What makes Tokyo the world’s greatest food city?

By Chris Dwyer, for CNN
6 minute read
Updated 7:47 AM EST, Fri February 24, 2017
Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental Hotel has three Michelin-starred restaurants, including French eatery Signature, pictured. All of its Japanese chefs and staff have lived and worked in France.
Signature —
Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental Hotel has three Michelin-starred restaurants, including French eatery Signature, pictured. All of its Japanese chefs and staff have lived and worked in France.
Signature
In Tokyo, fruit and vegetables are treated with huge respect and can command eye-watering prices for single specimens. Restaurateurs and shop owners alike have exacting standards and aren't shy about returning anything that doesn't meet them.
It's all about the produce —
In Tokyo, fruit and vegetables are treated with huge respect and can command eye-watering prices for single specimens. Restaurateurs and shop owners alike have exacting standards and aren't shy about returning anything that doesn't meet them.
Chris Dwyer/CNN
Sushi's definitely the star of Tokyo's dining scene but there's so much more to the city's culinary landscape -- and we're not just talking Japanese. Many of Tokyo's Michelin-starred restaurants are European, including 50 French restaurants.
Sushi —
Sushi's definitely the star of Tokyo's dining scene but there's so much more to the city's culinary landscape -- and we're not just talking Japanese. Many of Tokyo's Michelin-starred restaurants are European, including 50 French restaurants.
JNTO
For a lot of Tokyoites, ramen is the epitome of cheap, fast food -- a simple bowl of noodles to be slurped down in a matter of minutes during lunchtime or after a long night out.
Ramen —
For a lot of Tokyoites, ramen is the epitome of cheap, fast food -- a simple bowl of noodles to be slurped down in a matter of minutes during lunchtime or after a long night out.
Courtesy Chabuya
At the opposite end of the price spectrum is Takazawa, a 10-seat restaurant owned by Tokyo chef <a href="http://www.takazawa-y.co.jp/gallery/" target="_blank" target="_blank">Yoshiaki Takazawa</a>. Each dish on the set menu tells a story with both unique techniques and unexpected tastes, making Takazawa's menu one of the most coveted in the world. In this dish, "Rock on the Seashore," Takazawa disguises bass with a black bread skin and fills it with potato puree to make it look like a stone.
Takazawa —
At the opposite end of the price spectrum is Takazawa, a 10-seat restaurant owned by Tokyo chef Yoshiaki Takazawa. Each dish on the set menu tells a story with both unique techniques and unexpected tastes, making Takazawa's menu one of the most coveted in the world. In this dish, "Rock on the Seashore," Takazawa disguises bass with a black bread skin and fills it with potato puree to make it look like a stone.
Courtesy Yoshiaki Takazawa
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo hosted the Asia-Pacific Food and Wine Festival earlier this month. World-renowned chefs in attendance included Peru's Virgilio Martinez, Paco Perez of Spain and Ryousuke Nakatani of Kitcho Tokyo.
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo —
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo hosted the Asia-Pacific Food and Wine Festival earlier this month. World-renowned chefs in attendance included Peru's Virgilio Martinez, Paco Perez of Spain and Ryousuke Nakatani of Kitcho Tokyo.
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo
Chef Hidetoki Sato worked at one of Tokyo's most renowned three-star restaurants, Ryugin, before opening its Hong Kong incarnation, where he quickly won two stars. He now helms French restaurant Ta Vie. "As one of many Japanese chefs, I know that we all share the same strong artistic spirit," he says. "We focus intensely on the quality and detail of what we do, in our case the food we serve."
Chef Hidetoki Sato, Ta Vie —
Chef Hidetoki Sato worked at one of Tokyo's most renowned three-star restaurants, Ryugin, before opening its Hong Kong incarnation, where he quickly won two stars. He now helms French restaurant Ta Vie. "As one of many Japanese chefs, I know that we all share the same strong artistic spirit," he says. "We focus intensely on the quality and detail of what we do, in our case the food we serve."
Ta Vie
Tokyo's famed Tsukiji fish market handles approximately 3,000 tons of fish and other seafood per day.
Tsukiji fish market —
Tokyo's famed Tsukiji fish market handles approximately 3,000 tons of fish and other seafood per day.
AFP/Getty Images
Sushi chef Jiro Ono and son Yoshikazu Ono. Jiro, 89, is the first sushi chef in the world to receive three Michelin stars. He was featured in a 2011 documentary, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," and last year welcomed President Barack Obama to his restaurant.
World's best sushi? —
Sushi chef Jiro Ono and son Yoshikazu Ono. Jiro, 89, is the first sushi chef in the world to receive three Michelin stars. He was featured in a 2011 documentary, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," and last year welcomed President Barack Obama to his restaurant.
magnolia pictures
Chef Yoshiharu Kaji of Hong Kong's Felix restaurant says the bar for perfection continues to rise. "Competition is strong in Tokyo, which makes all chefs work very hard to hone their cooking skills and think of new culinary concepts to grab people's attention," he says.
Yoshiharu Kaji, Felix —
Chef Yoshiharu Kaji of Hong Kong's Felix restaurant says the bar for perfection continues to rise. "Competition is strong in Tokyo, which makes all chefs work very hard to hone their cooking skills and think of new culinary concepts to grab people's attention," he says.
Peninsula Hong Kong
What makes Tokyo the world's greatest food city?

Story highlights

Tokyo has 226 Michelin-starred restaurants, more than any other city in the world

Last month, Saveur magazine named Tokyo the "world's best food city"

Chefs say excellent produce and a commitment to excellence are behind Tokyo's culinary success

CNN  — 

When it comes to global culinary centers of excellence, one city stands head and shoulders above the rest: Tokyo.

The Japanese capital’s got a mind-blowing 226 Michelin-starred restaurants, leaving it light-years ahead of its nearest rival, Paris, which has a mere 94.

If you think it’s all kaiseki, sushi and teppanyaki however, think again. Many of the restaurants chosen by Michelin are European, with no fewer than 50 Tokyo-based French restaurants holding at least one star.

Another endorsement for Tokyo came when Saveur magazine named it the “world’s best food city.”

While that’s always going to be a contentious call, there’s definitely a dedication to excellence in Japanese kitchens, whether in five-star hotels or humble alleyway “yokocho” noodle shops. So what makes this city such a dining powerhouse?

We asked seven renowned chefs and restaurant insiders to reveal what they think makes the city a Michelin-starred destination:

1. Thierry Marais, Ritz Carlton Tokyo

Thierry Marais, executive chef at Ritz Carlton Tokyo.
Thierry Marais, executive chef at Ritz Carlton Tokyo.
Ritz Carlton Tokyo

“You have so many restaurants here – many of them tiny, with just eight or 10 seats – specializing in everything from sushi to teppan, tempura or kaiseki,” says executive chef Thierry Marais, who recently hosted some of the world’s most celebrated chefs at the Ritz-Carlton Asia-Pacific Food and Wine Festival.

“The people working there often own the places and have very few employers – because they know exactly what they’re doing. There’s a consistency and the quality is there day in, day out because they are there day in and day out.”

Marais says size is on their side as well.

“There’s an advantage over restaurants in Europe where there are 50 or more diners in one service, where consistency becomes more challenging,” he says. “A lifetime isn’t long enough to begin to understand the restaurant scene in Tokyo. So many buildings have multiple stories, each with multiple restaurants on each floor. That’s what frustrates me as a chef, that I’ll never be able to try them all!”

2. Virgilio Martinez, Central, Lima