Why Japanese restaurants serve the best food in the world?

Cooking is an art and not science. Art can only be mastered by years of practice and dedication. This blends in perfectly with the Japanese culture. No wonder Japan has highest number of Michelin restaurants (247 in Japan vs. 70 in Paris) in the world. I’d go one step further to say that the quality of Michelin restaurant in Japan is way higher than some of the other countries. 

Last night I went to Pierre Gagnaire and few months ago visited Le Bouchon, both in Hong Kong, with two and three Michelin stars respectively. I’ve visited both these restaurants and many others in Japan that has Michelin rankings and the difference in quality is substantial. There is no mention of seasonality or ingredients in Hong Kong whereas that takes predominance in Japan.

So what sets the standard of Japanese cuisine and restaurants so high? Japanese palette has changed dramatically from the ancient Haein era to the modern era, from Buddhist influenced vegetarian cuisine to the French and Italian cuisine. Irrespective of the time and cuisine, Japanese chefs have not only mastered the art but elevated it to next level and in fact preserved some of the cuisine that has ceased to exist in other parts of the world such as pasta with sea urchin (one of the most popular dish from Puglia, Italy).

Japanese cuisine, though very simple combination of staple food such as rice, noodles, soup and okaze (that adds flavor to rice) is an art that can be mastered by years of learning because it is perfect blend of techniques, ingredients, seasonality and presentation.

It is only in Japan where one craves to go back to the tiny restaurant, tucked away in a small ally that can be never found unless you know about. It is only in Japan where you can find 10 dollar lunch set with the freshest ingredients made right in front of you. It is only in Japan that can take gastronomy to the highest level.

The only thing that sets New York and London food scene apart is the myriad number of restaurants that brings flavors from all around the world. Japan has pretty much restricted itself to Chinese, French and Italian cuisine from the outside world. It would be great to see some Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and African food in Tokyo.  Japanese cooking is so interesting that it can easily blend itself with any cuisine from any part of the world and create an exceptional food fest.

Some of my favorites in Tokyo are Quintessence, Sushi Saito, Sushi nakamura, Sant pau, Esaki, gyouza in omote-sando (don’t even know the name), Fuku yakitori, Elio Locanda, Cogito, Le Bourguignon, Suzuki, Teppanyaki Ebisu, XEX, Keyakizaka, Ban Thai, Tonki, Kimukatsu, Curry coco ichiban, numerous ramen, yakiniku, tempura, soba places, ryokans, pension that serves incredible home-made food. The list goes on and on !! With thousands of restaurants in Japan i'm sure I've many more left to explore. 


Life is too short to eat shit food.