Kyoto gets new three-star Michelin restaurant

Many people enjoy looking at the Michelin star system when thinking about where they'd like to eat. Under the system, restaurants can receive one, two or three stars, with three stars being the highest level.

In simple terms, one star means it's a very good restaurant, and two stars mean it's special enough to visit even if it's not nearby. Three stars mean a restaurant is so good that people should travel just to eat there!

The Michelin Guide has released its 2026 guide for Kyoto and Osaka, and this year, Kyoto got a new three-star restaurant for the first time in six years.

The restaurant is called Miyamasou. It's a traditional Japanese inn in the mountains outside the city, with a history of more than 120 years.

Miyamasou first received one star in 2010, and two stars the next year — a level it kept for many years.

It also received a Michelin Green Star in 2021. A green star shows that a restaurant follows environmentally friendly practices.

The restaurant is known for its satoyama-style cooking, which uses ingredients from the natural area around it. These include things like mountain vegetables, river fish, mushrooms and wild game. Some of these are collected by the chef himself!

Across Kyoto and Osaka, the Michelin Guide now includes 479 restaurants. This year, 19 restaurants in this area received a star for the first time, and five received two stars for the first time.

Twelve new restaurants were also added to the Bib Gourmand list, which is for restaurants with good food at more reasonable prices.