No reason to go to Tokyo (especially since I am from NYC). Kyoto during sakura (cherry blossom time) and during the fall colors is amazing. The fall colors in Japan have done if the deepest reds/oranges you will ever see.

Except Tokyo has Jiro's.
BUT, I prefer Kyoto style sushi in general to Tokyo... Don't ask me why.

Last edited Sat Nov 2, 2013, 05:49 PM - Edit history (2)

Actually, hard enough to get a seat on long notice!

Went to a couple three Michelin star sushi spot in Tokyo. It was good food, but the attitude was very cocky and Soto, here in NYC is just as good and creative.

Yoshitake - we went there. My wife started to feel ill before going. We called to cancel and they insisted that we do not cancel - ok fine - easy sell - we didn't want to cancel - my wife jumped on the grenade so I could at least have the experience. She chose to just sit with me because she didn't feel well enough to eat. The bill came and they charged $200 for her seat even though she didn't eat. This caused a battle where we had to remind them that we did them a favor by not canceling. Totally classless. My wife is Japanese, so she could speak very clearly to them about how wrong they were. They did the right thing eventually, but the damage was done. At our hotel, the concierge said that a lot of the Michelin star restaurants do indeed get very cocky and lose sight of what made them great in the first place. He had what he said were restaurants that were just as good without Michelin stars, but my wife was still not well, so we couldn't go.

We had good sushi in the Kansai area as well where my wife is from.

She lives and works in the US but goes home often-Tokyo.
We ate at Jiro's son's place..She had to call from Japan for the res way ahead and Jiro didn't have an availability when I was there. As I remember, about $850 for the 2 of us. Could be off. Once in a lifetime experience.
I live near Rochester, NY. sushi ? uuggghhhh.. Absolutely horrible.I mean REALLY, really bad! Louisville has better sushi.
In NYC I have been to Kurumazushi and 15 East in the last year.

That's really a bummer about your experience at Yoshitaki.

I haven't been there, or to Soto, or Nobu or Masa.. whew.
The only "Western" 4 star ? Michelin place I have EVER eaten is Le Bernardin. And THAT was just pure luck. I have good friends in Toronto who are good friends with a high end chef there and chefs at that level all know each other, of course. One thing led to another....
I prefer sushi. :&gt

All this is way above my pay scale. but for sushi.. I have an addiction..

perhaps because that's where I lived.

Tokyo's charms are not in the tourist areas but in the ordinary neighborhoods, which are really former villages absorbed by the city.

Kyoto is great, too, but please, not in August, because the city is surrounded by mountains on three sides, there is no air moving, and the whole city becomes one giant steambath.

There were lots of cats in Israel when I was there.

Cats love clean

Not all cats are athletes....