In the normal world of fine dining 38000 Yen or 290 Euros will buy you a tasting menu containing at least a bit of truffles, caviar or other expensive ingredients. Not in Tokyo’s 3 Michelin starred 10 seat tempura restaurant 7 Chome Kyoboshi (Ozio Ginza Building 6F, 5-5-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku,…

Chef Seiji Yamamoto is fond of dragons. The walls of his restaurant and the 400-year old presentation plates are all adorned with these mythical creatures. Even the restaurant’s name, ryugin, means “singing dragon”, while Nihonryori translates as “Japanese cuisine”. Three Michelin star Nihonryori RyuGin (7-17-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo; tel.03-3423-8006) specializes in…

The very best sushi experiences in Tokyo are rarely less than ¥ 15 000 – ¥ 20 000 per person, so I was very curious to visit 2 Michelin starred Kimura sushi(3-21-8 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; tel.03-3707-6355) where dinner costs from ¥8,400 to ¥ 12,600, while lunch “only” ¥5,250 for an omakase.…

The list has been revised on the 30th of October The list of the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo on the Japanese language Tabelog.com website is more volatile than I thought. There have been quite a few movements since I compiled it two and a half months ago. Miyakozushi and Sawada have…

Almost 40 years old Kurumazushi is without doubt one of the finest traditional sushi-yas in New York. The owner and master chef, Uezu san pays particular attention to the quality of the fish, part of which is brought from Japan by air. The nigiris are small, jewel-like and the fish…

Owned by 160 years old dried seaweed and tea wholesaler from Tokyo Maruyama Nori, Jugetsudo tea salon and shop is like a tiny island of Japanese culture on the Left Bank of Paris. Here you can buy premium Japanese tea (like exceptional Gyokuro), beautiful artisan-made pottery or have a cup…

Nowhere in the world you can have such excellent beef as in Japan. Wagyu (which literally means “Japanese beef” ) can be so marbled and fatty that if you go for the highest grade beef you might feel as if you are eating foie gras or pure fat. (So my…

Sometimes you need to travel to another side of the world to get answers to your questions. And the question I’ve been asking myself was – what had happened to Umu, my favorite Japanese restaurant in London, which has changed for the worse ever since it’s head chef, Ichiro Kubota…

Some images from the tea ceremony at Happo-en gardens in Tokyo, a complex and sophisticated centuries old ritual where each gesture has a meaning.

This little “guide” is based on my dining experiences at some of the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo over the last 5 years. It might sound simplistic to Tokyoites, but hopefully useful for those who have never been to this fantastic city! One thing you should know before going to…