I loved sukiyaki at Michelin starred Yoshihasi (1-5-25 Moto-Akasaka, tel. 03-3401-3129) not only because the wagyu beef was mouth-watering, but also because the place was so beautiful and serene. Yoshihashi is a traditional minimalistic restaurant with zen garden behind a window. When you come to the place you have to…

Since Japan has opened up for foreigners at the end of the 19th century, beef has become a very popular product in Japanese cuisine. In fact, the Japanese are so obsessed about the quality of their beef that when you go to a good teppanyaki or sukiyaki restaurant, they would…

Kaizen (“continuous improvement”) concept is deeply tied not only to manufacturing and business(where it originally comes from) but to Japanese culture in general. Anything Japanese do, they will try to do their best. Whether its service in a hotel, asking directions in a metro station or simply growing vegetables and…

Before going to Sushi Kanesaka, I was preparing to spend my evening in a formal environment with an austere sushi master leading the show. Instead, I found myself in a friendly and vibrant place where the chef Shinji Kanesaka san was chatting with his guests and obviously enjoying doing so.…

Some say that Sushi Mizutani is the best in Tokyo, while Hachiro Mizutani san is one of the best sushi masters in Japan. And if one can rate sushi places with stars that were first meant to rate French cuisine, Sushi Mizutani together with Sukiyabashi Jiro are the only sushi…

I am in my favourite city in the world and my first dinner here was at Ukai-tei Ginza , teppanyaki restaurant in Ginza. Needless to say the “super top quality” beefsteak was a reminder that the Japanese have the best beef in the world…

If there is another product (apart of toro) that is uncomparably better in Japan than anywhere else in the world is the Japanese beef. Any, not only the famous Kobe beef. What I found out in Morimoto XEX and Keyakizaka teppanyaki restaurants (each of them has one Michelin star) that…

Jet lag on the first day in Tokyo was tough. At 4 am I still didn’t feel like sleeping, so being awake early in the morning was a great opportunity to visit the Tsukiji market. What I saw there was mindblowing, the most impressive market I have ever seen. Huge…

When I asked the concierge of our hotel to book the three times starred sushi place called Sukiyabashi Jiri for our first night in Tokyo, he immediately answered that foreigners can’t book in Sukiyabashi Jiro. For sure, I didn’t feel discriminated- I am prepared for the fact that the Japanese…

Otoro sushi in Kyubey. Now this is what is called “melting in your mouth”… Today I arrived in Tokyo, the city with most Michelin stars in the world. In fact, each of the restaurant listed in Guide Michelin Tokyo 2008 has at least one star – we will see what…