Tokyo kept its crown as the Michelin guide's gourmet capital with the most starred restaurants for an eight straight year, in the first guide released since UNESCO listed "washoku" (traditional Japanese cuisine) as an "intangible cultural heritage."
Among the establishments that gained three-star ratings in the 2015 Michelin guide to Tokyo, which went on sale Friday, was one that specializes in fugu, the poisonous blowfish, and a traditional eatery whose chef at first thought his win was a joke.
The guide, which used to include the neighboring city of Yokohama and the coastal Shonan area, was limited to Tokyo this year to allow a wider listing of Japanese food in the Bib Gourmand section, which emphasizes cheaper restaurants, Michelin said.