Kaiseki

A kaiseki meal expresses the season in every element. Ingredients are chosen at their peak or just arriving, and the menu may allude to seasonal festivals, poems or landscapes. Portions are small so that many techniques can be shown: raw, grilled, simmered, steamed, fried and vinegared dishes follow one another in a balanced progression.

Tableware is as important as the food. The chef combines lacquer, porcelain, stoneware and glass of different shapes and colours, changes them through the year and chooses each piece to set off the dish it holds. A single meal may use antique pieces alongside the work of contemporary potters.

The order of banquet kaiseki varies between restaurants and regions, but a common sequence runs as follows. The meal ends with rice, miso soup and pickles, as does an everyday Japanese meal, followed by fruit or a sweet.

In the tea ceremony, cha-kaiseki is still served in its original form: the host serves rice, soup and a dish of sashimi on a tray, followed by a simmered dish, a grilled dish, a clear palate-cleansing soup and the hassun, over which host and guests exchange sake. Only then come the sweets and the thick tea. The meal is intended to be modest, enough to please without overfilling.

The tea schools preserve detailed rules for serving and eating it, down to how bowls are opened and chopsticks placed, and the tradition continues to influence restaurant kaiseki.

Kyoto is regarded as the heartland of kaiseki, with its court, temple and tea traditions, its vegetables and the kombu-based dashi of the Kansai. Kanazawa has its own refined cuisine shaped by the Kaga domain and the Sea of Japan. Tokyo's ryōtei have long served politicians and business entertaining.

For many travellers the first encounter is the evening meal at a ryokan (traditional inn), where a kaiseki-style dinner is served in the guest room or a dining room. Many restaurants also offer smaller kaiseki meals at lunchtime.

Kaiseki is served at a set pace, so it helps to arrive on time. Guests usually tell the restaurant about allergies and dietary restrictions when booking, since the menu is prepared in advance. Lids are removed from lacquer bowls and placed upside down beside the tray, then replaced when the bowl is finished. Valuable tableware is handled with care: rings and watches can scratch lacquer, and bowls are lifted with both hands.

Photographing each dish is widely accepted but best done quickly and without flash, as hot dishes are meant to be eaten at once. Strong perfume is avoided because it competes with the aromas of the food.