Originally Posted by
robyng
OTOH - although I've never been to China (and will likely never get there) - my husband and I have considerable experience with Chinese food in north America (both high and low end) - especially in places like Vancouver (we've been there maybe 5-6 times) and other cities with large communities of Chinese people and people of Chinese descent (Los Angeles/San Francisco/etc.). A lot of the Chinese food I've had is pretty good - quite probably because there are so many large ethnic Chinese communities in north America. So it's not a "must-try" cuisine for me on this trip.
San Francisco and Vancouver have some fine Chinese restaurants, so if you've had the good stuff there, I wouldn't try to repeat the experience in Japan. You went to Chef Chin Kenichi's restaurant in Japan, and you thought it wasn't all that. Now imagine a more refined setting, much higher price point, and a more "accomplished" presentation and execution. But you'll still come out of there wondering what the hell you were thinking in going there in the first place. That pretty much describes the vast majority of high-end Chinese restaurants in Japan. It's not "authentic", it's generally tasteless, and it's the last thing I'd eat if I was in a culinary trip of Japan.
Now, if you must insist (and I sense you won't, but just in case), there
are places in Japan that turn "Chinese" food into something truly different. It isn't "Chinese" food, but it is eminently edible and a new experience. In that vein, my favorite is Wakiya in Akasaka.