At Times All Roads Lead Not to Rome but Tokyo

Italy and Japan share many similarities: both countries are long and narrow, stretching north to south, with extensive coastlines. Although the former is continental and the latter an island, both experience four distinct seasons, offering a variety of ingredients throughout the year, as well as an abundance of seafood. And as with Japanese cuisine, there are regional specialties in Italian cuisine, from Milanese in the north to Sicilian in the south. But in Tokyo, Italian cuisine gains its own unique twist.

Tokyo stands as a testament to the dynamic confluence of deep-rooted Japanese tradition and a voracious appetite for global innovation. It has established itself as the world’s premier food capital. Here we delve into what makes the city a magnet for tourists and a world-class center for culinary excellence—this time from the perspective of Italian food. For this analysis, we enlisted the expertise of a chef deeply embedded in the Tokyo food scene, Chef Yahei Suzuki of the acclaimed Italian restaurant Piatto Suzuki in Azabu-Juban. 

Suzuki has dedicated his career to establishing a unique Italian culinary style by building upon traditional Italian cuisine techniques learned in Italy while leveraging Tokyo’s unique strengths. His perspective shines a light on the city’s magnetic power, its competitive culinary landscape, and the distinct characteristics that define Tokyo’s hospitality and food culture.

The Magnetic Pull of Tokyo: A Chef’s Journey

For many, Tokyo represents the pinnacle of professional and cultural aspiration. This powerful draw is a theme emphasized by Suzuki when discussing his own journey to the capital. Born and raised in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Suzuki felt an intense “longing for Tokyo,” a sentiment that ultimately drove him to move here to pursue his culinary dreams at the age of 19.

When asked about the significance of Tokyo for chefs of his generation, Suzuki explains his belief that “Tokyo is the hub for disseminating culture, fashion, and culinary traditions. Like Italy, Japan is a long, narrow country that supplies diverse ingredients from its different regions. I want to focus on Tokyo and share this diversity from here.” 

Tokyo’s historical and cultural reputation is what has solidified its position today. The city’s powerful brand and its concentration of opportunities make it an aspirational destination for both local residents and international visitors seeking the very best.

Tokyo’s Unrivalled Culinary Ecosystem

The primary appeal of Tokyo, especially for food-focused tourists, lies in the sheer diversity and unmatched quality of its restaurants. Tokyo is a veritable “Mercato” (Italian for marketplace), a term Suzuki uses to describe the city’s extraordinary breadth of dining options. This is not simply about the number of restaurants; it’s about the hyper-specialization and quality on offer across all categories, a phenomenon unparalleled globally.

What distinguishes Tokyo is the level of granularity available within each cuisine. Taking Italian food as an example, Suzuki notes that while major European cities like Milan or Rome might feature restaurants representing different regions (Sicilian, Tuscan, etc.), in Tokyo, the selection is far more detailed and extensive. You can find highly specialized, top-tier restaurants for not just Italian food, but specifically Tuscan, Sardinian, or Sicilian cuisine, all within a small geographic area. This pattern repeats for every major international cuisine—French, Chinese, Korean, and of course Japanese.

It is likely that this hyper-specialization, coupled with a consistently high level of quality, is behind the city’s global culinary recognition. As Suzuki points out, when a world-famous dining guide published its first Tokyo edition, it featured over 100 restaurants from Japan’s capital. This was not the result of a concerted effort to highlight Tokyo, according to Suzuki, but it “happened naturally. The level was so high that it naturally turned out that way.”

Access to the Nation’s Best Ingredients

Tokyo’s high standards owe much to the capital’s role as the central distribution hub for Japan’s finest ingredients. The modern Toyosu Market is a key player in this, but other markets too gather the highest quality products from across the geographically diverse Japanese archipelago.

The availability of fresh, seasonal ingredients is a cornerstone of Tokyo’s food scene. Whether it is exquisite and diverse seafood destined for the sushi counter, seasonal vegetables from various regions of Japan, or specialty imports, Tokyo’s chefs have access to an incredible bounty. Suzuki visits the Toyosu Market several times a week, prioritizing ingredients that catch his eye—an approach that guarantees freshness and seasonality. While he makes use of products from all over Japan, he emphasizes that the act of preparing and presenting them from his base in the capital gives him a sense of mission: “I want Tokyo to be a beacon.”

Piatto Suzuki and the Tokyo-Italian Style: A New Culinary Identity

Suzuki’s restaurant, Piatto Suzuki, located in the fashionable and historic district of Azabu-Juban, serves as a fascinating microcosm of Tokyo’s unique culinary appeal. Piatto Suzuki is not merely an Italian restaurant in Tokyo; it is a laboratory for a distinct “Tokyo-Italian” style, blending Italian technique with Japanese sensibility and, most importantly, exceptional local ingredients.

Edomae anago is sourced locally

Piatto Suzuki is known for cooking that is not bound by regional Italian traditions. The goal is to create dishes that, while rooted in the Italian culinary traditions Suzuki studied, reflect the multifaceted nature of Tokyo itself. Looking at Piatto Suzuki’s signature dishes, such as the edomae anago (Tokyo-style conger eel) or the katsuo (bonito), a diner might think, “Is this Italian food?” This is because the dishes often incorporate a wa (Japanese) aesthetic. Yet, as Suzuki explains, “When you put it in your mouth, what you probably feel is an Italian presence, an Italian aroma.”

A dish featuring seared bonito, a rare ingredient in Italian cuisine

The Italian approach and flavor profile—the use of olive oil, anchovies, prosciutto, and the methods of preparation—form the basis of his cooking. The main ingredients, however, are predominantly Japanese. “Though my foundation was something I learned in Italy, I build upon it using ingredients unique to Tokyo, incorporating Italian techniques and aromas.” The essence of his Tokyo cuisine is a Japanese structure built upon an Italian foundation—or vice versa, depending on how you look at it.

Piatto Suzuki also serves a cold pasta dish that reveals a deep understanding of Japanese culinary preferences. While cold pasta is not typical in Italy, it is a must in Japan, where cold noodles like soba and udon are extremely popular. Suzuki embraces this local predilection, creating a cold pasta dish with amaebi (sweet shrimp) and tomatoes from Toyosu. And, in a nod to the deluxe, cosmopolitan nature of Tokyo, he completes the cold pasta dish by topping it with caviar and gold leaf. Such acts of storytelling are carefully considered and incorporated into the dishes: “Gold is a symbol of wealth in Milan,” referencing traditional Milanese culture. By applying this historical Italian association to a Tokyo-style dish, he creates a “symbol of Tokyo’s wealth” that he believes visitors can appreciate.

Gold leaf is used to garnish cold capellini pasta served with sweet shrimp, tomato and caviar

The Heart of Japanese Hospitality: Omotenashi

A key element of Tokyo’s appeal for international tourists is the concept of omotenashi—the uniquely Japanese approach to selfless, wholehearted hospitality. This is an area where Suzuki discerns Japan’s inherent strength.

“Just doing things normally means that Japan’s level is high,” he states. Basic, often taken-for-granted practices in Japan—meticulously cleaned spaces, complimentary water, and oshibori (moistened hand towels)—are absent in many other parts of the world. And while these days the service may be dialed down from the extreme deference of past decades, the core tenet of anticipating a guest’s needs remains unchanged.

The Future of Tokyo’s Food Scene: A Culinary Identity Emerges

Suzuki explains Tokyo's diverse food culture to foreign visitors as a Tokyo Tourism Ambassador.

The discussion of Tokyo’s culinary future revolves around the concept of a distinct, formalized “Tokyo-style” cuisine. Suzuki believes that the city is on the cusp of defining new culinary categories that are uniquely its own.

The lines between traditional culinary genres are blurring globally, a trend accelerated by technology and cultural exchange. Chefs today are using ingredients and techniques from everywhere. Suzuki, for example, has collaborated with top Chinese and Japanese chefs and has experimented with adding ingredients like shark fin to his pasta. He believes that rigid definitions of “Italian food” are breaking down, leading to a more nuanced classification of restaurants:

1. Traditional/regional cuisine: Establishments focusing strictly on the cucina tipica of a specific region
2. Original/creative cuisine: Restaurants, like Piatto Suzuki, that use traditional techniques but innovate freely

He envisions a day when there will be a recognized category, perhaps called “Tokyo-Italian,” for a cuisine that can only be fully appreciated in Tokyo—quintessentially Japanese, much like sushi. This would solidify the city’s role not just as an importer and refiner of global cuisines, but as a genuine creator of a new culinary language.

A Message for International Visitors

As a Tokyo Tourism Ambassador, Suzuki’s message to prospective tourists is simple: Tokyo is a global marketplace of food that offers more variety and higher quality than any other city.

“I think of Tokyo as a Mercato. Truly it embraces a collection of food cultures that is unique in the world, with so many restaurants that exceed the standard. You can enjoy Tokyo in a multitude of ways.”

While it is essential to experience classic Japanese cuisine like sushi and yakiniku, Suzuki encourages visitors to explore the city’s exceptional international offerings. 

Final Word: Why Tokyo is the World’s Ultimate Food Destination

Tokyo’s appeal transcends its technical excellence. It is a city that offers a unique combination of unrivaled diversity, impeccable quality, and deeply ingrained omotenashi. It is also a place where a chef like Suzuki can take a traditional Italian concept, articulate it with the highest quality Japanese ingredients, sourced from a market like Toyosu, and craft something entirely new that speaks to the spirit of the city.

For the tourist, Tokyo promises a gastronomic adventure where every meal, be it in a high-end restaurant or a simple noodle shop, is a testament to quality. Here you can find a top-tier Sicilian trattoria, a consummate French bistro, and a refined kaiseki restaurant serving regional specialties from across Japan—all within a stone’s throw. This is what makes Tokyo the world’s ultimate culinary destination—a city that simultaneously honors tradition while constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible on a plate. It is an experience that is both sophisticated and profoundly authentic, leaving visitors with the indelible impression that they have sampled the future of global dining.