In 2007, Michelin published its first-ever restaurant guide to Tokyo and awarded the city more stars than even Paris. Jean-Luc Naret, Michelin’s editorial director at the time, was emphatic: Tokyo, he said, was “by far the world’s capital of gastronomy,” a comment that seemed as much an indictment of Paris, and of France, as it was a nod to Tokyo. [...] With its 2013 guide, Michelin has again affirmed that the “muse” has relocated to Tokyo: The French food bible awarded three stars, its highest rating, to 14 restaurants (compared with only 10 in Paris) and dished out a total of 323 stars -- more than to any other city in the Michelin firmament -- to 281 establishments overall.

For drinkers who've foresworn a life of Sapporo and Super Dry, Tokyo is a much more welcoming place than it used to be. It's still worth making a pilgrimage to the legendary Popeye in Ryogoku, but you can now find Japanese and import microbrews on tap at many bars around the city – and some places are even starting to brew their own. Whether you're new to the scene or a hardcore boozehound chasing that next hop high, it's hard to go wrong with the following Tokyo craft beer bars...

Two years after the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, work continues to ensure the damaged units remain stable and to prepare for the long and challenging task of decommissioning.

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Eighteen months after the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, children who were not evacuated are found to have thyroid cysts and nodules. What will this mean for their future?

Living in one of the most volcanically active countries in the world can have its perks, not least the abundance of natural hot springs. According to the Nippon Onsen Research Association, there are a total of 3,185 onsen spread around Japan, in locations ranging from Hokkaido to the southernmost islands of Okinawa. Traditionally, the citizens of Edo had to trek to spa towns like Hakone and Atami if they wanted to get their fix, but today's Tokyoites have it easier: they just drill a few kilometres underground to tap their own source of geothermal goodness. You can now find a diverse range of onsen in Tokyo, from old-school public baths that are practically indistinguishable from your average sento, to massive, theme park-style complexes such as Oedo Onsen Monogatari. As winter holds the capital in its rimy grasp, there's never been a better time to check out some of Tokyo's best hot-spring baths – and we've got something for every taste and budget right here...

Japan may face a total nuclear shutdown in the summer for the second time since the March 2011 Fukushima disaster as the country's two operating reactors close for maintenance and tough new safety checks keep the rest of the fleet offline.

That could force Japan to import even more fossil fuels for power generation, adding to an onerous energy bill that helped push the country into a record trade deficit in 2012.

In the immediate aftermath of the nuclear accident, public-health experts worried about the possible risk from radiation. Subsequent analyses have shown that the prompt, if frantic, evacuation of areas around the reactors probably limited the public’s exposure to a relatively safe level (see ‘The evacuation zones’). But uncertainty, isolation and fears about radioactivity’s invisible threat are jeopardizing the mental health of the 210,000 residents who fled from the nuclear disaster.

Researchers and clinicians are trying to assess and mitigate the problems, but it is unclear whether the Japanese government has the will, or the money, to provide the necessary support. Nor is it certain that the evacuees will accept any help, given their distrust of the government and their reluctance to discuss mental problems. This combination, researchers fear, could drive up rates of anxiety, substance abuse and depression.

A very big report came out last month with very little fanfare.

It concluded what we in nuclear science have been saying for decades – radiation doses less than about 10 rem (0.1 Sv) are no big deal. The linear no-threshold dose hypothesis (LNT) does not apply to doses less than 10 rem (0.1 Sv), which is the region encompassing background levels around the world, and is the region of most importance to nuclear energy, most medical procedures and most areas affected by accidents like Fukushima.

The Mainichi news project has covered people from various walks of life: a woman angry at no one taking responsibility for the disaster and calling for a group lawsuit; a family that gave up on returning home and moved away; the former mayor of Okuma where the crippled nuclear plant is located; a fisherman who set up a decontamination company and vowed to see the revival of his hometown; a deputy secretary-general at a teachers union who continued to warn about the dangers of radiation while suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Their situations were different, but they shared the grief of having their hometowns stolen from them. They also shared distrust toward a national government that had steamed ahead with a policy of promoting nuclear power.