Michelin Releases the First Edition of the MICHELIN Guide Tokyo

¡¡¡¡TOKYO, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The first edition of the MICHELIN guide Tokyo has been released today.

    (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040818/MICHELIN )

    For its first venture into Asia, the MICHELIN guide offers a selection of the best hotels and restaurants in the center of Tokyo, a total of 178 establishments, of which 28 are hotels and 150 are restaurants.

    Available in English and Japanese versions, the MICHELIN guide Tokyo 2008 has one particularity that sets it apart from other guides in the collection: All the restaurants in the guide have been awarded stars. The initial selection includes 8 restaurants with three stars (***), 25 with two stars (**) and 117 with one star (*). With 191 stars in all, Tokyo has become the world leader in gourmet dining with more "stars" than any other city. And to honor its outstanding cuisine, the unrivaled quality of the products used, the cooking techniques employed, its rich heritage and its culinary traditions, which are passed on from one generation to the next, the selection in the MICHELIN guide Tokyo 2008 is comprised exclusively of "starred" restaurants.

    One star (*) means a very good restaurant in its category.

    Two stars (**) mean excellent cooking, worth a detour.

    Three stars (***) mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.

    A restaurant that receives one or more stars is not only one of the best in its country but also one of the best in the world.

    In Japan, as in the 21 other countries covered by the MICHELIN guide, a consistent selection is ensured by awarding stars based on the same criteria: product quality, preparation and flavors, the chef''s personality as revealed through his cuisine, value for money, and consistency over time and across the entire menu. The criteria are adapted to each type of cuisine, notably Japanese cooking styles.

    In the first edition of the MICHELIN guide Tokyo, the focus is clearly on Japanese cuisine, which is served in more than 60% of the selected restaurants. The major culinary styles are represented, including kaiseki, kappo, fugu, soba kaiseki, sushi, tempura, teppan yaki and unagi. The remaining 40% is comprised of French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese restaurants, etc.

    In this first edition of a MICHELIN guide devoted to Asia, each hotel or restaurant is presented on a double-page spread. The left-hand page features pictures of the establishment, its classification and the number of stars received, while the right-hand page provides the reader with a description of the restaurant and its cuisine, a photo of the entrance and an access plan.

    Thanks to a rigorous selection process that is applied independently and consistently around the world, the MICHELIN guide has become an international benchmark in gourmet dining. The selection is prepared by anonymous and experienced inspectors, Michelin employees, who pay their hotel and restaurant bills in full. This first selection was made by a team of five Japanese and European inspectors. In a city with some 160,000 restaurants, they pre- selected around 1,500 establishments and, after more than a year and a half of anonymous meals, narrowed down their selection to 150 restaurants.

    The first MICHELIN guide was published in France in August 1900. Today, 108 years later, the collection comprises 21 guides covering 22 countries. In addition to 20 countries in Europe (since the addition of the first MICHELIN guide Austria in 2005), the collection also includes North America, which is covered through four guides: New York City (with the third edition released in early October 2007), San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country (a second edition released in late October), and Los Angeles and Las Vegas, whose first editions were released just a few days ago.

    In Europe, the collection includes 16 guides, the most recent being the English versions of the MICHELIN guide France and the MICHELIN guide Paris, both aimed at the some 70 million people who visit France each year.

    Two versions of the MICHELIN guide Tokyo 2008 are available -- a standard edition and a special boxed set that includes the Saga of the MICHELIN guide, a small volume filled with anecdotes relating the history of the guide from its origins in 1900 to the present.

    The MICHELIN Guide Tokyo 2008 goes on sale, in France, at the beginning of February at the price of 14,50 euros.

    MICHELIN Guide Tokyo 2008: the selection Total number of One star Two stars Three stars restaurants (*) (**) (***) 150 117 25 8 Award Category Type of cuisine of Comfort *** Hamadaya Japanese Joel Robuchon French contemporary Kanda Japanese Koju Japanese L''Osier French Quintessence French contemporary Sukiyabashi Jiro Japanese sushi Sushi Mizutani Japanese sushi ** Aimee Vibert French Cuisine(s) Michel Troisgros French contemporary Daigo Japanese Esaki Japanese Fukudaya Japanese Hishinuma Japanese Ichimonji Japanese Ishikawa Japanese Kikunoi Japanese Kogetsu Japanese L''Atelier de Joel Robuchon French contemporary Le Mange-Tout French contemporary Pierre Gagnaire French contemporary Reikasai Chinese Ristorante Aso Italian contemporary Ryugin Japanese contemporary Sant Pau Spanish contemporary Sawada Japanese sushi Sushi Kanesaka Japanese sushi Taku Japanese sushi Tsukiji Uemura Japanese Tsukiji Yamamoto Japanese fugu Twenty One French Usukifugu Yamadaya Japanese fugu Wako Japanese * Abe Japanese Ajiman Japanese fugu Aragawa Steakhouse Arai Japanese Arbace French Argento Aso Italian contemporary Aroma-Fresca Italian contemporary Asagi Japanese tempura Au Gout du Jour Nouvelle Ere French Banrekiryukodo Japanese Beige French contemporary Benoit French contemporary Chemins French contemporary Chez Inno French Chez Matsuo French Chez Tomo French contemporary Chikuyotei Japanese unagi China Blue Chinese Chugoku Hanten Fureika Chinese Cogito French Coucagno French contemporary Crescent French Cucina Hirata Italian Dons de la Nature Steakhouse Fukamachi Japanese tempura Fukuju Japanese Gastronomie Francaise Tateru Yoshino French contemporary Ginza La Tour French Ginza Sushiko Honten Japanese sushi Hanasanshou Japanese Harutaka Japanese sushi Higuchi Japanese Hinokizaka Japanese Hiramatsu French Hirosaku Japanese Keyakizaka Japanese teppan yaki Kikumi Japanese Komuro Japanese Kondo Japanese tempura Kosetsu Japanese soba kaiseki Kyubey Japanese sushi La Bombance Japanese contemporary La Cave Hiramatsu French L''Alliance French contemporary L''Anneau d''Or French La Primula Italian contemporary La Table de Joel Robuchon French contemporary La Tour d''Argent French La Tourelle French Le Jeu de l''Assiette French contemporary L''Embellir French contemporary Les Creations de Narisawa French contemporary Les Enfants Gates French Le 6eme Sens French contemporary Les Saisons French Maison d''Umemoto Shang-hai Chinese Maison Paul Bocuse French Makimura Japanese Minoichi Japanese Miravile French Momonoki Chinese Monnalisa French Morimoto XEX Japanese teppan yaki Muroi Japanese Mutsukari Japanese contemporary Nadaman New Otani Japanese Nadaman Sazanka So Japanese Nakajima Japanese Narukami French Ogasawara Hakushakutei Spanish contemporary Ohara et Cie French Ohara''s French Ohno Japanese Okina Japanese soba kaiseki Ozaki Japanese Piatto Suzuki Italian Ristorante Hamasaki Italian contemporary Ristorante Honda Italian contemporary Sakuragaoka Japanese Sakuragawa Japanese Sankame Japanese Sasada Japanese Sazanka Japanese teppan yaki Sekihotei Japanese Shigeyoshi Japanese Shin Japanese sushi Shofukuro Japanese Signature French contemporary Sugawara Japanese Sushi Nakamura Japanese sushi Sushi Ohno Japanese sushi Sushi Saito Japanese sushi Sushisho Saito Japanese sushi Suzuki Japanese Tahara Japanese Takeyabu Japanese soba kaiseki Tateru Yoshino French contemporary Tatsumura Japanese The Georgian Club French Tofuya Ukai Japanese Tomura Japanese Toyoda Japanese Uchiyama Japanese Ukai-Tei Japanese teppan yaki Umi Japanese sushi Uotoku Japanese Waketokuyama Japanese Yamane Japanese fugu Yamasaki Japanese Yebisu Japanese teppan yaki Yokota Japanese tempura Yonemura Japanese contemporary Yoneyama Japanese Yotaro Japanese tempura Yukicho Japanese Yukimura Japanese Yuta Japanese sushi

    Source: Michelin
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