L’Osier (Ginza, Tokyo), the French restaurant run by Shiseido Company, Limited (“Shiseido”), has been awarded three stars, which is the highest honor given to a restaurant serving “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey” to visit, for the second consecutive year in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2020, published on Tuesday, November 26, 2019.
The French restaurant L’Osier started business in 1973 and was named after the French word for “willow,” which has a deep connection with Ginza. In realizing the Shiseido group’s corporate mission to “inspire a life of beauty and culture” through authentic French cuisine, L’Osier embodies a rich and mature culture and is a symbol of the Shiseido brand, aiming to achieve top quality in all areas of food, service, and dining space.
Designed with five key elements of “white,” “gold,” “clearness,” “glass,” and “light,” the restaurant features a dynamic space integrated with a nine-meter-high atrium, offering customers a luxury dining experience in an open and relaxed environment.
Executive chef Olivier Chaignon creates the current cuisine of L’Osier with his innovative ideas and techniques while preserving the restaurant’s traditions and the essence of French cuisine. He selects the best ingredients from not only Japan but also Europe to create an exquisite harmony of delicate taste and texture, using new combinations of ingredients created with his unique sensitivity.
In May 2019, Toshifumi Nakamoto, our chef sommelier, received a Medal with Yellow Ribbon. L’Osier is highly acclaimed by many customers both in Japan and abroad for not only its cuisine and space but also its meticulous attention to detail in hospitality.
Shiseido’s restaurant business
Shiseido started business in Ginza, Tokyo in 1872 as the first Western-style pharmacy in Japan. The founder, Arinobu Fukuhara, installed a soda fountain in a section of the Shiseido pharmacy in 1902 to manufacture and sell the country’s first soda water as well as ice cream, a rare delicacy at the time, inspired by the drug stores he had visited in the U.S. on the way back from the World Exposition in Paris in 1900. In 1928, the company opened Shiseido Parlour, which served authentic Western cuisine. As one of the pioneers of Western culinary experiences as well as a symbol of Ginza, the restaurant continues to propose new values to many customers and strive to embody the Shiseido’s mission of “inspiring a life of beauty and culture” from the field of food.
L’Osier opened its door inside the former Shiseido Parlour Building (now Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building) on Ginza Chuo-dori Avenue in 1973 as an authentic French restaurant. Since 1999, the restaurant is located in the Shiseido headquarters building on Ginza Namiki-dori Street, bringing the atmosphere of Paris to the street. Celebrating its 40th anniversary in October 2013, the restaurant reopened with new executive chef Olivier Chaignon after being closed for renovation. L’Osier is a highly acclaimed fine-dining restaurant that offers a truly wonderful experience to its customers in Japan and abroad.
