Tokyo is literally the cuisine capital of the world, with the 2008 and 2009 Michelin Guide giving the city more stars than any other location in the world. Almost every imaginable cuisine is represented here, from traditional and modern Japanese, Asian, and Asian Fusion, to American, European, African, and Middle Eastern. It’s possible to go years without ever having to eat in the same restaurant twice.

There are many different kinds of Japanese foods available in the city from cheap Yoshinaya beef bowls (thin strips of beef on a bed of rice), sit down and conveyor belt sushi restaurants, and standard ramen (hot noodle) shops, to yakiniku (Korean BBQ), yakitori (grilled meat and vegetable skewers), shabu-shabu (boiled beef and vegetables), tempura (lightly battered and fried fish and vegetables), teppanyaki (freshly grilled beef and vegetables), and so much more. Walking down the many streets across the city will introduce even the casual visitor to all sorts of Japanese cuisine, but to locate restaurants by specific cuisine, check out the English language Guru Navigator restaurant search engine at http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/. Guru Navi also provides great intel on other cuisines on offer within Tokyo. Zagat Tokyo (http://www.zagat.com/tokyo) is another recommended resource for locating popular Tokyo restaurants.

While operating hours vary from restaurant to restaurant, many of the city’s low to medium cost restaurants are open for a least lunch and dinner, and some are open well into the evening or are open 24-hours a day. The vast majority do not require reservations, although reservations are generally recommended for meals at the more up market restaurants. The sites above offer guidance with respect to reservations and provide other details on cost expectations and hours of operation

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