Michelin is pleased to announce the publication of the MICHELIN Guide Tokyo Yokohama Shonan 2013, which offers a selection of the best restaurants, ryokans and hotels in these three cities. The guide includes a total of 350 establishments of which 286 are restaurants, 52 hotels and 12 ryokans. MICHELIN Guide Tokyo Yokohama Shonan 2013 (Japanese version) goes on sale in Japan on December 1st.

Even though this is the sixth edition of the guide to the Kanto region, 22 new restaurants have been added to the selection, demonstrating that year after year the quality of Japanese cooking continues to surprise. The 15 restaurants given three stars in the 2012 guide were again awarded the highest distinction in the 2013 selection, thereby maintaining their ranking at the global summit of gourmet dining and culinary art. Fourteen of these restaurants are in Tokyo and one is in Shonan.

In the MICHELIN Guide Tokyo Yokohama Shonan 2013, 6 new restaurants, all located in Tokyo were inducted into the guide’s two-star category. In the one-star category, 15 restaurants and 1 ryokan in Shonan were newly awarded. Among the new one-star restaurants, 14 are located in Tokyo, 1 in Yokohama and 1 in Shonan.

This year’s selection of restaurants features a very wide array of cooking styles, ranging from Japanese (10 restaurants and 1 ryokan), Japanese Sushi (2 restaurants), Japanese Soba (1 restaurant), Japanese Tempura (1 restaurant), Japanese Yakitori (1 restaurant), Steakhouse (1 restaurant), Chinese (1 restaurant) to French contemporary (3 restaurants). Addition to this, 1 Japanese Fugu restaurant joins the selection of Yokohama for the first time.

In the MICHELIN Guide Tokyo Yokohama Shonan 2013 there are:
– 15 restaurants 3 stars: 14 in Tokyo and 1 in Shonan.
– 58 establissements 2 stars: 53 restaurants in Tokyo, 3 in Yokohama, 1 in Shonan, and 1 ryokan in Shonan.
– 214 restaurants 1 star: 175 in Tokyo, 14 in Yokohama and 25 in Shonan, including 1 ryokan in Shonan.

We also are pleased to continue pointing out restaurants with the symbol | which we introduced two year ago. This indicates a starred restaurant offering a menu under 5,000 yen for lunch and/or dinner, and represents about 40% of the total selection.

“Every year Michelin updates its guides in order to provide readers with information that is as reliable as possible,” says Michael ELLIS, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides. “The Michelin inspectors make a point of going back to visit hotels and restaurants awarded special honors in previous editions and are always on the lookout for new establishments that might interest readers. The stars enable the MICHELIN Guide to serve as an accurate showcase of the gourmet dining scene and its vitality, since the fieldwork carried out by our independent, anonymous inspectors constantly reveals new culinary trends and above all talented new chefs. This year, their efforts show that Japanese gourmet cooking is even more creative, inspired and inventive than in the past. The quality and skills displayed by chefs in the Kanto region are higher every year and confirm Japan’s ranking among the world’s leading countries in terms of fine dining.”

About MICHELIN Guide
The first MICHELIN Guide France was published in August 1900. Distributed free of charge (until 1920) and originally intended for motorists, the guide contained a wealth of practical information, including tips on using and repairing tires; city street maps, and lists of gasoline outlets, hotels and mechanics. For the Michelin brothers, the objective was to speed up the development of the automobile, and consequently the tire market. They wanted to promote and improve travel by making it safer and more enjoyable—in other words, to enhance mobility, which is still today the common goal of Michelin’s maps, guides, atlases and other publications.

Every year, in more than 90 countries around the world, Michelin publishes some 10 million maps, atlases, tourist guides, and restaurant and hotel guides—and always with the same focus on quality.

In Japan, as in the 22 other countries covered by the MICHELIN Guide, a consistent selection is ensured by awarding stars based on the same criteria. Stars in the MICHELIN Guides have the same value all over the world, so that a one star restaurant in Tokyo offers the same quality as a one star establishment in, say, New York or Paris.

The same five criteria are:
– The quality and compatibility of the ingredients.
– The preparation and the flavors of the dish.
– The chef’s personality as revealed through his or her cuisine.
– Value for money.
– Consistency over time and across the entire menu.

Stars apply only to ‘what is on the plate’ and are awarded solely for the quality of the cooking.
– Three stars mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.
– Two stars mean excellent cooking, worth a detour.
– One star means a very good restaurant in its category.
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.

The restaurants we choose are classified by fork-and-spoon symbols according to the levels of comfort and style of service. Pavilions denote the comfort of hotels and the comfort of ryokans. When these symbols are in red it indicates that the establishment is particularly charming.

For complete star listing see offical pdf: Michelin-guide-tokyo-2013-Stars-selection-1

For the offical pdf of the Press Release: Michelin Guide to Tokyo 2013 Press Release