Some time ago, London didn’t used to spring to mind when looking for a Japanese restaurant. Japanese expatriates have been in London since the end of World War Two, but even so there are relatively few Japanese living in the UK. However, the vast majority live in and around the capital and in 1972 the first London Japanese restaurant opened its doors. It was called The Ajimura, on Shelton Street in WC2, where you can still find some London Japanese restaurants. The last ten years has seen the phenomenal growth of Japanese cuisine around the world, leading to some of the best Japanese restaurants popping up in London.