Mon dieu! Tokyo dethrones Paris

This announcement by Michelin is an incredible admission. Who knew that the Japanese had such a superior cuisine?
......................................
Mon dieu! Tokyo dethrones Paris
November 19, 2007
.
TOKYO ?- Tokyo has unseated Paris as the world's culinary capital.
Eight restaurants in Tokyo, including two sushi eateries, received Michelin's highest three-star rating. But Paris can still claim to have the most top-rated restaurants, with 10.
.
Michelin also crowned 82-year-old Jiro Ono of Sukiyabashi Jiro sushi restaurant in central Tokyo the world's oldest three-star chef.

"Tokyo is a shining star in the world of cuisine," Michelin Guides director Jean-Luc Naret said at a press conference in the capital, after announcing the picks to gasps from hundreds of Japanese reporters gathered there. He declared Tokyo "the world leader in gourmet dining."
.
"We found the city's restaurants to be excellent, featuring the best ingredients, culinary talents and a tradition passed on from generation to generation and refined by today's chefs," Mr. Naret said.
.
A team of three undercover European and two Japanese inspectors spent a year and a half visiting 1,500 of Tokyo's estimated 160,000 restaurants to decide on the ratings, according to Michelin. The famed guidebook series rates restaurants on excellence in cooking, service, decor and upkeep.
.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071119.wtokyofood1119HP/BNStory/Front/home