The hushed, reverent atmosphere here is well suited to owner-chef Koichi Minamishima's awe-inspiring knife skills. He works with both local seafood and fish flown direct from Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo to produce his peerless sushi. This is the best Japanese restaurant in Melbourne.

This is one of Melbourne's best Japanese restaurants. It's certainly its most ambitious. There's a New York-style sushi bar at street level, a pumping izakaya-style basement and an upstairs private dining room – Kuro – for intimate kaiseki-style meals.

Perch at a dedicated yakitori table for succulent chicken skewers, or retreat to the private dining room for an omakase experience where high-end Kobe beef is the star. It’s from the Wagyu Ya and Niku Ou team.

In 2018, this Euro-Japanese fine diner moved from its home in Daylesford to Carlton. We're glad it's made the move to the city. The dishes here, delivered thoughtfully across several multi-course options, are a compelling argument for fusion done the right way.

Some of the city’s finest sushi and sashimi is served at Kenzan’s intimate 12-seat counter. And in the main and private dining rooms, à la carte Japanese standards ranging from sukiyaki to shabu-shabu. A Melbourne institution since 1981.

Walk down an unassuming strip of shops to find the suave eight-seat sushi omakase, which takes diners through 23 ever-changing courses. You might start with an oyster, move onto nigiri, and finish the savoury journey with soup.

An intimate, 12-seat omakase bar, where no two meals are the same. Experience 20 or more individualised courses while being entertained by the chefs' playful banter. Expect top-quality seafood that might be squid, sea urchin, salmon roe, King George whiting or bluefin tuna.

Take a seat at the stone counter for a 10-course sushi degustation, or order an assortment of sashimi, miso-marinated black cod and savoury steamed custard topped with foie gras à la carte.

Enter the cyberpunk facade to find Chris Lucas’s two-level Japanese diner. Watch chefs turn skewered meat over jumping flames, slurp your noodles and call it good manners (it is in Japan), and sip cocktails named after Tokyo’s neighbourhoods.

This jazzy Fitzroy 30-seater blends Japanese izakaya, craft sake bar and record store. Stop by for izakaya-style small plates such as yakitori, agedashi tofu and gyoza. And add on “third wave” sake.

Find classic Japanese snacks and party-friendly cocktails at this sprawling izakaya, from the team behind Tamura Sake Bar. Across two levels, go for karaage and gyoza alongside natural wines, cocktails made with Japanese whisky and Stomping Ground rice lager on tap.

Tucked beneath an apartment block, an ex-Kisume and Nobu chef perfects the Japanese art of robatayaki using a charcoal-powered parrilla grill. Take a seat at the bar overlooking the small but efficient kitchen for yakitori served every way and a diverse selection of sake by the glass.

In a suburb full of good Japanese food, this sushi bar and eatery stands out from the pack. Come for impeccable seafood by an expert sushi chef, plus nostalgic bento and noodles dishes in an understated dining room.

Run by a passionate French Australian, this 12-seat omakase restaurant is open for just two sittings a day. Book in for a simple chirashi bowl, or an 11-course lunch featuring dishes like dry-aged kingfish sashimi with roasted spring onion oil and Hokkaido scallops with burnt orange gel.

We recommend you make a booking at this bustling modern-Japanese restaurant. Even though Ocha opened back in 2011, it's still to this day a difficult task to get a walk-in table here on a weekend.

This playful Taiwanese-Japanese restaurant in South Melbourne (no relation to Fitzroy's Peko Peko) is a fun eatery that doesn't take itself or its delicious menu too seriously.

This intimate restaurant – with a nondescript entrance under an office building – specialises in the Japanese tradition of tempura: a battering and frying technique that leads to surprisingly light and refreshing dishes.

Meaning “community” in Japanese, Machi is inspired by its St Kilda location and eclectic culture. Come here for excellent gyoza, Wagyu beef and Kyoto-inspired dishes.

This Japanese restaurant has a particular emphasis on traditional fare – sushi and sashimi, namely – as well as sake: there's an imposing and ever-growing selection on offer.

Sake and '80s throwbacks flow freely in this neon-lit eatery. It breaks the mould with nori tacos, ramen gnocchi and a list of fun cocktails infused with Japanese flavours. And there’s a function space upstairs big enough for 60 salarymen.

This izakaya serves shareable, drink-friendly food. Order from a small-plate selection brimming with Japanese flavours such as ponzu and yuzu. Then pair your meal with a stiff whisky, cold beer or a plum Margarita rimmed with ume sugar. It’s all set in a sleek, modern space.

This 25-seat restaurant is run by a husband-and-wife duo who met while working at Nobu. Order the signature hamburger curry udon, hibachi-grilled yakitori and salmon tartare alongside yuzu cocktails and sake. Also in Docklands, Box Hill South and Nunawading.

Departing from San Telmo's Latin American flavours, here the group focuses on yakitori and kushiyaki cooked over traditional binchotan charcoal. Also, masterfully-sliced sashimi and sake, in a fit-out that resembles a scene straight from the streets of Tokyo.

The first Australian location for the revered global ramen chain brings its signature tori paitan soup to Melbourne's CBD. Expect lines around the block for one of its 28 seats, and be rewarded inside with six different ramen options, snacks and sake pairings.

A cafe by day and izakaya by night. Mornings are for bowls of salmon- or Wagyu-topped rice with an umami-rich broth. And in the evenings, sake cocktails and snacky bites like mirin-dressed oysters come out.

Looking to avoid the lines at the original, which set the gold standard for Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen in Melbourne? Head to Carlton.

The izakaya vibes are high at this south-side diner. Watch the chefs working away at the raw bar or charcoal grill as you enjoy citrusy kingfish, twice-cooked chashu pork belly and a house Martini.

This bistro gives fusion a good reputation, expertly blending French and Japanese techniques. Settle in at the marble green sushi counter, where chefs deftly make maki, nigiri and sashimi to order.

Here, the couple behind well-loved tonkatsu spot Ton & Co serve crisp, golden panko-coated Japanese tonkatsu. Plus, find oyster and prawn katsu options.

Dining at Chris Lucas’s third Japanese restaurant is an immersive experience. There’s a daily sushi, nigiri and crispy rice menu; sake-based cocktails; and neo-noir AI-generated images on the walls.

This relaxed eight-seat omakase counter has an ever-changing menu showcasing local and Japanese ingredients. It’s prepared by chef and dashi expert Jun Oya, who brings 30 years of experience to the table.