Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2021: Japan

"Rank: #3 "Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa’s ever-creative take on the elevated cuisine of his homeland is innovative, at times humorous, and always satisfying. But what makes Den so unique among Japanese restaurants – and so popular – is how relaxed and welcoming it feels."

"Rank: #7 "Plush counter seating runs three sides of a large open kitchen where chef Hiroyasu Kawate and his crew work, allowing guests to watch as they prepares tasting menus of creative French cuisine. It’s a theatrical ringside setting that blurs the gap between front and back of house, opening up face-to-face interactions with guests throughout the meal."

"Rank: #8 "La Cime’s name comes from the French word for ‘peak’ or ‘summit’ and from the very outset it set its sights high. Since opening in 2010 in downtown Osaka, it has steadily risen in popularity to become a highpoint of dining for gastronomes visiting the Kansai region of Western Japan."

"Rank: #9 "After close to two decades as one of Tokyo’s finest dining destinations, chef Yoshihiro Narisawa’s eponymous restaurant in Tokyo’s upmarket Aoyama district needs little fanfare. Having topped the inaugural Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013, Narisawa has been a constant fixture ever since."

"Rank: #12 "Chef Tomoya Kawada cooks Chinese cuisine infused with a Japanese sensibility, rooted in the two countries’ shared culture of tea drinking. His elegant restaurant, located inside a former diplomat’s residence in Tokyo’s upmarket Minami-Azabu district, has just 12 seats, plus two private rooms."

"Rank: #19 "This sparkling restaurant is all about harmonious flavours, plated with deep consideration. Off-the-plate offerings are equally exceptional, with stand-out service that amplifies the experience."

"Rank: #27 "Chef Yusuke Namai opened Ode in September 2017. It’s his first self-owned restaurant, but his talent and inventive modern cuisine were already on show at his previous location, the diminutive but much-loved Chic Peut Être, where he won his first Michelin star. It took him just over a year to repeat the feat at Ode."

"Rank: #30 "Hidden down a small alleyway off Fukuoka’s Nishinakasu street, La Maison de La Nature Goh is a quiet, stylish restaurant serving omakase (or ‘chef’s choice’) – a six or seven-course menu created by talented chef-owner Takeshi ‘Goh’ Fukuyama."

"Rank: #35 "Chef Seiji Yamamoto was voted as the first ever Icon Award winner, a prestigious accolade introduced to Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2019 and a fitting tribute to the man who has been one of Japan’s gastronomic luminaries for more than a decade and a half."