My favorite writing assignment each year is the Tokyo Go List for Food & Wine magazine (the current May issue). This year focuses on three restaurants in the notable Ginza shopping district that features cuisine from three different prefectures in Japan. The chefs at each of these places are all getting a lot of press not only for their abilities in the kitchen, but also for their expression of the local ingredients featured in their shops.

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/the-tokyo-city-guide

GINZA IBUKI

At Ginza Ibuki, chef Sadahisa Yoshizawa focuses on seafood from Japan’s Kochi prefecture, like blackthroat fish that he butterflies, dries overnight and then grills.

Ginza 2-14-6, Dai Ni Matsuoka B1

Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Phone: 011-81-3-6278-8110

No website

SETOUCHI RYORI SUMINOE

Fourth-generation chef Yasufumi Otani flies in seafood from the Seto-naikai area for his kaiseki menu at Setouchi Ryori Suminoe.

Ginza 8-7-18, Getsukousou B1

Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Phone: 011-81-3-3572-2155

YAMAGATA SAN-DAN-DELO

Foodies make pilgrimages to Masayuki Okuda’s Italian-influenced restaurant in the northern prefecture of Yamagata; now he shows off the area’s ingredients, like Yonezawa wagyu at Yamagata San-Dan-Delo.

Oishii Yamagata Plaza 2F

Ginza 1-5-10, Chuo-ku

Phone: 011-81-3-5250-1755

http://oishii-yamagata.jp/02sandandelo/ (Japanese)

www.alchecciano.com/profile.html (Al-che-cciano website – Japanese)