Tokyo - Despite some odd culinary practices such as serving mussel soup for breakfast or drinking canned coffee with milk, the Japanese enjoy the reputation of having one of the most sophisticated food cultures on the planet. Gourmets have known this for years but it has been official since the renowned Michelin dining out guide awarded a total of 191 stars to restaurants in the Japanese capital in late 2007. The Asian city now has more listed eateries than Paris and enjoys the status of being the world's number one city for food-lovers.
Publicity surrounding the Michelin accolades has drawn attention to eating excellence in Tokyo but the city offers plenty of gems for those on a budget too. Japanese dishes are healthy and low on fat with much use made of fresh ingredients.
According to estimates, there are more than 300,000 eateries in Tokyo, including the famous soba noodle shops, many of which are stand-up affairs or the shabu-shabu houses whose signature dish is a thinly-cut slice of meat served with a bowl of piping hot broth.
Vying for attention are numerous unlisted gourmet restaurants offering Japanese-style food at acceptable prices. There are fish and rice eateries galore while others offer an amazing number of tasty variations on the chicken theme such as yakitori - grilled pieces of chicken on skewers.
Blowfish or fugu are delicious but unfortunately poisonous if prepared incorrectly which means that chefs have to acquire a special licence before being allowed to put this expensive delicacy on the menu. The fish contains tetrodotoxin, a substance which plays havoc with the human nervous system and kills within hours.
Fish fans who prefer to play it safe should find plenty to suit their palate in the streets around Tsukiji wholesale fish and seafood market, the world's largest of its kind. The doors open at 4 a.m. and remember, this is the place where the city's restaurateurs come to buy their produce.
There are 1,600 stands to choose from, piled high with everything the world's oceans have to offer, from giant squid to mussels, crabs, turtles and whale meat. Traders throng the aisles which are lined with tubs and aquariums where the captive fish spend their last few hours alive.
One highlight here are the tuna auctions with the hundreds of trays of frozen fish laid out for buyers who gauge the firmness of the tuna's muscle fibre by rubbing it between finger and thumb - the colour of the fish is important too, with the brighter muscle tissue fetching higher prices.
The basement food halls of department stores such as Takashimaya or Mitsukoshi are well worth a visit. Both offer high-quality comestibles as far as the eye can see - ranging from exquisite chocolates to sticky rice cakes and exclusive brands of tea and sake.
The fruit sections of these subterranean shopping paradises contain what might seem like ordinary items such as apples and pears but these are individually wrapped and sold at the sort of prices common in jeweller's shops. Affluent Japanese think nothing of paying more than 30 dollars for a single juicy, red apple.
Of course, it is possible to spend a small fortune in Tokyo in one of the city's celebrated restaurants, but those with less disposable income will find one Japanese peculiarity a boon - tipping waiters is unknown.
Internet: www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/
