Tokyo Rated Top Haute Cuisine City

Tokyo is now rated by the Michelin guide as the top city in the world for haute cuisine.

What? Is this a mistake? What happened to the haute cuisine lock that Paris has had on this honor for, well, forever?

That is probably what the French are wondering. In its first ever edition devoted to an Asian city, Michelin awarded restaurants in Tokyo a total of 191 stars. That was nearly twice as many as Paris can boast, and more than three times New York’s total.

“Tokyo is becoming the global city with the finest cuisine, the city in the world with the most stars,” said Michelin guide director Jean-Luc Naret.

I believe that this can be seen as a sign of the times for the 21st century. A good many of the top rankings that the West had assumed would be theirs forever are moving East. Not only do these rankings include the city with the world’s best restaurants but one of the ultimate measures of a nations power and reach, the tallest skyscrapers, have already moved East. Nine out of the ten tallest buildings in the world are now located in Asia.

What will be the tallest building in the world upon completion is now under construction in Dubai, UAE. The Burj Dubai will not only be by far the tallest building in the world but the center for one of the world’s most amazing urban development projects ever build. The development site covers over 500 acres in downtown Dubai.

With the Chinese economy projected to become the largest in the world, replacing the United States economy, within 30 to 40 years the West had best get back on the growth track soon or living standards in the West will start a slow decline with the latest and greatest that the world has to offer to be found in the East and Middle East.

However, there could be one small problem developing for Tokyo, New York, and Dubai. If some of the more drastic conditions caused by climate change come to pass all three cities will be under water within 50 years. Paris may yet regain its title although I expect that if the climate change predictions come true the surviving citizens of the world will have more important things on their minds than locating a haute cuisine restaurant. 

In the mean time if you live want to dine in a city featuring the greatest number of the world’s best restaurants head for Tokyo, not Paris.

Sorry my French friends, but the Michelin guide says that it is so.

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