Japan is one of the world’s foremost culinary nations. At its summit, “the most expensive food” goes beyond flavor—here, the experience itself is the ultimate luxury. As of 2025, meals priced at over ¥100,000 per person range widely—from sushi, Wagyu, and crab to caviar and uni—and they deliver new value that surpasses simple luxury through rarity, artistry, and even sustainability.
There is a clear benchmark for what is called “the most expensive food” in Japan. In this article, we focus on meals priced at ¥100,000 or more per person, tax included.
Typically, even at high-end sushi restaurants in Tokyo, an omakase course runs around ¥50,000 per person; in winter, Japanese restaurants serving rare ingredients like Matsuba crab or wild fugu sometimes reach ¥100,000 per person (＊2). In other words, the ¥100,000 price range is a special “ultra-luxury” line for gourmets from Japan and abroad.
For our selection, we surveyed prix fixe courses and menus offered nationwide as of 2025 and chose the top 10 in descending order of price. Prices include consumption tax and service charges and are calculated per person for a single meal.
We also considered limited-time events and special courses, along with reservation difficulty and offering conditions. For example, an Osaka sushi course recognized by Guinness World Records drew attention for its astonishing price of over ¥350,000 per person (＊1). Below, you’ll find details on each dish: composition, provider, location, genre, tax-included price, and conditions.
Below are Japan’s ultra-luxury top 10 dining experiences priced at ¥100,000 or more per person, in order of price.
Among Japan’s luxury dishes, Wagyu stands out for its rapid price escalation. Steaks, teppanyaki, and sukiyaki featuring branded Wagyu—Kobe, Matsusaka, Omi—command high prices due to scarcity and quality. Three perspectives define this trend: meat-quality grading, elevated experiential value, and sustainability strategies.
The biggest driver of Wagyu pricing is marbling (fat distribution). Under Japan’s grading standards, marbling is evaluated on a 12-level Beef Marbling Standard (B.M.S.), and BMS 8–12 qualifies as A5 rank (＊1)(＊2). Cattle at BMS 11–12 are exceedingly rare, which sends market prices soaring.
In 2018, a Tajima-gyu champion animal fetched a record ¥10.31 million at auction (＊3). Competition results translate directly into retail and dining prices. Recently, producers have hosted “Wagyu tourism” dinners right on the ranch, collaborating with Michelin-starred chefs. The wave of “gastronomy tourism,” where you consume the story along with the meat, has pushed peak prices even higher (＊6).
Responding to shifts in affluent diners’ values, Shikishima Farm in Tochigi is advancing a “Zero Carbon Beef” project, aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through feed improvements and renewable energy (＊4).
Meanwhile, Jukuhou Farm in Shimane has established “Sustainable Wagyu JUKU,” re-fattening cows after their breeding years and exporting to 16 countries (＊5). Environmental stewardship and brand storytelling are generating a price premium, ushering Wagyu into an era where it’s “chosen even at a higher price.”
Toyosu Market’s first tuna auction of 2025 took place on January 5 just after 5:00 a.m. A 276 kg Pacific bluefin from Oma, Aomori Prefecture, fetched the top price of ¥207 million—about ¥750,000 per kilogram (＊1). This is the second-highest price since statistics began in 1999, behind the post-relocation record of ¥333.6 million in 2019 (＊2).
The winning bidder was major intermediate wholesaler Yamayuki, participating on behalf of ONODERA GROUP, which operates the high-end sushi brand “Ginza Onodera” (＊3). This marked ONODERA GROUP’s fifth consecutive (and sixth overall) “first tuna” win. The fish was served at Ginza Onodera locations and at the venerable Japanese restaurant “Nadaman” (＊4).
At 5:10 a.m., a bell rang through the auction hall; spirited chants rose from the auctioneers while wholesalers joined in the unique “teyari” hand-signal bidding—an exuberant New Year scene (＊1).
General visitors can watch the tuna auction at Toyosu Market. The official program offers viewing slots on market days from 5:45 to 6:25 a.m. at a designated deck overlooking the auction floor. Advance online application and lottery selection are required (up to five people per group; daily cap of 100) (＊5).
On the day, you gather at 5:30 a.m.; after ID confirmation, a guide leads you to the viewing area (＊5). There’s also a no-reservation, free-viewing option via the second-floor public passageway, which usually opens around 5:30 a.m. From behind glass, you can see the action and hear the bell and calls through speakers for a live feel (＊6).
Beyond general viewing, VIP tours for international visitors and affluent travelers are popular. In private tours led by government-certified guides and market experts, you can enter parts of the auction floor that are usually off-limits and watch the bidding up close. Perks include hotel transfers and no waiting in line (＊7). Some itineraries add breakfast at Tsukiji’s outer market or an omakase session with a sushi master in a private lounge near Toyosu. Prices range from tens of thousands of yen to well over ¥100,000, and demand remains robust for this “singular immersion in one of the world’s largest fish markets” (＊7).
While record prices draw headlines, the protection of wild tuna—especially Pacific bluefin—and the harmony between sustainability and luxury sushi experiences are also key.
Japan’s fisheries sector has strengthened efforts to curb overfishing and manage stocks. Since 2015, the catch quota for juvenile Pacific bluefin (under 30 kg) has been halved compared to the 2002–2004 average (＊8). Thanks in part to such measures, Pacific bluefin stocks are gradually recovering.
Legal frameworks are also advancing against IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing, with better traceability. Across the market, there’s a rising consensus: “We won’t handle fish caught in ways that impose excessive environmental burdens—out of responsibility to future generations” (＊9).
In 2018, an initiative led by wholesalers launched to position Toyosu as Japan’s first “Sustainable Seafood City,” with awareness-building exhibits for visitors—fishing-ground maps, demonstrations of wholesale techniques, and more (＊10).
Meanwhile, the industry aims to raise the share of farmed and ranched tuna to 55% by 2030 (＊11). A new concept is taking hold: “sustainable high-end sushi,” which protects wild resources while delivering luxurious experiences.
Thus, Toyosu’s headline-grabbing bids are evolving into more than a consumption boom: they’re driving awareness about conservation and fostering next-generation travel experiences—embodying the coexistence of resource stewardship and luxury.
Hokkaido and Ishikawa nurture rare fruits often called “jewels.” Yubari Melon is registered under the Geographical Indication (GI) system, and at the first auction in May 2025, two premium melons fetched ¥1 million (＊2).
Its deep orange flesh is low in fiber, meltingly tender, and incredibly juicy—no wonder it’s the gold standard for gift-giving. Ishikawa’s “Ruby Roman,” a super-large grape developed over 14 years, has seen first-auction prices exceed ¥1 million per bunch for 10 consecutive years (＊3). Only clusters that meet the strict threshold of 18° Brix or higher make it to market—truly “edible rubies.”
Sansai (mountain vegetables) also deserve attention. Delicacies like tara buds, koshiabura, and fuki sprouts have brief spring seasons and can command high prices at city ryotei.
In the countryside, however, foraging is a living tradition. In Iwate’s Appi Highlands, guided “sansai-picking” walks are popular (＊5). Harvesting and cooking your own sansai on the spot offers a hands-on way to understand Japan’s satoyama (rural mountain) culture.
In Yubari, the “Yubari Melon Dome” and greenhouse visits form the popular “All About the Secrets of Yubari Melon Tour” (＊6). After visiting test-cultivation houses and the sorting facility, you’ll enjoy tasting perfectly ripe melons.
Day trips from Sapporo often include a 30-minute all-you-can-eat plan (＊7), and English-speaking guides mean international travelers can join with confidence.
Ruby Roman experiences center on farm visits in Ishikawa and tasting events at metropolitan antenna shops (＊3). Reservations are essential due to rarity, but one mouth-filling berry—bursting with juice—will convince you of the grape’s worth.
In Japan, presenting premium fruit is a refined way to pay respects or send seasonal greetings. At the venerable Sembikiya, about 98% of sales are for gifts (＊8). Formalities matter: proper wrapping and a noshi (ceremonial tag) are customary, and mid-year gifts (ochugen) should be delivered from late June to around July 15 (＊9).
Historical records show fruit being presented to shoguns in the Edo period (＊10). These luxury fruits are cultural heritage as much as they are fine food.
Once you’ve enjoyed the sweetness of rare fruits, step into the deeper world of niche luxury ingredients. Japan’s caviar, fugu, and pinnacle uni offer singular tasting experiences that make connoisseurs sigh with delight.
Leading the domestic caviar scene, “Miyazaki Caviar 1983” produces low-salt Ossetra roe characterized by delicate nuttiness and a long finish (＊1). At Sendai Royal Park Hotel, a full course featuring freshly made caviar is offered at around ¥26,000 per person (＊2).
From Tokyo, a helicopter transfer plan takes you to the members-only restaurant Kachorai in Gifu to savor “gold caviar”—a supremely luxurious experience priced at several hundred thousand yen per person (＊3).
Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture is the homeland of fugu (locally called “fuku”). At the over-130-year-old Shunpanro Main Restaurant, a full course—from paper-thin sashimi to hot pot and zosui (rice porridge)—runs from the high ¥20,000s to mid-¥30,000s (＊5).
This culinary sacred ground is famous for the story of statesman Hirobumi Ito lifting the ban on fugu consumption. In Tokyo’s Nagatacho, the branch has an English-friendly site for reservations (＊7), letting you enjoy authentic tiger puffer craftsmanship even during a city stay (＊4)(＊6).
The apex of sea urchin is Hokkaido’s Ezobafun uni and Kita-murasaki uni. In summer, when the fishery opens in Shakotan, fresh-uni rice bowls draw lines even at around ¥6,500 per bowl (＊8).
On Rishiri Island, you can try hands-on uni harvesting at Kamui Coast Park—from cracking the shell to tasting—for about ¥2,000 (＊9). In Sapporo, the “uni murakami” Special Uni Bowl (about ¥7,000) features additive-free saltwater uni with rich sweetness that captivates travelers (＊10).
With peak-season freshness and strict attention to origin, the brilliance of this “jewel of the sea” is undeniable.
Japan’s most expensive dining isn’t just about taste—it’s about the stories and experiences behind each dish. From Guinness World Record-level sushi to bluefin tuna fetching hundreds of millions of yen, from colossal, seasonal Matsuba and Echizen crabs to branded Wagyu like Kobe and Matsusaka whose perfect marbling drives prices upward—rarity and craftsmanship reign.
Gift-grade fruits such as Yubari Melon and Ruby Roman carry uniquely Japanese cultural meaning, treasured as seasonal greetings and tokens of gratitude. In recent years, environmental stewardship has become a defining element of luxury value: sustainable fisheries, zero-carbon Wagyu, and related efforts point to new horizons.
In short, Japan’s most expensive foods are not merely high-priced; they embody narratives and forward-looking values—a portrait of true luxury that includes both heritage and the future.