World famous sushi restaurants stripped of their Michelin stars
Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten and Sushi Saito lost the maximum three-star rating in the 2020 Tokyo guide, which was announced today (26 November).
Both tiny counter restaurants, which have between eight and ten seats, are notoriously difficult for overseas guests to book.
"Michelin's policy is to introduce restaurants where everybody can go to eat," a Michelin spokesperson told AFP.
Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten has held three stars since the gourmet guide’s first Tokyo edition launched in 2007 and was immortalised in the 2011 Netflix documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
The restaurant gained international attention when then-US president Barack Obama visited with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2014.
It seats just 10 diners and its exclusive 40,000 yen (£285) tasting menu is now only available for tourists to book through a hotel concierge.
Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten’s website says it is ‘currently experiencing difficulties accepting reservations’ which is ‘likely [to] continue’.
In the past Sushi Saito has been bookable through a concierge and allowed regulars to set up return visits when they dine, making it notoriously difficult for new guests to reserve a seat.
Tokyo has 226 starred restaurants in the 2020 edition of the Michelin Guide, more than any other city in the world.
