The best time to book a Tokyo restaurant, from the data
8,590 openings across 148 Tokyo restaurants: which seatings and weekdays open up, and how quickly a table is taken.
- 8,590 openings measured
- Last 90 days, nightly
- Same-day tables
- Only 2% of Tokyo openings were for that same night. Plan days ahead, not hours.
- Speed
- The typical table stayed bookable 1.5 hours across Tokyo, but at the hardest counters it is seconds.
- Where to look
- A handful of restaurants had more than half their openings for the same night; they head the same-day table.
The short answer
In Tokyo the best time to book is when a restaurant releases dates, not the night you want to eat. Most openings are for tables days or weeks ahead. Many counters release dates in advance.
A handful of restaurants had more than half their openings for the same night. They head the same-day table below. For them, an alert beats checking by hand.
When tables open, and for when
The first table shows the share of openings by the seating time, in Tokyo time. A few seatings carry most of the openings. The second shows the share by the day the table was for.
Share of all openings by the seating hour (local time).
| Seating | Share of openings |
|---|---|
| 11 AM | 4% |
| 12 PM | 17% |
| 1 PM | 2% |
| 4 PM | 6% |
| 5 PM | 16% |
| 6 PM | 24% |
| 7 PM | 6% |
| 8 PM | 24% |
Share of all openings by the day the table was for.
| Day | Share of openings |
|---|---|
| Sunday | 7% |
| Monday | 9% |
| Tuesday | 14% |
| Wednesday | 15% |
| Thursday | 18% |
| Friday | 20% |
| Saturday | 17% |
Where same-day tables appear most: share of a restaurant's openings that were for that same night.
| Restaurant | Same-day share | Typical table lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Kabuto | 86% | about 7 minutes |
| Sangubashi Asaya | 69% | about 28 seconds |
| Ranmaru | 44% | about 2.7 hours |
| Sushi Namba Hibiya | 31% | about 5 minutes |
| Sushi Riku | 30% | about 41 seconds |
| Sawada | 29% | about 13 minutes |
| Toshi | 28% | about 2 minutes |
| Tempura Motoyoshi | 25% | about 4 hours |
| Sushi Shunji | 24% | about 77 seconds |
| BAR CENTIFOLIA | 16% | about 1.6 hours |
| Sushi Namba Yotsuya | 13% | about 52 minutes |
| Kanda | 11% | about 9 minutes |
| Sushi Sho Saito | 10% | about 1.6 hours |
| Kagurazaka Ishikawa | 9% | about 31 seconds |
| Isoda | 9% | about 3 minutes |
Where you must be fastest: the typical time a table stayed bookable.
| Restaurant | Typical table lasts | Gone within 5 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Sangubashi Asaya | about 28 seconds | 84% |
| Kagurazaka Ishikawa | about 31 seconds | 85% |
| Sushi Riku | about 41 seconds | 72% |
| Sushi Shunji | about 77 seconds | 85% |
| Toshi | about 2 minutes | 70% |
| Isoda | about 3 minutes | 55% |
| Sushi Namba Hibiya | about 5 minutes | 51% |
| Kabuto | about 7 minutes | 45% |
| Sushi Akira | about 7 minutes | 46% |
| Sazenka | about 7 minutes | 43% |
| Kanda | about 9 minutes | 43% |
| Sawada | about 13 minutes | 33% |
| The Pizza Bar on 38th | about 14 minutes | 38% |
| Hakkoku | about 15 minutes | 11% |
| BenFiddich | about 17 minutes | 8% |
Proprietary data: Table Alert checks each restaurant's public booking calendar around the clock; these figures cover the last 90 days, through November 11, 2026, vouched restaurants only, and are refreshed every night.
How to read the tables
Share of openings is the percentage of all openings we recorded, split by seating hour or weekday. It is about the table being for that time, not about when it appeared. Tables for Sunday and Monday get the smallest shares.
Where same-day tables appear most lists restaurants where a large part of openings were for that same night. Where you must be fastest lists the restaurants whose tables went quickest, with the share that went within five minutes.
What this means if you want a table
- For a specific date, watch for openings from the day a restaurant releases it until the day itself.
- For a last-minute night, watch the same-day list: those restaurants are the ones whose openings were most often for tonight.
- At the fastest counters, a table can last under a minute. Have your account signed in and the booking page ready.
- A few seatings carry most openings, so a flexible window across them is likelier to catch a table than one exact time.
How we measure it
Table Alert checks each public booking calendar around the clock. An opening is a table that appeared and was later taken. Typical table lasts is the middle value of how long openings stayed bookable.
We do not see tables held back for regulars or sold by phone. We count what appeared on the public calendar between 90 days ago and November 11, 2026.
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FAQ
The best time to book a Tokyo restaurant, from the data: questions people ask
When the restaurant releases dates, on its own schedule, not the night you want to eat. Only 2% of Tokyo openings were for the same night. Check the release times page for when new dates appear.
Sometimes, at a short list of restaurants whose openings were often for the same night. Most Tokyo counters seldom had one. The same-day table above ranks restaurants by that share of their openings.
Across the restaurants we measure, the typical table stayed bookable 1.5 hours. At the fastest counters it is seconds, and many go within five minutes. The speed table lists them.
The seating hours table shows where openings cluster. Being flexible across those hours gives more chances than asking for one exact time.
More openings are for Friday and Saturday than for Sunday or Monday, per the weekday table. Fast restaurants go quickly whatever the day.
No. This page shows what time and day the table is for, and how long it lasts. When new dates appear is a different measurement, on our Tokyo release times page.
No. Table Alert alerts you the moment a table opens, with a link to the booking page. You book it yourself. We never book, hold or resell tables.
No alert within your first 30 days? Cancel and send us an email. We'll refund you in full — no questions asked.
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Sources and how this page is made
Written by Jacob, founder of Table Alert. Facts checked against the sources below on November 12, 2026. The monitoring numbers are Table Alert's own, refreshed every night (latest: November 11, 2026). Out of date? Tell us.
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