Tokyo Luxury Gourmet Guide

Tokyo is one of the world's great cities, so it comes as no surprise that Tokyo also offers some of the world's finest dining. The Michelin awarded stars to 150 restaurants in Tokyo.

Tokyo has become the world leader in gourmet dining with more "stars" than any other city.

According to Food and Wine magazine, Tokyo is the most exciting restaurant city in the world thanks to the city's ultra-diverse, thrillingly dynamic food scene.

* 1. Tokyo
* 2. Paris
* 3. New York City
* 4. London
* 5. Barcelona
* 6. Sydney
* 7. Madrid
* 8. Chicago
* 9. Stockholm
* 10. Vancouver, Canada

Seafood reigns supreme in this island nation, with many Tokyo restaurants serving ingredients purchased that very morning at Tsukiji Fish Market, world's largest wholesale fish market. Sushi restaurants range from quaint, traditional one-counter establishments like Sushiko to chic establishments such as Fukuzushi that epitomize modern Tokyo.

Kaiseki, a complete meal that changes with the seasons and consists of beautifully prepared dishes, is also one of Japan's truly great dining experiences, whether it's a venue in a modern Shinjuku building like at Kakiden or a traditional house like Waentei-Kikko. Equally popular for a convivial evening are shabu-shabu and sukiyaki restaurants like Chinya, open since 1880 in Asakusa, where thinly sliced beef is cooked in a communal pot at the table.

Of course, Tokyo abounds in sophisticated international restaurants as well, with haute French, Italian, and other Western cuisines among the most popular, some under the direction of world-famous chefs like at the Joel Robuchon Restaurant, L'Osier, and Gordon Ramsay at the Conrad Tokyo. There are also restaurants that blend ingredients and cooking styles from around the Pacific Rim, one of the most famous of which is Nobu Tokyo.

But there's one only-in-Tokyo dining experience no one should miss: a meal on a top floor of a skyscraper, with surreal views over the never-ending metropolis and perhaps even a glimpse of Mt. Fuji on clear days. Good bets: Hotel restaurants like the New York Grill and Tokyo's many skyscrapers with dedicated food floors, like the Marunouchi Building opposite Tokyo Station, Caretta Shiodome in Higashi-Shimbashi, and the Sumitomo Building in Shinjuku.