when a table opens.

Platform split here: 19 on Resy, 7 on Tock, 3 on SevenRooms, 3 on OpenTable. That matters because each platform releases tables differently, and watching only one of them leaves the rest of this list invisible.

6 of these had 10% or less of the booking window open at the last check: Ramen By Ra, Showa, n/naka, Hayato, Sushi Kaneyoshi, Kyoten.

• Raku - Japanese, East Village (SevenRooms), 47% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Ito - Japanese, Tribeca (Resy), 50% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Ramen By Ra - Japanese, East Village (Resy), 3% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Kono - Japanese, Bowery (Resy), 47% of the window open at last check (guide)
• ICCA - Japanese, Tribeca (Tock), 80% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Umeko - Japanese, West Village (Resy), 43% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Yamada - Japanese, East Village (Resy), 17% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Sushi Ikumi - Japanese, SoHo (Resy), 30% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Shinzo Omakase - Japanese, East Village (Resy), 100% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Sushi Hayashi Williamsburg - Omakase, Williamsburg (Resy), 100% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Tsukimi - Japanese, East Village (Tock), 70% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Izakaya Rintaro - Japanese, Mission (Resy), 87% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Ju-ni - Japanese, NoPa (Tock), 73% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Showa - Japanese, SoMa (Tock), 10% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Wako - Japanese, Inner Richmond (Tock), 73% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Akiko's - Japanese, Financial District (OpenTable), 87% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Hinodeya - Japanese, Marina (OpenTable), 100% of the window open at last check (guide)
• N/Soto - Japanese, Mid-City (Resy), 70% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Sushi Nakazawa - Sushi, West Hollywood (Resy), 33% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Tonchin - Japanese, Hollywood (Resy), 100% of the window open at last check (guide)
• RVR - Japanese, Venice (Resy), 70% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Kusano - Sushi, Culver City (Resy), 17% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Omakase Yume - Japanese, West Loop (Resy), 55% of the window open at last check (guide)
• TenGoku Aburiya - Japanese, West Loop (Resy), 87% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Omakase Shoji & Izakaya - Japanese, West Town (Resy), 87% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Q Sushi Bar & Omakase - Sushi, Ravenswood (Resy), 61% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Omakase by Kanemaru - Japanese, River North (Resy), 53% of the window open at last check (guide)
• n/naka - Japanese, Palms (Tock), 0% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Hayato - Japanese, Arts District (Tock), 0% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Sushi Kaneyoshi - Japanese, Little Tokyo (SevenRooms), 0% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Kyoten - Japanese, Logan Square (OpenTable), 0% of the window open at last check (guide)
• Kumiko - Japanese, West Loop (SevenRooms), 73% of the window open at last check (guide)

All tracked New York City restaurants · All tracked San Francisco restaurants · All tracked Los Angeles restaurants · All tracked Chicago restaurants · How to get NYC reservations · How to get SF reservations · How to get LA reservations · How to get Chicago reservations

Where these restaurants are

The Japanese restaurants tracked here sit in East Village, Tribeca, Village, West Village, SoHo, Williamsburg. Neighbourhood pages show every tracked restaurant in that area regardless of cuisine, which is often the faster route when the area matters more than the food.

Other cuisines in the four cities SnagRes tracks

American (55), Italian (45), French (21), Korean (13), Californian (12), Mediterranean (10), Indian (9), Steakhouse (9). Each page carries the same live availability and release timing for its own list.

How hard is it to get a Japanese reservation in NYC, SF, LA and Chicago?

Across the 32 Japanese restaurants SnagRes tracks in NYC, SF, LA and Chicago, an average of 54% of the bookable window is open at any given check. Even the hardest give tables back: Yamada had a table open up on 49% of its dates at some point. Hard tables go within minutes when they come back, so an alert matters more than refreshing.

When do Japanese restaurants release reservations?

Of the 15 with a confirmed drop time, 5 release at 12:00 AM, and the typical booking window is 28 days ahead. Release times are set per restaurant rather than per platform, so two places on the same platform can drop hours apart. The full table is on the release times page.

Which booking platform do Japanese restaurants use?

Of the 32, 19 book on Resy, 7 on Tock, 3 on SevenRooms, 3 on OpenTable. Each platform releases tables on its own schedule. SnagRes rechecks the platforms represented in this city throughout the day.

Can I get alerted when a Japanese table opens in NYC, SF, LA and Chicago?

Yes. Star any restaurant on this page and SnagRes emails you when a table opens. A free account watches one restaurant; Plus removes the limit, extends the window from 14 to 30 days and shows exact slot times. SnagRes alerts you, it does not book on your behalf.