[nemo44x]

The mid-tier is far more consistent in Japan. The tradeoff is it mainly only includes Japanese food. Which is vast and amazing. But in my experience I'd say a "typical" Japanese restaurant is of higher quality than a "typical" Western restaurant. The tradeoff is that you have more variety and acceptance (and embrace) in the West.

Tokyo is better if you have 2 weeks. NYC is better if you have a year. At least today.

[m_mueller]

I don't think mid-tier only includes Japanese. Since at least the 80s it has become common for Japanese to train as chefs, pastry makers, bakers and cheese makers in Europe and NYC. They usually return and open up their own small restaurants in Japan. Tokyo is full of micro restaurants with 12-30 seats that have been started this way and their quality is very often top notch, so much that it is now often cheaper and better to eat certain dishes in Japab rather their original place. For certain things Tokyo has developed enough that Japanese can now learn it there just as well - Napoli Pizza or French pastry are examples. This goes all the way back to Tempura, a Portuguese import.

What is missing is the more exotic stuff. Latin American, Middle Eastern and African cuisines are underrepresented compared to Western megacities.

[nemo44x]

I've only spent limited time in Tokyo and was probably hunting for Japanese specific food so my observation is likely biased by that.

But yeah I think you're touching on my point which is there's just much more breadth in NYC.