Call a Japanese restaurant
Book a Japanese restaurant in English. Even the ones with no online booking.
Use the restaurant's official online booking flow first. When the restaurant only accepts a phone call or a same-day change needs a live answer, Native Call translates both sides of the call.
iPhone + Android · International dialing included
Live demo · listen to a real reservation call
Hear the call you'll make.
Pick the language you speak. Press play. The other side always hears Japanese.
Tap "Play with sound" to start
Counter sushi & omakase
12-seat counters in Ginza, Yotsuya, Aoyama. Phone-only bookings, often released a month ahead at 9 AM Tokyo time.
Izakayas & yakitori
Neighborhood spots with no English menu, no English website, and no email. Just a phone number on Tabelog.
Kaiseki & ryokan dining
Multi-course meals at ryokans where the okami answers the phone personally. Polite, slow, and entirely in Japanese.
Direct answer
If the restaurant is phone-only, Native Call is the app for the call.
Try online booking first when it exists. Use TableCheck, OMAKASE, or the restaurant's own form if the seat is available there. When the only working channel is a Japanese phone number, Native Call lets you make the reservation yourself: you speak English, the restaurant hears polite Japanese, and their reply comes back in English.
Use it for
- Phone-only sushi counters, izakayas, kaiseki rooms, and ryokan dinners.
- Reservation changes, late arrivals, allergies, course questions, and cancellation calls.
- Calls where you want a bilingual transcript of the confirmed date, time, and party size.
Supported caller languages
You can speak English, Mandarin, or Cantonese. The restaurant hears Japanese and does not install anything.
Free test and pricing
The app is free to download and includes an in-app demo. Live calls use prepaid credits; no subscription is required. The app shows the current credit charge and pack price before purchase.
Privacy and transcripts
Calls are not recorded by default. Transcripts stay in the app for your reference and are not used to train speech or translation models.
Credibility check
Official store listings, demo, and current store data.
Available on App Store + Google Play
Native Call is available on iPhone and Android. The official store listings are the current source for downloads and device compatibility.
Ratings and versions change
Ratings, review counts, compatibility, and versions change on both App Store and Google Play. Check the live official store listings instead of relying on an old snapshot.
Check the flow first
Check both store screenshots, listen to the audio demo above, and use the free in-app demo before a real restaurant call.
A typical call, translated
Here's the kind of conversation Native Call handles end-to-end. You see what each side hears in real time inside the app's transcript.
Hi, I'd like to make a reservation for two on Friday the 14th at 7 PM, please.
もしもし、14日金曜日の19時に2名で予約をお願いしたいのですが。
かしこまりました。お席はカウンター席でよろしいでしょうか？
Understood. Would counter seats be alright for you?
Counter is perfect. One of us has a shellfish allergy — is that workable?
カウンターでお願いします。一人が甲殻類アレルギーなのですが、対応可能でしょうか？
How it works
- 1
Open the app and dial the number
Type or paste any Japanese phone number — restaurants, hotels, hospitals, government lines. A Japanese number is built in and the international call is placed for you — no Japan SIM, no roaming, and no Japanese number of your own. Or just tell us what you need done, and we'll make the call.
- 2
Speak your language, the other side hears Japanese
Native Call sits between the two phones. Your English (or Mandarin or Cantonese) is converted to natural-sounding Japanese in under a second, and their Japanese comes back to you in your own language the same way.
- 3
Hang up with what you needed
Reservation booked. Room request confirmed. Question answered. The full bilingual transcript stays in the app so you can re-read what was agreed.
Common questions
Why can't I just book online? +
Use the restaurant's own website, TableCheck, OMAKASE, or another authorized booking service when available. Call only when the restaurant lists phone booking, the online flow cannot handle the request, or you need a same-day change.
What can I actually say on the call? +
Anything you'd say in a normal restaurant call. "I'd like a reservation for two on Friday at 7." "Do you have counter seats available?" "One of us has a shellfish allergy — is that workable?" "We'll be 15 minutes late, please hold the table." The other side hears it in fluent, polite Japanese; their reply comes back to you in plain English.
Will the restaurant know I'm using a translator? +
The restaurant hears a synthesized Japanese translation. Start by saying that you are using a translation app, then ask the host to speak in short, clear turns. Repeat names, dates, times, party size, allergies, and cancellation terms before ending the call.
How fast is the translation during the call? +
Translation is processed while the callers take turns speaking. Actual delay varies with the network, phone route, and utterance length, so test the in-app demo before an important call.
Do I need a Japanese SIM or a calling plan? +
No. Native Call places the outbound call from our infrastructure. You just need an internet connection — Wi-Fi or your normal data plan, anywhere in the world.
What if the restaurant is closed or doesn't pick up? +
The call ends like a normal unanswered call. Check the restaurant's official hours and any stated reservation-call window before retrying; avoid calling during peak service unless the restaurant instructs otherwise.
What is the best app to call a Japanese restaurant without speaking Japanese? +
If the restaurant only has a phone number, use a phone-call translator app like Native Call. If the restaurant is on TableCheck, OMAKASE, or an English booking site, book online first. Native Call is for the phone-only cases where you still need to speak to the host.
Can Google Translate translate a restaurant phone call? +
Not as a normal two-way phone call. Google Translate is useful for menus and in-person phrases, but it does not call a Japanese restaurant number and translate both sides of the live phone audio.
When not to use it
Native Call cannot create seats when the restaurant is full, cannot call outside the restaurant's reservation hours, and is not a substitute for a paid concierge when a restaurant only accepts bookings through trusted regulars. For the hardest Tokyo counters, use a specialist concierge; for ordinary phone-only restaurants, use Native Call.
Book the table you've been putting off.
Free download and in-app demo. iPhone + Android.