Restaurant list highlights Japan’s emerging contours

Launched in 2021, Destination Restaurants marks its sixth edition in 2026. With 10 regional restaurants in Japan selected annually, there are now 60 restaurants on the Destination Restaurants list.

Japan is not an especially large country; in total area, it ranks 61st. But its 35,000-kilometer coastline is the world’s sixth-longest. With 70% of its land covered in forest, and with its long, narrow shape extending from north to south, Japan has remarkable regional diversity in terms of climate and landscape. This has given rise to rich variation in ways of life and culture, customs and thinking. Of course, each region also has its own distinctive food culture. And with a restaurant list focusing on Japan’s regional restaurants, pinpointing the selected establishments on a map is sure to reveal new contours emerging in Japan through gastronomy.

The Destination Restaurants program began with the idea of creating a restaurant list originating in Japan and reflecting Japan’s natural environment and culture, with restaurants selected by Japanese experts, rather than a restaurant guide or ranking affiliated with an overseas entity. The conditions for selection state that restaurants located within Tokyo’s 23 wards or “ordinance-designated cities” with populations of 500,000 or more are not eligible for consideration. This is because Destination Restaurants aims to help discover culinary talent that often goes unrecognized in regional areas, and to differentiate itself from conventional restaurant guides and selections, based on the belief that Japan’s distinctive culinary culture is to be found in regional areas rather than in large cities.

Even in areas facing depopulation, the presence of just one standout restaurant brings in visitors, with the resulting economic benefits increasing year by year. Today, gastronomic tourism that offers encounters with regional culture and history through cuisine has an estimated global market size of ¥100 trillion ($625 billion). Amid this trend, Japan’s regional gastronomic restaurants, and Destination Restaurants itself, are gaining increasing attention.

Japan’s major cities — starting with Tokyo, which is said to have the world’s largest number of Michelin-starred restaurants — abound in excellent dining establishments. But our hope is that people will also turn their attention to the many restaurants in Japan’s regional areas. It is not an overstatement to say that the depth and fascinating qualities of Japan’s cuisine, including the originality of its ingredients, cooking methods and restaurant styles, can be found in Destination Restaurants. We encourage people from both outside and inside Japan to experience the richness and delight of Japan’s regional culinary cultures, with this list as a guide.

Destination Restaurants is a list of outstanding regional restaurants throughout Japan that are well worth visiting. Selected and presented by The Japan Times, Japan’s oldest English-language newspaper (first published in 1897), this list honors 10 restaurants each year. Judges Yoshiki Tsuji, Naoyuki Honda and Takefumi Hamada have served in this role since the program’s launch in 2021. Restaurants of all genres are eligible for selection, as long as they are located in areas outside Tokyo’s 23 wards and cities with populations of 500,000 or more.

2021年スタートの「Destination Restaurants」も、今年6回目を迎え、リストアップされた地方レストランの数は60軒となり、これを地図にポイントしていくと、新たな“食の日本地図”が浮かび上がってくる。日本の面積は世界第61位だが、海岸線の長さは約35,000kmと世界第6位であり、その国土の7割は森林が覆っている。ゆえに地域によりバラエティーに富んだ風土を持っている。

この取り組みは、海外の評価機関を母体にしたレストランガイドやランキングではなく、日本の風土を反映させた、日本人が選ぶ、日本発信のレストラン・セレクションをできないかという考えから生まれた。選考の条件は「東京23区と政令指定都市を対象から外すこと」。それはなぜかといえば、「日本の食文化の特徴・特色は、都市部ではなく地方にある」と考え、「地方に埋もれがちな食の担い手の才能の発掘に寄与する」、「既存のレストランガイドやセレクションとの差別化を図る」という意図からだ。海外の人にも日本人にも、このリストを片手に、日本の地方の食文化の豊かさと奥深さを体験して欲しい。

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