Tokyo¡¯s acclaimed Ben Fiddich just barely squeaked into the latest rankings from the .

Sitting at No. 48, Hiroyasu Kayama¡¯s Shinjuku cocktail bar was Japan¡¯s lone entry to the list, which named Barcelona¡¯s Paradiso to the top spot.

While even managing to be considered one of the 50 best watering holes on the globe is an achievement in and of itself, the 2022 rankings represent a bit of a decline for Ben Fiddich, which was ranked No. 32 in 2021.

Japan as a whole also dipped ¡ª the country managed two entries in the top 50 last year. The other bar awarded in 2021, Shingo Gokan¡¯s The SG Club in Shibuya, dropped all the way from No. 18 to No. 63 in this year¡¯s expanded Top 100 list.

Announced via a livestream on Oct. 4, the rankings from the World¡¯s 50 Best List organization didn¡¯t include any commentary on why the two Tokyo bars might have slipped so steeply. It¡¯s certainly possible that a decline in quality was a contributor; Gokan has devoted at least some of his energy to the zero-waste cocktails on offer at Ash.

Also, the list¡¯s 650 voters drawn globally from across the industry are limited to nominating just seven bars among those they visited in the previous 18 months. Last year, those experts were encouraged to cast at least three votes for bars outside their home country (or home state for those residing in the United States).

This year, there was no such request from the World¡¯s 50 Best organization, and with restrictive entry requirements from the Japanese government in place for much of the last year and change, it¡¯s natural to wonder whether this hindered voters¡¯ chances to experience Ben Fiddich, The SG Club and the other four bars named to the Asia¡¯s 50 Best Bar list back in May.

With most border restrictions set to expire on Oct. 11, however, Kayama, Gokan and other Japanese mixologists might not have to wait long to welcome back imbibers from all over and make their case for 2023.