Michelin stars were handed out to 230 establishments, putting the Japanese capital in top spot ahead of Japanese rivals Kyoto and Osaka in the south, which have 203 Michelin-starred restaurants, while Paris has 113 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Tokyo has become the world’s most decorated city in the release of the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2019 this week.
Michelin stars were handed out to 230 establishments, putting the Japanese capital in top spot ahead of Japanese rivals Kyoto and Osaka in the south, which have 203 Michelin-starred restaurants, while Paris has 113 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Of Tokyo’s starred restaurants, 13 have received three-stars–the highest designation–with French restaurant L’Osier among the newly-awarded restaurants.
Four three-star restaurants have been on the list for 12 years since the Guide's inception, including Sukiyabashi Jiro, a sushi restaurant, and Kanda which serves traditional Japanese cuisine.
There are 52 two-star restaurants and 165 one-star restaurants on the list.
The new Tokyo guide also highlights 254 Bib Gourmand restaurants––eateries that serve “exceptionally good food at moderate prices”, as well as 35 hotels and ryokans.
The Guide, on sale November 30, also includes for the first time a rice ball shop, welcoming Yadoroku as a Bib Gourmand among the 254 Tokyo restaurants chosen for their good quality dishes under 5,000 yen (US$44).
Yadoroku in the Asakusa district has been serving “onigiri” - white rice typically formed into a triangular shape and wrapped in nori seaweed - since 1954.
Onigiri often have fillings and Yadoroku's are stuffed with various ones such as small shrimp boiled in soy sauce and Japanese plum pickled in salt.