Japan now has the honour of being the country with the most Michelin-starred restaurants, grabbing the crown from France.
With 29 different three-star restaurants found in Japan, the country can claim to be the world’s ultimate location for fine dining, and the acclaim is spread throughout the whole of the country and not just in the capital city Tokyo.
The news comes as the latest Michelin Guide for the western region of Japan is been released, and it’s in this area that more stars have been awarded thus increasing Japan’s standing in the culinary arena.
The west of Japan encompasses cities such as Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe. Kyoto, a city with great culinary history, has the most restaurants with three star ratings setting it apart as the epicentre of fine dining within Japan.
Almost all of the three star restaurants serve Japanese food, a testament to the quality of a cuisine that is now much adored throughout the world.
Bernard Delmas, president of Michelin in Tokyo, said: “Japan is a unique country with many cities full of high level cuisine. That is why, even in the fifth year of the arrival of our Michelin guide in Japan, we continue to discover new stars to introduce to our readers.”