Lucas Hsiung
Google
I visited in Oct 2023 and it was the best food experience of my life.
To all the reviews complaining about food, menu, or alcohol-- you have no taste. The food I had was pretty similar to others' pictures. The flavors are incredibly subtle, and you must take your time eating them to discern every aspect. If you understand a little bit about food, you'll be deeply amazed by the attention to detail.
To complaints about hospitality-- I slightly disagree. Sure, you're not given much guidance or recommendations, but you have to speak up a little bit. Just ask "nan desu ka" and the staff will understand that you care. From the first plate, one assistant chef always explained ingredients to me, and we would use Google Translate to bridge the gap.
I do still recommend having a friend as a translator. The chef is a passionate person. He told the stories of how he collected the food or found this clay pot or made the tables or went to his friends sake brewery for this bottle (by the way, I recommend getting alcohol-- he loves drinking with the customer! After cooking of course). *definitely* ask him questions-- he loves to talk, which puts him in a very good mood. If you care, he cares. We stayed for 3.5 hours even though the food was done after 2 because he was such a passionate soul. He took the experience from an 8 to an 11.
All these 1 stars just feel so entitled. A 2 star Michelin, especially in Japan, and at a kaiseki no less, doesn't mean you're given everything on a silver platter. I would speak up, ask translated questions on Google, and be respectful and it truly elevated the experience. The restaurant wasn't hard to find if you look hard enough. You get what you put in.
From looking at the reviews I see many complaints on 2nd floor seating. Definitely sorry to hear that; I was on the 1st floor counter and didn't even know there was a second floor. I think if I wasn't able to see the food or talk to the chef, I would also give a 0 star. That's something they should make clearer, or even remove altogether.