Restaurant website design in Japan – menus and bookings, starting with a free demo

What every restaurant website in Japan should show

Most people who open a restaurant website are already close to deciding. If they find answers fast, they book or walk in. Put these on the page, easy to reach on a phone:

• Hours and closed days: last orders for lunch and dinner, holiday closures
• Menu and prices: photos of signature dishes, course contents and prices, drinks, tax-inclusive pricing
• Access: address, walking route from the station, a map, parking
• Seating: number of seats, private rooms, counter or terrace, private hire, smoking rules
• How to book: phone number, an online booking button, minimum party size, cancellation policy
• Payment: credit cards, e-money and QR payments you accept

Hours and menus change, so make sure they are easy to edit. Outdated information disappoints guests who made the trip. If the owner or manager will post seasonal menus and news, check how simple the admin panel is before the build starts.

Portal listings and your own site: who does what

Gourmet portals are still a useful way for new guests to discover you. Their pages follow a fixed format, though, and some plans charge a fee per booking. Think of your own website as home base – it complements the listings.

• Your story: the chef, where ingredients come from, what makes the food yours – told freely with photos
• Direct bookings: regulars and returning guests can book through your site with no portal fee
• One source of truth: Google Business Profile, Instagram and portal listings can all point to the same official page
• Search visibility: people searching your name or "area + dish" find official information

A practical setup: portals bring first-time guests, your site and Google Maps give the details and take bookings, and repeat guests book with you directly. For the wider picture, including maps and social media, see restaurant marketing.

Choosing a restaurant booking system

Pick the booking path that fits your size and how you take reservations. Whatever you choose, keep a booking button visible on mobile and make the phone number tap-to-call.

• Mainly phone: show the number and the hours you answer, and mention busy times. For a small place this can be enough
• Booking form: guests send date, time, party size and contact details, and you confirm. Low setup cost, but it means back-and-forth
• Reservation management service: live availability and instant confirmation, with phone and online bookings in one ledger. Usually a monthly fee
• Reserve with Google and LINE: connected booking services can also take reservations from Google Maps or your LINE account

Check whether it connects to the ledger you already use, how it handles no-shows (prepayment, reminder emails) and whether it has an English interface. If you already pay for a service, embedding its booking page in your site is the easiest route.

Multilingual pages that work for overseas visitors

Near stations and tourist areas, more overseas visitors open restaurant sites from map apps. Start with the information they need to visit; full translation of every page can come later.

• English menu: a short description of ingredients and cooking method next to each dish name, ideally with a photo
• Ingredients and allergens: pork, beef, seafood, alcohol, vegetarian options – shown with icons or a table
• House rules: otoshi or cover charges, walk-ins, time limits on tables
• Booking and payment: a booking method that works in English, accepted cards
• Finding you: station exit number, floor, a photo of the sign

Explaining local customs like otoshi in advance prevents most misunderstandings at the bill. Have machine translations edited so dishes sound appetizing. For choosing languages and target markets, see inbound tourism marketing.

Typical restaurant website costs and what to prepare

Costs depend on how the site is built. As a general guide in Japan, template services start from tens of thousands of yen up front, a custom site of a few pages from an agency typically runs around 300,000 to 800,000 yen, and multilingual pages or booking integration usually add to that. Domain, hosting and booking service fees are on top.

When comparing quotes, ask who updates what after launch and what monthly maintenance includes. It speeds things up to have these ready:

• Your logo and photos of the exterior, interior and dishes (phone photos are fine for planning the layout)
• The current menu, course contents and prices
• Hours, closed days, seats and payment methods
• Your booking service, portal listings, Instagram and Google Business Profile
• Two or three restaurant sites whose feel you like

Food photos shape the whole impression, so professional shots of your signature dishes are worth considering. If ambience is your main draw, our page on cafe websites has more ideas. Keep the domain and analytics accounts in the restaurant's name.

How UNANOBO builds restaurant websites: a free demo first

Before you commit, UNANOBO builds a free demo of your official site from your logo, photos, menu and the information already on your portal listings and Instagram. You try the menu layout and booking button on your own phone, then decide whether to go ahead.

The process: free demo, feedback, launch, growth. The founder handles every project personally, from the first demo to MEO and Google Ads after launch, so you never have to explain your restaurant twice. Everything runs by message in Japanese or English – reply between prep and service, whenever suits you.