Asakusa Imahan Kokusai Street Head Restaurant
A sukiyaki and shabu-shabu house in Asakusa since 1895, serving only female black wagyu.
piggybackjapan.com
Asakusa Imahan Kokusai Street Head Restaurant
SaveA sukiyaki and shabu-shabu house in Asakusa since 1895, serving only female black wagyu.
The sukiyaki here uses Senju negi scallions and shiitake picked thick enough to hold up in the broth.
MoreWhat kind of place
Asakusa Imahan opened in the Asakusa neighborhood in 1895 and has been cooking sukiyaki and shabu-shabu there for more than 130 years.
Its own buyers pick the beef from all over Japan, and only female black wagyu reaches the table. The restaurant is a registered Kobe beef dealer, registration No. 483, and works with contract farms in Hyogo.
Kobe beef from female cattle, it says, is marbled with fat that softens at skin temperature.
Sources and evidence (27)
- The private rooms and special rooms on the second floor and the large banquet room on the third floor do not take guests who bring children below middle school age.source
- Groups that include children below middle school age are seated on the first floor.source
- The second-floor private rooms, the second-floor special rooms, and the third-floor banquet room are offered to guests in middle school and above.source
- First-floor seating is a mix of chair tables and a raised tatami area.source
- The raised tatami area on the first floor has three tables, each seating up to four people.source
- First-floor chair seating has three tables for up to six people and four tables for up to four people.source
- The second-floor private rooms come in two styles: sunken leg wells under the table (one room for up to four, three rooms for up to two) and chairs (one room for up to eight, one room for up to four).source
- The two special rooms on the second floor are Fukuju, with sunken leg wells under the table and space for up to eight, and Shirasagi, with chairs and space for up to eight.source
- The third-floor special rooms, Kinryu and Tenryu, both have chairs and seat up to eight each.source
- The movable wall between the two third-floor special rooms can be taken out to make one room for up to 16 people.source
- Asakusa Imahan was born and raised in the Asakusa neighborhood, opening in 1895.source
- The restaurant says its care for flavor grew into a tradition, and that a century and more later its sukiyaki and shabu-shabu are widely enjoyed as a taste of Japan.source
- The head chef, Masaki Ogawa, describes the job as protecting a flavor of more than 130 years while trying new ones.source
- The kitchen serves the best black wagyu available at the time, female cattle only, picked by professional buyers from all over Japan.source
- It is a registered dealer of Kobe beef (registration No. 483), and Taniguchi Farm in Shiso, Hyogo, and Morimoto Farm in Sayo, Hyogo, are its contract farms.source
- Cattle that have won prizes at the Kobe beef judging fair are also kept on hand.source
- The long onions for the sukiyaki are Senju negi, called the best of the scallions, and the shiitake are picked thick enough to hold their own against the sweet soy broth.source
- The restaurant explains that the marbling in Kobe beef from female cattle has a melting point low enough to soften at skin temperature.source
- Smoking is separated: the first and third floors are completely non-smoking.source
- The restaurant is listed as welcoming children.source
- The listing describes a calm space with tatami rooms and sunken seating, and names family outings as a common occasion.source
- There are 153 seats, and the whole place can be booked out.source
- Guests take their shoes off at the entrance and go up to the second- and third-floor seats by elevator; more than ten visit records describe the same move.source
- A visitor rode the elevator up to the tatami banquet hall on the third floor.source
- A family with an infant wheeled their stroller inside.source
- Cards on the table explain how to cook sukiyaki and shabu-shabu in English, Chinese and Korean.source
- Some staff speak English and Chinese.source
With kidsThe part that matters
If you are bringing a child below middle school age, your family eats on the first floor, because the private rooms and the banquet room upstairs are offered to guests from middle school age up.
The first floor has chair tables and a raised tatami platform with three low tables, where you take your shoes off and sit on the mats.
The restaurant is right beside the A2 exit of Asakusa Station on the Tsukuba Express, so coming that way you step out of the exit and you are at the door; from the other Asakusa stations it is a 7- to 14-minute walk.
Lunch runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and takes no reservations, and on a crowded day the restaurant stops seating lunch guests before 2:30, so arriving close to 11:30 is what gets your family a table.
Sources and evidence (3)
- Kimono-clad staff cook the sukiyaki at your table, and cards explain how to eat it in English, Chinese and Korean.source
- In line 20 min before opening, then an hour more — 90 minutes in all. An elevator goes to the third-floor tatami hall.source
- A veteran of this branch: fat that melts at skin heat, female cattle only, and a tsukudani broth never started over.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1On the 1st floor there are three raised tatami tables, each seating up to four, where you take your shoes off. A baby too small for a chair can be down on the tatami at the same table as everyone else.Parties that include a child under junior-high age are seated on the 1st floor (the 2nd-floor private and special rooms and the 3rd-floor banquet hall do not accept guests with children under junior-high age). Reservations are taken by phone (03-3841-1114), but not for the lunch menu. Bento to take away is served 11:30-19:30 and takes about 15 minutes because it is made to order (Kuroge Wagyu Hyakunen Gyudon Bento, 2,160 yen). The restaurant has no parking of its own; it is right next to Exit A2 of Asakusa Station on the Tsukuba Express.
- Ages 2-3On the raised tatami seats you take your shoes off, so a child who wants out of a chair can simply stay on the tatami. Lunch runs 11:30-14:30 and is built around rice bowls: the "Hyakunen Gyudon" at 2,200 yen (limited to 20 servings a day) and the "Meiji Sukiyaki Don" at 3,300 yen.There are only three raised tatami tables on the 1st floor, seating up to four each. Reservations are not taken for the lunch menu, and lunch seating can close early depending on crowding and the number of seats. From 14:30 to 16:00 seating is suspended for the time being while the restaurant prepares for dinner. A 10% service charge applies once one person's bill reaches 5,500 yen.
- Ages 4-6The 1st floor has three chair tables seating up to six, so once a child can eat sitting in a chair, a family of six fits at one table. The sukiyaki uses Senju negi, called "the scallion among scallions," and shiitake thick enough to stand up to the warishita broth. The beef is only female black wagyu, selected from across Japan.Parties including a child under junior-high age are seated on the 1st floor. Guests are asked to arrive by 19:00, and the latest reservation start time is also 19:00. A 10% service charge applies from 5,500 yen per person, and ordering from the grand menu adds a beef tsukudani starter at 440 yen per person (tax included).
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayFamilies with children under junior high school age are seated on the 1st floor, at chair seats or the raised tatami seats, all inside the building. The restaurant is right next to Exit A2 of Asakusa Station on the Tsukuba Express.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
How was it with your kids?
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Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：with conditionsconditions
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：with conditionsconditions
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (11)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, High chair, Kids' menu, Kids' tableware, Baby food policy, Allergy support, Official family-friendly certification, Best-fit ages (guide), Quietness (guide), Lost-child support
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Guide
Kimono-clad staff cook the sukiyaki at your table, and cards explain how to eat it in English, Chinese and Korean.
Delve into the famous Sukiyaki restaurant "Asakusa Imahan" in Tokyo! Revealing the secrets of its popularity
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
In line 20 min before opening, then an hour more — 90 minutes in all. An elevator goes to the third-floor tatami hall.
Lunch at Asakusa Imahan's Kokusai-dori main store: a long queue of overseas visitors, so we waited an hour and a half
Japanese · opens translatedOfficial
A veteran of this branch: fat that melts at skin heat, female cattle only, and a tsukudani broth never started over.
Why does Asakusa Imahan's sukiyaki move people so? (Taito's long-established shops)
Asakusa Imahan Kokusai Street Head Restaurant · Links & reads ▾
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Where to go next
With a toddler (2–3)
- Asakusa HanayashikiAmusement parkNursing spaceDiaper changing tableElevator5 min walkA small amusement park, a flower garden in 1853, that calls itself Japan's oldest.
- Senso-jiTempleStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableElevator5 min walkTokyo's oldest temple, approached through a stone-paved shopping street from the great gate.
- Solamachi Tabe-Terrace Food CourtFood courtStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.5 kmA food court at the foot of Skytree: udon, ramen and rice bowls at one table.
- National Museum of Nature and ScienceScience museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.5 kmA national museum shown at full size — dinosaur skeletons, a life-size blue whale.
- Tokyo National MuseumNational museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.6 kmJapan's oldest museum, six buildings on one site, showing almost only real objects.
- Tokyo SkytreeObservation towerStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.7 kmAt 634 meters, the tallest free-standing broadcast tower in the world.
With a baby (0–1)
- Ueno Seiyoken HontenWestern restaurantNursing spaceDiaper changing tableElevator1.8 kmWestern food in a corner of Ueno Park, from a restaurant founded in 1872.
- National Museum of Nature and ScienceScience museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.5 kmA national museum shown at full size — dinosaur skeletons, a life-size blue whale.
- Tokyo National MuseumNational museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.6 kmJapan's oldest museum, six buildings on one site, showing almost only real objects.
With preschoolers (4–6)
- Ueno ParkCity parkStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.9 kmOne of Japan's first public parks, with the zoo and museums inside its grounds.
- Sumida AquariumAquariumStroller friendlyNursing spaceElevator1.5 kmAn aquarium at the foot of Tokyo Skytree, built so you get close to the animals.
- Ameyoko Shopping StreetMarket streetStroller friendlyDiaper changing table1.7 kmA market street of some 400 shops packed into 500 meters between two stations.
- Ueno ZooZooStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.9 kmJapan's first zoo, with about 300 species spread over two gardens.
For a meal
- Solamachi Tabe-Terrace Food CourtFood courtStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.5 kmA food court at the foot of Skytree: udon, ramen and rice bowls at one table.
- Ueno Seiyoken HontenWestern restaurantNursing spaceDiaper changing tableElevator1.8 kmWestern food in a corner of Ueno Park, from a restaurant founded in 1872.
For sights
- Senso-jiTempleStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableElevator5 min walkTokyo's oldest temple, approached through a stone-paved shopping street from the great gate.
- National Museum of Nature and ScienceScience museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.5 kmA national museum shown at full size — dinosaur skeletons, a life-size blue whale.
- Tokyo National MuseumNational museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.6 kmJapan's oldest museum, six buildings on one site, showing almost only real objects.
- Tokyo SkytreeObservation towerStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.7 kmAt 634 meters, the tallest free-standing broadcast tower in the world.
- Sumida AquariumAquariumStroller friendlyNursing spaceElevator1.5 kmAn aquarium at the foot of Tokyo Skytree, built so you get close to the animals.
- Ueno ZooZooStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.9 kmJapan's first zoo, with about 300 species spread over two gardens.
For play
- Asakusa HanayashikiAmusement parkNursing spaceDiaper changing tableElevator5 min walkA small amusement park, a flower garden in 1853, that calls itself Japan's oldest.
- Ueno ParkCity parkStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table1.9 kmOne of Japan's first public parks, with the zoo and museums inside its grounds.
Where it is
3-1-12, Nishi-Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan 111-0035source2
Before you go
- At lunch, seating can end earlier than usual when the restaurant is crowded and tables run short.source
- The latest reservation begins at 7:00 p.m., and no later start times are accepted.source
- Reservations are not accepted for the lunch menu.source
- Daytime use of the private rooms is accepted only on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.source
- On weekdays, the private rooms are available from 4:00 p.m.source
- Lunch takes no reservations; even on weekdays a line starts around 10:30 and is long by the 11:30 opening.source
More notes (1)
- One party arrived 20 minutes before opening, found a long line, and waited an hour and a half in all.source
Basics
- Fee：Lunch (11:30-14:30) starts at 2,200 yen for the Hundred-Year Gyudon, with the Meiji sukiyaki bowl and the sirloin steak bowl at 3,300 yen each — twenty servings a day for each. The sukiyaki or shabu-shabu lunch set is 5,390 yen. On the grand menu, the marbled sukiyaki or shabu-shabu set is 9,680 yen. All prices include tax; a 10% service charge is added when one person's bill passes 5,500 yen, and grand-menu diners are served beef tsukudani as an appetiser at 440 yen a head. Private rooms cost nothing extra, but they come with a minimum course: 16,500 yen and up for the second-floor rooms, 18,700 yen and up for the special rooms. Takeout bento start at 2,160 yen.source
- Hours：Open 11:30-21:30 (last order 20:30), every day of the year. For the time being there is a break from 14:30 to 16:00 while they set up for dinner. Last entry is 19:00. Lunch is served 11:30-14:30 and can end earlier when it is busy or the seats run out. The tsukudani (simmered beef) counter is open 10:30-19:30, and the phone is answered 10:30-21:00.source
- Booking：Bookings are taken by phone, on 03-3841-1114. The latest start time they will book is 19:00, and lunch-menu bookings are not taken at all. Private rooms can be booked at midday only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; on weekdays they start from 16:00. Note that guests with children below junior-high age cannot use the private rooms, the special rooms or the third-floor hall — they are seated on the first floor.sourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (27)
Hours and closures
- The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., with last orders at 8:30 p.m. For now, no one is seated between 2:30 and 4:00 p.m. while the kitchen gets ready for dinner.source
- It is open every day of the year.source
- For the time being, seating pauses from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. while the kitchen gets ready for dinner.source
- The restaurant asks guests to arrive by 7:00 p.m.source
- The lunch menu is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.source
Other
- A takeout counter sells tsukudani, small savory dishes simmered in soy sauce, from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.source
- Payment is by cash, credit card, QR code payment, or Asakusa Imahan meal vouchers (VISA, MASTER, JCB, AMEX, DINERS, UC, DC, MC, SAISON, NICOS, and UnionPay).source
- Takeout boxed meals are sold from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with last orders at 7:30 p.m., and each takes about 15 minutes because it is made after you order.source
- The takeout black wagyu Hyakunen Gyudon beef bowl box is 2,160 yen.source
Getting there
- The restaurant is next to the A2 exit of Asakusa Station on the Tsukuba Express.source
- It is a 7-minute walk from Exit 3 of Tawaramachi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.source
- It is a 10-minute walk from the Matsuya exit of Asakusa Station on the Tobu Line.source
- It is a 14-minute walk from Exit A4 of Asakusa Station on the Toei Asakusa Line.source
- The restaurant has no parking of its own and directs drivers to paid lots nearby.source
Fees
- The room itself costs nothing extra, but each grade of room comes with its own menu: a private room means ordering a set course from 16,500 yen, and a special room from 18,700 yen.source
- Using a special room on the second or third floor requires a course meal priced from 18,700 yen.source
- Using a private room on the second floor requires a course meal priced from 16,500 yen.source
- A 10% service charge applies once one person's food and drink comes to 5,500 yen or more.source
- Guests who order from the main menu are served beef simmered in soy sauce as an opening dish, at 440 yen per person including tax.source
- The lunch beef bowl called Hyakunen Gyudon, served with red miso soup and pickles, is 2,200 yen and limited to 20 servings a day.source
- The lunch Meiji Sukiyaki Bowl and the Steak Bowl made with sirloin are 3,300 yen each.source
- The lunch set of sukiyaki or shabu-shabu is 5,390 yen.source
- On the main menu, the marbled beef set of sukiyaki or shabu-shabu is 9,680 yen.source
Contact
- The address is 3-1-12 Nishi-Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0035.
- The phone number is 03-3841-1114.
- The phone is answered from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Reservations are taken by phone at 03-3841-1114.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (10)
- Official: Child entry policy, Tatami seating, Private room
- tabelog.com: Non-smoking
- tabelog.com: Elevator
- tabelog.com: Stroller friendly
Born in Asakusa in 1895, it has served sukiyaki and shabu-shabu for over 130 years. Its beef is black wagyu, female cattle only, chosen across Japan by buyers who go and look. It is a licensed Kobe beef dealer with two contract farms in Hyogo. Sukiyaki here takes Senju negi, called the scallion among scallions, with shiitake picked thick. The building has three floors; the first has chair tables and a raised tatami area. It stands next to exit A2 of Asakusa Station on the Tsukuba Express.
| Child entry policy | Some areas not allowed | Children are welcome, but not everywhere in the building. Guests with a child below junior-high age cannot use the second-floor private rooms, the second- and third-floor special rooms, or the third-floor hall — they are seated on the first floor, which has chair tables and a raised tatami area. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | asakusaimahan.co.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tatami seating | Yes | The first floor has a raised tatami area — three tables for up to four people each — alongside chair tables (three for six, four for four). This is the floor families with children below junior-high age are seated on. The second-floor private rooms have sunken hearths, but those are not open to guests with younger children. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | asakusaimahan.co.jp |
| Private room | Yes | Private rooms on the second floor (sunken-hearth rooms for four and for two, chair rooms for eight and for four) and special rooms on the second and third floors, up to eight each — the two third-floor rooms join into one for sixteen when the movable wall comes out. No room charge, but each grade carries a minimum course: 16,500 yen and up for the second-floor rooms, 18,700 yen and up for the special rooms. Midday bookings only on weekends and holidays; from 16:00 on weekdays. Guests with children below junior-high age cannot use them. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | asakusaimahan.co.jp |
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Yes | A guide, from the restaurant itself: lunch can stop early when it is busy or the seats run out, and several lunch dishes are limited to twenty servings a day. There is also a break from 14:30 to 16:00 for the time being, and last entry is 19:00. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | asakusaimahan.co.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | Two things to settle before you go. Getting there: the restaurant is right beside exit A2 of Asakusa station on the Tsukuba Express, 7 minutes' walk from exit 3 of Tawaramachi (Tokyo Metro Ginza line), 10 minutes from the Matsuya exit of Asakusa station on the Tobu line, and 14 minutes from exit A4 of Asakusa on the Toei Asakusa line. There is no parking lot; the restaurant asks you to use paid parking nearby. Inside: the building has three floors, but nothing official says how you get up them — no mention of an elevator, steps or an accessible toilet anywhere on the site. Families with children below junior-high age are seated on the first floor in any case. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | asakusaimahan.co.jp |
| Elevator | Yes | You take your shoes off at the entrance, then ride the elevator up to the seats on the upper floors. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | tabelog.com |
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller friendly | Yes | You can wheel a stroller in without folding it. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | tabelog.com |
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | English menu & signs | Cards on the table explain how to cook sukiyaki and shabu-shabu in English, Chinese and Korean. Some staff speak English and Chinese. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | fun-japan.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor | All the seating is indoors, but at lunchtime a queue forms outside before the doors open. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | note.com |
| High chair | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' menu | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' tableware | Not checked yet | ||||
| Baby food policy | Not checked yet | ||||
| Non-smoking | Separate smoking areas | The first and third floors are completely non-smoking. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | tabelog.com |
| Allergy support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet |
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