Steaming miso soup, crispy tempura, thick udon noodles and sizzling teppanyaki and of course, sushi; Japan the country may be recovering from disasters both natural and nuclear, but there’s nothing lacking in its cuisine. With an emphasis on seasonal food made with the freshest possible ingredients, Toyko has more Michellin stars than Paris, Hong Kong, New York, LA and London combined. To the foreigner in Japan, eating out is reputed to be a tricky business.

Most menus have pictures, but are often accompanied only by Japanese characters, which means you never can be a hundred percent sure whether you’re getting tempura prawns or deep-fried grasshoppers.

Luckily, you’re unlikely to come up against any crispy-fried insects in local Japanese restaurants. There are however a handful of restaurants offering specialities like teppanyaki – where the chef griddles the meat in front of the guests – and spectacular sushi.

Johannesburg

Japa Express Sushi Bar
This Rivonia eatery serves a lot more than just sushi and has become known for some of the best Japanese food in Johannesburg
Speciality: the deluxe platter

Kyoto Tokyo Sky
With a panoramamic view of the Johannesburg skyline over the Magaliesberg, this restaurant, serving the patrons of Tokyo Sky nightclub, is the perfect spot for Tokyo-themed sundowners.
Specialities: miso-marinated kingklip and oven-baked scallops topped with spicy cream and caviar sauce.

Ninjing Japanese Restaurant
This restaurant has a romantic atmosphere and has been serving Chef James Lee’s take on Japanese, Korean and Asian cuisine for 6 years.
Speciality: grilled salmon

Rubys
Visit this small but trendy Parkhurst spot to sit under the red awning and people-watch.
Specialities: sushi platters and chop suey

The Barrio
This kosher venue serves patrons everything from Japanese to Thai.
Speciality: grilled salmon

Tsunami Seafood Emporium
Rosebank’s seafood Mecca, this quiet upmarket restaurant has a reputation for great fish.
Specialities: sushi, seafood teppanyaki and tempura dishes.

Tsuyu
This tiny neighbourhood eatery has its own mini teppanyaki grill and serves very generous portions.
Specialities: okra bacon roll and the smoked salmon blossom.

Yamato Japanese Restaurant
One of Jozi’s few traditional Japanese restaurants. Head here for a huge variety of Japanese food.
Speciality: wakame seaweed salad

Yasuqi Cuisine
Chef Xuain has been serving Sushi, Asian, Chinese and Japanese creations for a year at this Mellville establishment.
Speciality: platters

Yo Sushi
This Sandton restaurant serves fresh, reasonably priced sushi as well as other Asian dishes. Specialities: sushi platters

Pretoria

Matsuya Restaurant
Serving literally hundreds of traditional Japanese dishes, this large restaurant is especially great for big parties.
Speciality: sushi platters

Zenbu
Open for seven months, chefs Jay and Jose serve up seafood, grills, sushi, and other Japanese dishes at this laidback restaurant.
Speciality: sushi platters

Durban

Daruma
Watch the dexterous teppanyaki chefs in action at this elegant restaurant.
Speciality: teppanyaki

Green Mango
This Morningside restaurant serves Japanese as well as Thai food.

Cape Town

Aomori
Chef Wong turns out seafood, sushi and Japanese food in this casual and trendy restaurant. Specialities: chop suey

Dynasty
This comfortable Seapoint establishment has been operating over fifteen years.
Speciality: Chef Jhou serves up 16 different types of dumplings.

Genki Sushi and Tapas Bar
Serving tapas, sushi and Japanese, Genki makes a small, quaint, quiet getaway.
Speciality: chef’s platters.

Golden Wheat Japanese Restaurant
Serving sushi and other Asian food, this Stellenbosch restaurant is cosy and friendly.
Speciality: duck

Hong Seafood Restaurant Bar
Chef Hong has built up a faithful following for his authentic Japanese style, but there is also food from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam on offer.
Speciality: sushi platters

Lucky Yacht
Chef Yang has been in business for five months at this casual, friendly restaurant, serving Japanese as well as Chinese food.
Speciality: sushi platters

Nobu
The One & Only’s branch of a worldwide phenomenon, Nobu is known for its innovative Japanese food
Specialities: tempura prawns and black cod

Takumi
Minato’s former chef Hatsushiro Muraoka is at the helm of this recently opened restaurant.
Specialities: deep-fried tofu in hot tentsuyu sauce, udon noodles served in a delicately flavoured, piping-hot broth.

Tank Restaurant and Sushi Bar
This trendy Cape Quarter restaurant serves up food from across the Pacific Rim.
Speciality: sushi platters

Tsuyo Japanese Restaurant
A recent addition to the Green Point strip, this slick restaurant specialises in Japanese cuisine, especially teppanyaki.
Specialities: sushi and teppanyaki

Wafu
Serving tapas, seafood, sushi, Japanese and other Asian-inspired food, this Mouille Point restaurant is a hipster hot-spot.
Speciality: tuna steak

Willoughby and Co V & A Waterfront
This Waterfront restaurant serves up some of the city’s best sushi.
Speciality: rainbow reloaded roll