Kagurazaka Ishikawa

You reach Hideki Ishikawa's counter by stepping off a cobbled lane, past a small garden and a stone path purified with water in the Shinto manner — the first sign that comfort here is taken very seriously. Ishikawa's guiding idea is "mui-shizen," cooking true to nature and free of artifice, which in practice means light flavors, clean plating, and Niigata rice cooked fresh and served in earthen bowls. The clay-pot rice, presented tableside, tends to steal the evening. He's held three Michelin stars since the guide first reached Tokyo in 2008, and trained a generation of chefs — including the man who'd open Kohaku three doors down. Counter seats are the hard part; book well ahead.