JAPAN: HOME TO 50% OF THE WORLD'S HIGH-END MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANTS

Half of the 10 most expensive restaurants that have either received a Michelin star — or are helmed by a chef that has are situated in Japan or offer Japanese cuisine, reports Chef's Pencil.

To find the most expensive Michelin-starred restaurants, the cooking website Chef’s Pencil researched dinner tasting menus in more than 450 restaurants around the world.

According to Chef’s Pencil, the 10 most expensive restaurants that have either received a Michelin star — or are helmed by a chef that has — are:

1. Sublimotion, Ibiza, Spain — $1,740

2. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai, China — $1,422

3. Kitcho Arashiyama Honten, Kyoto, Japan — $910

4. Azabu Kadowaki, Tokyo, Japan — $825

5. Masa, New York City, United States — $800

6. (Tie) Joel Robuchon, Tokyo, Japan — $637

6. (Tie) Kikunoi Honten, Kyoto, Japan — $637

6. (Tie) Gion Maruyama, Kyoto, Japan — $637

9. Guy Savoy, Paris, France — $615

10. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy — $580 * Priced per person, usually not including beverages and service charges.

Japan is the only country that appears more than once on this list, and its restaurants — located in Kyoto and Tokyo — dominate half the 10 spots. It’s worth noting, however, that Tokyo-based Joel Robuchon, which tied for No. 6 on the list, serves French cuisine.

The United States’ only restaurant to make the top 10, Masa, is also a Japanese restaurant.

Japan is home to the highest number of Michelin restaurants per capita in the world, with Tokyo having more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city, according to Chef’s Pencil.

Main reason for the luxury attached to the Japanese cuisine?

“Japanese restaurants source seasonal fish from all over the world, which increases the cost of the ingredients,” he said. “There is also a cost of proper shipping and storage for these ingredients, considering fresh seafood has a short shelf life.”

According to Chef Masaharu Morimoto ,star of the television cooking shows “Iron Chef” and “Iron Chef America.”

“the skills the chef has — the precision and artistry in making and serving the dishes” are other factors.

“Restaurants with a limited number of seats usually try to provide an intimate and meaningful food experience for their guests,” said Morimoto. “Many notable sushi restaurants have a maximum of eight seats — no servers or additional staff."

World's First Gastronomic Performance

Located on the Spanish island of Ibiza, Sublimotion is the world’s first “gastronomic performance,” stated founder Eduardo Gonzales.

Its priciest tasting menu costs $1,740 per person for a 20-course meal. Seating 12 at a time, the restaurant uses virtual reality and special effects to add light and sound elements to the meal, he said.

In addition to chefs, a team of engineers, illusionists, scriptwriters and composers worked together “for more than 10 years with the aim of maximizing the pleasure of sitting at the table,” Gonzales said.

The restaurant, opened in 2014, is helmed by Michelin-starred Chef Paco Roncero, though it has yet to receive a star itself.

To book a visit and all inquiries visit: sublimotionibiza.com