Customer Reviews

Michelin Guide 2009 Tokyo Restaurants & Hotels (Michelin Guides)

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This is the only guide in English that shows top quality Japanese restaurants, sushi, kaiseki, etc. If you are not comfortable paying USD 200 per person, this book is just not for you. The guide also includes many non-Japanese restaurants in the same price category.

I wish the guide would also include good restaurants in lower price categories. The Michelin France guide contains descriptions of lots of decently priced restaurants. That would have been good to include in the Michelin Tokyo guide as well. The book is only in its second edition and hopefully it will improve with time.

A recent article in the New York Times detailed the spurious nature of Michelin's latest restaurant guide for Tokyo, Japan. Although I can't speak for the hotels, here is a summary of what the article said about the restaurants:

Although Michelin stars are extremely hard to come by (ask any chef), Michelin recently awarded a ton of stars to many different restaurants in Tokyo. Despite Michelin's reputation, many Tokyo natives were confused as to how these stars were awarded. Reports indicate that some undeserving restaurants received Michelin stars, while some of the best restaurants received none. In extreme cases, restaurants with non-functional plumbing and bathrooms received at least one star, while high end restaurants nearby received nothing. Some restaurants even refused to accept the stars that Michelin was prepared to award them, citing that they did not want their reputations tarnished by a foreign authority that knew nothing of Japanese custom or cuisine. This, I think, speaks volumes about how authoritative this guide might be for anyone interested in buying it.

My humble suggestion is to save your money. If you find yourself in Japan, go eat where the people eat -- even if it's a roadside street cart selling ramen or bento boxes. Sit down next to people who look like they're REALLY enjoying whatever they're eating. Point to their plates or bowls and tell the chef, "I'll have what s/he's having!" Even if the chef doesn't understand English, I can't imagine a better way to experience true Japanese cuisine.