Premiere restaurant and hotel ranker the Michelin Guide has given eleven Tokyo restaurants its exclusive three-star top ranking in the 2010 edition being released this month. This gives Tokyo the honor of being the city with the most top-class restaurants in the world for three years in a row.
The Michelin Guide Tokyo 2010 edition contains 234 entries, 197 restaurants and 37 hotels, according to a Michelin press release on November 17th. The total number of restaurants included has increased by 23 from the previous edition, and 43 restaurants are newly ranked. Of the restaurants, 144 received one star, 42 received two stars, and 11 received three stars. The 261 total stars handed out are the most of any Michelin Guide in the 23 countries it is created in. The 11 three-stars are also the most given out of any Michelin Guide, followed by Paris’s edition at ten.
The Michelin Guide first started ranking Tokyo in 2008. That year it sold 270,000 copies, according to the Asahi. The 2009 edition sold 150,000 copies. This year Michelin is also aiming at 150,000 copies, promoting its book as the best way to make a good restaurant selection in these tough economic times.
Receiving the award is highly prized among Tokyo restaurants. Jiro Ono, 84-year old owner of the three-star sushi bar Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten, told the Asahi, “I doubt I’ll be working much longer, but with this I feel I can keep going one more year.”
The Michelin Guide Tokyo selections were carried out by seven Japanese judges. Of the restaurant entries, approximately 70 percent are said to be of Japanese style.
Michelin Guide Tokyo 2010 edition release date and price
The 2010 edition goes on sale on November 20th in Japanese and English.
The Japanese edition retails for 2,415 yen, and can be found on amazon.co.jp.
The English edition is listed on amazon.com with a base price of $16.99 USD.
The Michelin Guide also offers a 2010 Kyoto & Osaka edition, which premiered in October.
Read more about Japan by the Japan Travel Examiner
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