Harutaka - Tokyo
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

Harutaka - Tokyo

Japan’s only current three-star sushi restaurant serves consistently delicious nigiri, but its appetizers are a bit more hit and miss

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Gion Sasaki - Kyoto
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

Gion Sasaki - Kyoto

Surprisingly bold flavors and inventive combinations of ingredients made for a stellar meal of Japanese Kaiseki. Watching the action in the large open kitchen was an additional treat

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Makimura - Tokyo
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

Makimura - Tokyo

One of the world’s hardest to reserve three-star restaurants was also one of its most charming. A cozy atmosphere akin to a mom-and-pop shop, and many excellent dishes made us almost forget the few letdowns

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Maeda - Kyoto
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

Maeda - Kyoto

Delicious, novel takes on traditional Japanese dishes. And even better, counter-seating with a wonderfully relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

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Hyotei - Kyoto
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

Hyotei - Kyoto

An old-style tea house is the setting for a traditional Kaiseki cuisine that has very few nods to modernity. A pleasant dinner, but overall too light on flavors for three stars.

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Mizai - Kyoto
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

Mizai - Kyoto

Mostly traditional Kaiseki cuisine that is enjoyable, but didn’t include any real standout dishes. More impressive is the patience of the customers who made reservations over a year ahead of time

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Azabu Kadowaki - Tokyo
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

Azabu Kadowaki - Tokyo

Inventive Japanese cuisine full of non-traditional dishes, some of them better than others, but the successes were quite impressive. Even though the menu was pretty short, the restaurant still managed to rush us out

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Sazenka - Tokyo
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

Sazenka - Tokyo

The world’s only Chinese three-star restaurant not located in a Chinese-speaking country. While the dishes might be familiar from “normal” Chinese restaurants, their execution and the ingredients are at a much higher level

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L'Effervescence - Tokyo
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

L'Effervescence - Tokyo

French cuisine in a serene setting. There were only minimal Japanese influences in a meal that had several excellent dishes. A few other courses fell a bit short of their potential

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Kashiwaya - Osaka
Matthias Ruhl Matthias Ruhl

Kashiwaya - Osaka

Classic Japanese Kaiseki cuisine that keeps it interesting by including some unusual ingredients and spiciness. Unfortunately, while half the dishes were amazing, the other half was only so-so

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