Thanks for sharing.

Tempura Mikawa and and Sushi Shin sound good.

Is Kikuchi Nishi-Azabu the same as Kikuchi at 2-17-17 Nishiazabu (that's the address in the Michelin Guide). Suspect so - but just making sure. If so - for us - that's a thumbs down because it's dinner only.

Kasumitei Matsubara isn't in Michelin and doesn't seem to have an English website. Not deal breakers for sure - but could you tell me a bit about it?

With regard to any yakitori restaurant - I try to avoid all restaurants where I can make any reasonable approximation of what a restaurant makes. I do grilled chicken on sticks all the time (mostly satay - but I could do a basic yakitori too if I cared to). I like restaurant things that I absolutely/positively couldn't/wouldn't make at home - even if the restaurant version of my home cooking is 10 times better than mine (and it usually isn't - I'm a pretty decent cook).

With regard to Sukiyabashi Jiro - especially if you're talking about the one in Ginza - well there's an old gardening saying - "wrong plant - wrong place". There's a dining corollary IMO - "wrong person - wrong restaurant". I have read enough about Jiro (saw the movie too) to know that I am absolutely the wrong person for that restaurant. For starters - I eat slowly - and get full quickly. It takes time for me to digest my food (I have some GI issues). If I were forced to get down 10-12-14 pieces of sushi quickly - I would probably have GI distress. Also - when I get kind of full (not hard when I'm faced with relatively large tasting menus in various restaurants these days) - I will only eat a part of what's on my plate. At sushi restaurants - I will leave the rice - or ask the chef if he can do sashimi instead - explaining things best I can - that it is *me* and no offense to the chef. Most chefs are pretty good about this - but considering what I've read - well this restaurant would be a disaster for me. Why ask for trouble?

Also - my husband and I use lunch to sit down and "recharge our batteries" (especially my husband's bad leg). So we like to sit down for least an hour. I am not a fan of 4-5 hour meals. But - when I think "30 Minute Meal" - the only thing that comes to mind is Rachel Ray's TV show . Heck - our meals at home - even lunch - take more than 30 minutes.

My last 2 comments are very personal and particular to me. Doesn't mean the restaurants aren't great. Or that they're not right for other people. Just means they're not the best restaurants for me - the ones where I would enjoy myself the most. And - contrary to what some people here think - fine dining isn't about crossing places off a list - or spending the most money possible - it's about having wonderful experiences eating food you find delicious in pleasant surroundings.

I have 2 questions if you or other people here don't mind answering. The one high end sushi restaurant we went to on our first trip was Kozasa Sushi in Ginza - which - like Sushi Shin - is supposed to serve "Edomae style" sushi. What are the differences between "Edomae style" sushi and the other kind(s)? And what are the other kinds? Which should we try (or try again)? And what are the differences we should be looking for between/among the kinds?

And - do you think using the Michelin Guide makes any sense at all in Tokyo? On our first trip - we didn't use the Michelin Guide - because it hadn't been published in Japan yet. We pretty much relied on concierge recommendations and our poking around. So - for example - one tempura restaurant we had lunch at was Ippoh (restaurant floors of Barney's New York) - we just happened to stumble into it. We thought it was really good and loved the chef. OTOH - we are certainly not experts when it comes to tempura.

I honestly find the concept of dining in Tokyo somewhat overwhelming. Because Tokyo has about as many restaurants as my county has people . So it's tempting to use the Michelin Guide. OTOH - it seems somewhat confining and not adventurous (I'm somewhat of a food snob and don't like going down the beaten foodie tourist path). On the third hand - we'll only be in Tokyo for 7 days - and I don't want to waste time there on mediocre meals. Robyn