Kaiseki Dinner

Has anybody tried kaiseki dinner?
What is the reasonable or average budget for such a dinner?
Thanks.

Reasonable ones are about 4000 yen per person.
The average is about 20000 yen per person.

Thanks Uco.
May I ask where can I get such a reasonable priced kaiseki dinner, say in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto?
Thanks again.

Starlight,

Try Googling "kaiseki reasonable" (without quotation marks). It gave me several suggestions in English. Otherwise, you may want to try asking your accomodation for recommendations.

I normally don't eat kaiseki in restaurants, but if you want to have a nice restaurant meal in the kaiseki genre for 4000 yen, I suggest looking for a place that prepares authentic kaiseki and offers a scaled-down lunch. Prices are much, much better.

I can't recommend any place in particular but for a few ideas maybe try searching for "kaiseki" on the Kansai food page: http://www.bento.com/kansai/index.html

If you want an evening meal of kaiseki and it suits your itinerary, staying at a ryokan can be the best way to go. If you compare it to the cost of a hotel plus a good restaurant meal, the ryokan can be excellent value. (You will get a nice breakfast, too.) You are likely to get a much more elaborate dinner than if you try to get something "reasonable" at a restaurant.

Hi Uma,
Thanks for your advice. I am planning a night's stay at Kokuya Shibu Onsen. This stay is very expensive but includes a kaiseki dinner plus breakfast.
Anybody experienced it?
Thanks.

Definitely lunch offer is a better deal for experiencing kaiseki (though in some restaurants, I hread that their chefs don't cook for lunch...).
Actually, they are two kinds of kaiseki - 会席and懐石, though they sound same in Japanese. Former has its roots in the meal offered in parties and meetings, and the latter in tea ceremony. The latter one is more sophisticated. In many ryokans, they offer the former version, and often better chefs work in their own restaurants rather than hotels or ryokans.
Also, in Kaiseki menu, you are suppose to appreciate not only food and their decorations, but also service and plates and seasonality and everything... so if you are not familiar with that staff, you might find them overpriced.
But I can recommend Hiragiya Annex in Kyoto (Hiragiya is one of the Big 3 ryokans of Kyoto, and they offer scaled down but reasonable accomodation at their ''Annex''). I think they offer pretty good deal kaiseki(the latter version of kaiseki).

Hi,
May I ask if this Hiragiya Annex in Kyoto offers kaiseki lunch bento which is mentioned as a cheaper option in Guide Books?
Thanks.

No, Hiiragiya is a ryokan, and I don't think they offer lunch. They serve dinner and breakfast for guests who stay there.

If you want to try during lunch time, try Kamigamo Akiyama. I think their lunch menu was like 3000yen or so, and they serve very nice meal at very nice building. Just reserve well in advance.

If you still want to try lunch bento at famous kaiseki places, you can try Sansui in Hotel Centonovum(an iron chef works there) near the Kyoto station, or Kukunoi, very famous kaiseki restaurant.

Hi,
Thanks for the suggestions.
I am looking for an affordable lunch kaiseki bento around Kyoto station.