FACTBOX: Michelin guide's three-star picks for Tokyo

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Michelin unveiled its restaurant guide for Tokyo on Tuesday, awarding the city once again with more stars than any other city in the world.

Nine restaurants, six serving Japanese cuisine and three French, were given the three-star rating, which Michelin defines as "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey." The following is a list of restaurants rated with three stars:

HAMADAYA

A Japanese restaurant that started some 90 years ago, Hamadaya serves elegantly presented seasonal foods in the old-fashioned area of Nihonbashi. Geisha can be invited to entertain guests as they dine in the traditional straw-matted tatami rooms.

ISHIKAWA

Ishikawa, joining the coveted three-star rank for the first time, is in a traditional neighborhood of Kagurazaka. It is a 16-seat Japanese restaurant serving courses using seasonal fish and meat.

JOEL ROBUCHON

Widely cited as the best chef in Paris in the 1990s, Frenchman Joel Robuchon was known for perfectionist cooking that takes French cuisine back to its roots. There are now restaurants bearing his name all around the world, including this one in the upmarket area of Ebisu.

KANDA

Located in the affluent Azabu district, the restaurant opened in 2004. Japanese food with an original twist is served at a counter by the owner-chef, who used to run a Japanese restaurant in Paris.

KOJU

Tucked in an alley in the glitzy shopping district of Ginza, Koju serves traditional Japanese food in delicate portions.

L'OSIER

A luxurious French restaurant whose name means "willow" in French, it opened in 1973 in the upmarket shopping district of Ginza, which is associated with willow trees. It was voted best eatery in the 2008 edition of the Zagat guide to Tokyo, which is based on a readers' survey.

QUINTESSENCE

This French restaurant, located in the wealthy neighborhood of Shirokanedai, opened in 2006 by a Japanese chef who trained at "Astrance," a three-star restaurant in Paris. There is only one fixed menu each day using ingredients of the season.

SUKIYABASHI JIRO

Having ranked in the Herald Tribune's top 10 restaurants of the world twice in the 1990s, this small sushi restaurant of 23 seats has been around for over 40 years, located in the basement of a building in Ginza.

SUSHI MIZUTANI

This sushi restaurant was opened by a chef who has been making sushi for over 40 years and was trained at Sukibayashi Jiro.

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota, editing by Miral Fahmy)