The restaurant industry loves a good underdog story — gritty kitchens, long hours, and a relentless pursuit of perfection. But when it comes to the gender dynamics behind the pass, the narrative is far less cinematic. The world of fine dining has long been a boy’s club, with leadership roles overwhelmingly skewing male. And while the U.S. has made some progress, the numbers still tell a sobering tale. Now, take that already unbalanced playing field and drop it into a country like Japan, where traditional gender roles remain deeply entrenched, and the gap only widens. Consider that in the Japanese business world at large, only 15% of management roles belonged to women in 2021, compared to a global figure of 31% in the same survey.
Thankfully, though, there’s been a slow shift in the other direction. Women proprietors are debuting their own restaurants, food stalls, and bars, and elsewhere, have risen to become managers and head chefs of well-known and highly touted establishments.While it’s almost impossible to visit Japan and come away disappointed with its food, a purposeful itinerary including stops to women-owned, operated, or managed bars and restaurants will make the trip that much more rewarding. From excellent omakase to the delights of okonomiyaki, and of course, full pours of Japanese bar culture, here’s where to visit and who you should meet on your next outing.
Bar Quitar
Tokyo’s Yotsuya neighborhood is a local district close to the bright lights of Shinjuku but far enough removed to remain well off the city’s tourist trail. That might change with the help of one of the country’s very best gin bars, Bar Quitar. It’s run by owner Moeco Masuda, who opened the bar as a passion project while holding down a 9-to-5 to make the financials work as she got underway.
With her experience in the corporate world and the bar world, Masuda sees unfortunate parallels. “In many occupations and companies, there are still very few female managers, and many women themselves do not aspire to promotion,” she says. “There’s historical precedence to contend with, a lack of role models, inherent bias, the difficulties of work-life balance, particularly for those who have or want children, and in the case of bars and restaurants, the risk of harassment.”
Masuda is starting to see a slow movement for more women to join the restaurant and bar scene in Japan, and is eager to work with others to help bring down barriers. “In my experience, just as business owners might feel lonely, there are also some aspects in Japan where women feel unseen or misunderstood,” she says. “I personally think that it is necessary for many women business owners to talk about their experiences and reveal the reality of the situation.”
At Bar Quitar, Masuda sources a vast lineup of little-known, hard-to-find Japanese gins, and categorizes them all by flavor profile, suggesting different serves and pairings to best accentuate their particular profiles. Any gin lover looking for a taste of Tokyo’s local nightlife should be sure to make a visit to her charming basement bar.
Peter: The Bar at The Peninsula Tokyo
At the swanky The Peninsula Tokyo hotel, at the edge of Hibiya Park and the Imperial Palace Gardens, the 24th-floor Peter: The Bar showcases exclusive house pours of Japanese whisky sourced from the country’s finest distilleries, and a lineup of signature cocktails. Running the show is head of mixology Mari Kamata, a long-time force in the Japanese bar industry who represented Japan in the prestigious Diageo World Class competition in 2009, winning one of its six individual events.
At an international hotel chain such as The Peninsula, Kamata says that women receive equal representation, and she believes this type of backing is crucial for the advancement of women at large. “For more women to succeed in the industry, having a supportive environment is key,” she says. “Proactively seeking out and creating such environments can provide women with the opportunities they need to advance and thrive in the bar industry.”
Kamata also points out that women have indeed been a part of Japan’s bar culture for generations. “Many women do own and run their own bars, which reflects the country’s long-standing culture of women in roles of hospitality and entertainment, like in clubs,” she says. “This cultural backdrop likely contributes to the increasing number of women taking on ownership and managerial roles in bars.”
As she continues in her role at The Peninsula, amid the luminaries of Tokyo’s crowded and competitive bar scene, Kamata only hopes to see more women join the fold. “I have the opportunity to further shape and influence the industry,” she says. “As a key player in the bar world, I also see it as my role to contribute to a positive future for the industry as a whole.”
Sushi Masa Ishibashi
At the incredible Sushi Ishibashi Masakazu (or Masa Ishibashi), tucked away on the third floor of an office tower in Tokyo’s glitzy Ginza district, a 23-course omakase tour de force awaits hungry patrons. The culinary masterpiece is spearheaded by Umi Kawachi, executive head chef of all branches, who’s happy to hold friendly conversations with visitors even while working her omakase magic.
Kawachi followed in her mother’s footsteps as a chef, heading to culinary school and studying the fine arts of Japanese Kaiseki cuisine. “Seven years later, I switched to become a sushi chef, which is what I wanted to be from childhood,” she says. Kawachi joined the Sushi Masa Ishibashi family in 2018, studying under the acclaimed chef Masakazu Ishibashi. “He expanded his restaurant to other locations in Japan and abroad, and by the end of 2023, he asked me to be the executive chef of all branches.”
Kawachi says that she’s seeing more women enter the restaurant world, as well as the even more old-school sushi field. While she says it’s an uphill climb for women in Japan to manage raising a family while remaining in the workplace, she hopes to serve as an inspiration for others to pursue their dreams, too. “I can show other female chefs that we as women can have the chance to work at this kind of location,” she says.
Ron Okonomiyaki
Many travelers to Hiroshima are making the trip for a chance to understand and bear witness to its difficult modern history. Once there, though, they’ll be able to explore a vibrant city with its own standout regional culinary specialties. At the top of the list is okonomiyaki, savory, topping-laden pancakes that are sizzled on griddle-top counters, a treat so beloved in the area that there’s an entire building devoted to it. Okonomimura is like a food theme park dedicated to a single dish, and it’s a must visit for anyone eager to sample the city’s best bites.
If it seems difficult to choose one okonomiyaki vendor from the dozens of popular side-by-side options within Okonomimura, a bright, beaming smile from Yukina “Ron” Ninomiya, proprietor of Ron Okonomiyaki, may make the difference for a first-time visitor. Ninomiya opened her stall in August 2012, and stays busy behind its counter serving up at least 70 made-to-order okonomiyaki per day until she runs out of ingredients.
“She loves having people from different countries visit,” says her husband Kotaro, translating for his busy wife, a nonstop whirl of motion loading and layering each okonomiyaki with careful precision. Her shop is always bustling, filled with both tourists as well as local regulars, but Ninomiya is eager to pose for a photo, share a laugh — or maybe even a highball — with as many of them as she can. Her own signature okonomiyaki riffs include one topped with tomato, cheese, and shiso leaf and another adorned with a poached egg, washed down with signature yuzu and citrus jam drink specials.
Feature image by The Peninsula Tokyo. We may earn a commission from booking links on this page.
