Yamazato, on the first floor of the Okura hotel, is the only Asian restaurant in the Netherlands to have a Michelin star. When chef Akira Oshima came to the country 30 years ago, nobody wanted to eat his peculiar raw fish. Not when there were pickled herrings to be had. But he ploughed on, driving to Paris twice a week to get his ingredients after work, and is still the pioneer of Japanese cuisine in the Netherlands. The menu here changes every month, depending on the season and the food traditions for the time of year in Japan. Besides well known sushi and sashimi, a meal at Yamazato offers a journey through Japanese flavours, with complicated tempuras, origami-style crafting of thinly sliced vegetables and incredibly fresh raw fish. You might get lost in translation with the Japanese service, and often not be entirely sure what you’re eating, but it really doesn’t matter. The whole experience is very Japanese, very refined and unique in Amsterdam.