On display is the evolution from the Edo Period to the Meiji Renewal
For the 18th consecutive year, Tokyo confirms itself as the first city in the world for the number of Michelin-starred restaurants, and a meeting point for a variety of food cultures: from traditional Japanese cuisine to numerous types of food from all over the world.
In the “Michelin Guide Tokyo 2025”, presented in October 2024, 170 locations were selected with stars from the prestigious French publication; a recognition of excellence also shared in the 2024 edition of the “Food & Wine” magazine, which selects the Japanese capital in first place in a ranking of the 12 best international cities for food and drink. And together with the growing number of tourists arriving in Japan, expectations regarding Tokyo cuisine are also rising.
In this regard, the Executive Committee for Food Promotion together with the metropolitan government have organized a presentation event to allow you to experience the charm of the varied Japanese cuisine: telling 400 years of history, starting from the Edo period (between 1603 and 1868) , characterized by the ancient respect for food, following its sudden development, after the change in social structure known as the Meiji Renewal (1866-1869), when overseas food traditions had a significant influence that led to unique developments, harmonizing with the existing food culture in Tokyo, up to the present day, incorporating sustainability and diversity.
Award-winning chef Yusuke Nomura, fourth generation chef of the Daigo restaurant, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2025, was chosen to play the supervisory role. Among the specialties of Daigo – which received its first Michelin Green Star in new Michelin Guide of Tokyo, the ‘shojin ryori’, the Buddhist vegetarian cuisine which allows the use of exclusively seasonal ingredients, and is served in kaiseki style, the traditional multi-person meal bring.
The event was also attended by Akihiko Murata, starred chef of Suzunari, active in the promotion of washoku (literally “Japanese food”, synonymous with longevity, well-being and health), as a member of the Washoku School Lunch project of the Ministry of Agriculture, and Yahei Suzuki, chef of the Piatto Suzuki restaurant and Michelin Star for 14 years in a row, which instead offers cuisine based on traditional Italian dishes prepared with innovative techniques, connecting Japanese food culture to the inexorable challenges of the future.
