Michelin Guide Tokyo Yokohama Shonan 2014 6 New Two Stars And 15 New One Stars Restaurants!

Michelin is pleased to announce the publication of the MICHELIN Guide Tokyo Yokohama Shonan 2014, which offers a selection of the best restaurants, ryokans and hotels in these three areas. The guide, only available in its Japonese version, includes a total of 504 establishments of which 438 are restaurants, 54 hotels and 12 ryokans.

In this 7th selection, 3 new restaurants, all located in Tokyo were inducted into the guide’s two-star category, and 3 restaurants are promoted from one star to two stars (two are situated in Tokyo and one in Shonan). Also notable, one new Korean restaurant in Tokyo joins the selection with two stars, which means there are now two Korean restaurants in Tokyo with 2 stars. With these restaurants, the 2014 guide now counts 59 two stars restaurants.

The new MICHELIN guide also includes 208 restaurants with one star. Among them, 15 restaurants join the selection for the first time: 14 are located in Tokyo and 1 in Yokohama.

In this year’s selection, fourteen restaurants in Tokyo and Shonan maintain their three stars in the 2014 guide. A Michelin three star rating is considered the ultimate international recognition in the culinary world, with just over one hundred restaurants currently holding this prized distinction.

For the first time the MICHELIN guide Tokyo Yokohama Shonan 2014 includes a selection of 157 Bib Gourmand which serve French or Italian cuisines. A Bib Gourmand is a separate award from a star and indicates those restaurants providing good cooking at reasonable prices: it points out restaurants where one can eat for 5,000 yen or less at lunch and/or dinner, from a set or à la carte menu (depending on the restaurant’s style). The name is a shortened version of ‘Bibendum’ (the Michelin Man), along with ‘gourmand’ which means ‘one who enjoys eating. The Bib Gourmand first appeared in the Michelin guide France in 1997 and this award has appealed to our readers all around the world. With Bib Gourmand featuring alongside Michelin stars, our guide is now more useful to readers as they search for a wide variety of different establishments.

About this new selection, Michael ELLIS, International Director of the MICHELIN guides, commented: “We are pleased to award new restaurants in Tokyo’s area. With 14 three stars restaurants, Tokyo proves how dynamic is the Japanese gastronomy today. We are also delighted to introduce a Bib Gourmand selection in the region for the first time. This distinction is really appreciated by our readers”.

The MICHELIN guide Tokyo Yokohama Shonan goes on sale in Japan on December 6th 2013, and the selection on MICHELIN guide Digital will be also updated at 15:30 on December 3rd.

About the 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 flavours 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 o mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.
- Two stars n mean excellent cooking, worth a detour.
- One star m 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.