In Hotel Okura on Ferdinand Bolstraat sits a restaurant that has a world first. In 2002, Yamazato was the first Japanese kaiseki restaurant in the world to receive a Michelin star - because at that time no Michelin stars were awarded in Japan itself. More than twenty years later, that star still hangs there. Not obvious, but also not surprising when you know what goes on in that kitchen.
Executive Chef Tsukasa Hagimori is at the helm, with the same goal: to bring kaiseki ryori to the table as pure and authentic as possible. Kaiseki is Japanese haute cuisine, a multi-course menu where each dish is tailored to the season. Tomikawa works with traditional Japanese ingredients and methods, and the menu changes completely four times a year. What you eat in the spring no longer exists in the fall.
The dining room is decorated in minimalist Japanese design, natural wood, no frills. The large windows look out on an authentic Japanese garden, which doesn't feel like décor but a conscious choice for tranquility. The serving staff wear yukata kimonos, which gives the whole place an atmosphere you won't find anywhere else in the Netherlands. Reservations are required, entry is between 18:30 and 20:00, and the restaurant is open Thursday through Monday.
In 2002, Yamazato was the first Japanese kaiseki restaurant in the world to receive a Michelin star - no stars were awarded in Japan itself at that time.
Yamazato won the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best in 2024, which for a restaurant at this level is confirmation rather than surprise. The restaurant has been running since 1971, more than 50 years, and has not changed its course in all that time. Tomikawa and his kitchen team are doing what they have always done: seasonal cooking at the highest level, without concessions. That is exactly what has kept a Michelin star in place for more than two decades.