Anyone heading to Japan asks me the same first question: “Where should we eat?”
I’ve gathered my answer in three Google Maps lists: Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. More than 20,000 people have used them so far. Until now, though, they were private.
As of today, they’re open to everyone.
Update, 4 November 2026: The lists are now a guide. My Japan guide covers what to know before you go, and the city pages lay out every address on the lists by neighbourhood and category: 245 in Tokyo, 143 in Kyoto, 48 in Osaka, each a tap away on the map.
東京
Tokyo
A city that wears you out on day one and still isn’t done with you after ten visits. The list shows what’s worth chasing the first time.
Tokyo guide → Google Maps list ↗京都
Kyoto
A slow city that likes an early start and an early night. It doesn’t reveal itself to anyone in a hurry.
Kyoto guide → Google Maps list ↗大阪
Osaka
The city of what the Japanese call kuidaore: eating yourself into ruin. A welcome release after Tokyo’s seriousness.
Osaka guide → Google Maps list ↗
Why “101”?
These aren’t a “best 50” ranking. They’re the essential map for a first trip to Japan: enough to understand each city, not so much that you get lost in it.
How to use the lists
- Follow the listOpen the link on your phone and tap Follow in Google Maps. The list lands in your “Saved” tab and the pins appear on your map.
- Plan by neighborhoodBuild each day around where you are, not around the list; look at the pins nearby. In Tokyo, don’t underestimate the distances between neighborhoods.
- Check the hoursMany places work by reservation, many more by queue, and closing days can be irregular. Check opening hours before you set out.
What’s in the guide
- Before you go: visas and the departure tax, internet, transit cards and Suica on iPhone, cash and tipping, bookings and queues, luggage, tax-free shopping, etiquette.
- Tokyo: 24 categories from sushi and ramen to yakitori and bars, neighbourhood by neighbourhood from Ginza to Shinjuku.
- Kyoto: 19 categories, starting with temples and sights; kaiseki, tsukemen, gyoza.
- Osaka: 14 categories, from okonomiyaki and Kuromon Market to the knife makers of Sakai.
This post stays as the story of the lists; the up-to-date addresses and new additions live in the guide.
Listen before you go
Maps tell you where to go, not why. On Yemekte Bile Yemek Konuşuyoruz, the food podcast I host with Nilay Örnek, we gave Japan two full episodes. Both are in Turkish.
Episode 17 · Japan, part 1What Turks Love ThereRecorded in Tokyo. From sushi to Japan’s relationship with bread, the place of rice at the table, izakaya culture, tempura and curry.Listen (in Turkish) →
Episode 19 · Japan, part 2The Food CultureWhy are more Turks traveling to Japan? Sushi legends from Jiro to Harutaka, the Japanese you need on a menu, jazz bars and junk food.Listen (in Turkish) →
Covers: Yemekte Bile Yemek Konuşuyoruz
Staying online in Japan
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The lists run on mobile data, and in Japan you’ll lean on maps, translation and train times more than anything. My tip is an eSIM: install it before you land and you’re connected the moment you step off the plane.
If you use the lists, tell me what you loved and what you didn’t on Instagram at @sinanhamamsarilar.
Have a wonderful trip. Itadakimasu.
Advertising and partnerships: The eSIM link in this post is an affiliate link with ConnectedYou; I earn a commission on purchases made through it. The Google Maps lists and the podcast episodes are not part of this partnership. I have received no payment or benefit of any kind from the places on the lists. My editorial principles →
