Afternoon turns to evening in Tokyo's plush Aoyama district. At Narisawa, one of the city's finest contemporary French restaurants, the final preparations are being made for dinner service. There is both tension and anticipation in the air as the first customers arrive.

It's a scene that has played out five nights a week on average for the past 11 years. Tonight, however, on Thursday July 9, the atmosphere is very different.

Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa is nowhere to be seen, and the menu is nothing like the superbly polished, Japanese-inflected French cuisine that has won him two Michelin stars and recently propelled him into the top 10 of the annual World's 50 Best list (he was ranked No. 8 — the top placing in Asia).