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Tuesday, 18th October 2011
In General Japan News,
Western Japan triumphant in Michelin guide food awards
Western Japan has stolen Tokyo's crown by being awarded more three-star ratings by the Michelin guide than the capital.
The area of Kansai was given 15 top rankings by the cuisine bible, which is three more than in 2010 and one more than Tokyo received, Reuters reported.
In total, 12 of these restaurants sell traditional Japanese cuisine to customers, with two of them renowned for their fusion and the other for its contemporary French recipes.
The usurping of Tokyo comes just 12 months after it received more Michelin stars than any other city in the world for the fourth year on the trot.
Bernard Delmas, president of Nihon Michelin Tire, said: "Japan is truly a unique country, where many cities have cuisine of a very high quality.
"That is why, even in the fifth year of the arrival of our Michelin guide in Japan, we continue to discover new stars to introduce to our readers."
In this year's guide, there were new entries for the cities of Kobe and Nara, with the latter's Wa Yamamura landing straight in at the top of the awards in its first year.
A break down of the 300 restaurants which received the coveted Michelin stars showed that 224 were given one, 61 awarded two, with the other 15 scooping the top accolade.
Earlier this year it was reported that Michelin was expanding its guide to dining in Tokyo through the inclusion of the Shonan area.
"The Michelin guide is updated each year by offering a new selection of restaurants and hotels and by gradually expanding the covering area," said Mr Delmas.
It was revealed that the new edition of the guide will be published at the beginning of December, with versions being printed in both Japanese and English.
Visitors will be able to use the book to choose eateries in locations around Tokyo, including those in Yokohama and Kamakura.
Posted by Susan Ballion
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