Kojimachi Nihee

I loved Inomata in Saitama and was so excited to see the shop moved to Kojimachi. No items whatsoever are allowed on the counter as well as no photos. I understand the sensitive nature of these wooden counters. As a result my partner and I make sure to bring a dedicated small tatami mat to place a phone on. This tatami mat protects the wood by design and has been appreciated by nearly every fine dining restaurant with hinoki wood counters. While a little annoying I can't fault a chef for enforcing his standards. The chirashi offered for takeaway is like no other! Truly. I should also note that I ran late to my first reservation because I made a mistake with my calendar time zone. I tried calling and having my concierge call but received no response. I still showed up (18 min late) and found the doors locked. I tried calling again and contacting them to apologize and at the very least explain what happened but none of my calls went through and I had no way of contacting them. As a result I have since been unable to book this restaurant on Omakase, no doubt as a result of my "no-show." While I do not fault the restaurant for blacklisting no-shows I do think some way to make any contact with the restaurant should be made available. Life happens and while I can accept the consequences of my own errors I don't know how I would feel if I had I received the same response if, say I had gotten into a car accident. Being uncontactable and subsequently punishing can be a bit unfair.