What the Atlas Score is

A 0–100 composite of three parts (weights are published and configurable):

• External consensus (40%) — platform ratings normalised to 100 with Bayesian smoothing by review count and a logarithmic volume adjustment. Platforms are never blended into one fake star figure; missing platforms are excluded, not zeroed.
• Editorial (50%) — computed by open, tier-specific weight profiles (luxury rewards craft and service; mid-range rewards value; local rewards authenticity). Michelin recognition adds a bonus. Where we have not eaten ourselves, quality is treated as reported quality from reviews and press, never as our own tasting claim.
• Freshness & buzz (10%) — recency of verification. Social buzz can never exceed this 10% share, so a viral week cannot buy first place.

Every venue page shows its own breakdown under “Why this score”.

Confidence

Separately from the score, Confidence (0–100) measures how solid our information is: source count 25 / primary sources 20 / freshness 20 / review volume 15 / cross-source agreement 15 / field check 5. Publication requires ≥45, rankings ≥65, top-10 ≥75; entries below 65 appear as “New & Notable”.

The three tiers

Special Occasion (approx. ¥6,000+), Proper Dinner (¥2,500+) and Everyday (below) are parallel categories, not a hierarchy. Classification weighs format (tasting menus, hotels, stalls) as well as price, and a separate five-step price band exists underneath.

Data principles

• Unknowns are shown as “unverified”, never guessed.
• Every venue carries evidence with check dates — at least two sources, three to four for top candidates.
• “Likely open now” is computed from stored regular hours and local time; public holidays are not reflected.
• Closed venues keep their pages but leave rankings and default search.
• Ratings are dated snapshots, never presented as real-time feeds.

Currency

All prices are in Japanese yen (tax-included estimates). No currency conversion is applied. Every figure carries the date it was checked.

Independence

This is independent research by J-Catalyst. Listings and rankings are not influenced by advertising. Any future sponsored placements will be labelled and excluded from the Atlas Score. Corrections: see About & policies.