What makes Tokyo the world’s greatest food city?

By Chris Dwyer, for CNN
6 minute read
Updated 7:47 AM EST, Fri February 24, 2017
Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental Hotel has three Michelin-starred restaurants, including French eatery Signature, pictured. All of its Japanese chefs and staff have lived and worked in France.
Signature —
Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental Hotel has three Michelin-starred restaurants, including French eatery Signature, pictured. All of its Japanese chefs and staff have lived and worked in France.
Signature
In Tokyo, fruit and vegetables are treated with huge respect and can command eye-watering prices for single specimens. Restaurateurs and shop owners alike have exacting standards and aren't shy about returning anything that doesn't meet them.
It's all about the produce —
In Tokyo, fruit and vegetables are treated with huge respect and can command eye-watering prices for single specimens. Restaurateurs and shop owners alike have exacting standards and aren't shy about returning anything that doesn't meet them.
Chris Dwyer/CNN
Sushi's definitely the star of Tokyo's dining scene but there's so much more to the city's culinary landscape -- and we're not just talking Japanese. Many of Tokyo's Michelin-starred restaurants are European, including 50 French restaurants.
Sushi —
Sushi's definitely the star of Tokyo's dining scene but there's so much more to the city's culinary landscape -- and we're not just talking Japanese. Many of Tokyo's Michelin-starred restaurants are European, including 50 French restaurants.
JNTO
For a lot of Tokyoites, ramen is the epitome of cheap, fast food -- a simple bowl of noodles to be slurped down in a matter of minutes during lunchtime or after a long night out.
Ramen —
For a lot of Tokyoites, ramen is the epitome of cheap, fast food -- a simple bowl of noodles to be slurped down in a matter of minutes during lunchtime or after a long night out.
Courtesy Chabuya
At the opposite end of the price spectrum is Takazawa, a 10-seat restaurant owned by Tokyo chef <a href="http://www.takazawa-y.co.jp/gallery/" target="_blank" target="_blank">Yoshiaki Takazawa</a>. Each dish on the set menu tells a story with both unique techniques and unexpected tastes, making Takazawa's menu one of the most coveted in the world. In this dish, "Rock on the Seashore," Takazawa disguises bass with a black bread skin and fills it with potato puree to make it look like a stone.
Takazawa —
At the opposite end of the price spectrum is Takazawa, a 10-seat restaurant owned by Tokyo chef Yoshiaki Takazawa. Each dish on the set menu tells a story with both unique techniques and unexpected tastes, making Takazawa's menu one of the most coveted in the world. In this dish, "Rock on the Seashore," Takazawa disguises bass with a black bread skin and fills it with potato puree to make it look like a stone.
Courtesy Yoshiaki Takazawa
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo hosted the Asia-Pacific Food and Wine Festival earlier this month. World-renowned chefs in attendance included Peru's Virgilio Martinez, Paco Perez of Spain and Ryousuke Nakatani of Kitcho Tokyo.
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo —
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo hosted the Asia-Pacific Food and Wine Festival earlier this month. World-renowned chefs in attendance included Peru's Virgilio Martinez, Paco Perez of Spain and Ryousuke Nakatani of Kitcho Tokyo.
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo