Word: kaiseki
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Yamanaka Ryokan Try Tokyo's best kaiseki-style Chinese restaurant and sleep on a fluffy futon at this little-known gem, just five minutes by taxi from the express train to Narita. Tel: (81-3) 3821-4751, 4-23-1 Ikenohata. (See Time.com/Travel for city guides, stories and advice...
...Kitcho's discreet doors finally slid open, it was a lesson in omotenashi, or no-holds-barred hospitality. No detail would be overlooked to make us feel welcome and the experience exceptional. Likewise, we had to fulfill our part of the deal by being appreciative clients. Like a tango, kaiseki is a collaboration between host and guest...
...addition to presenting the museum-quality pieces on the table, Mrs. Yuki directed the feast as three waitresses served course after course with chilled sake specially brewed for the house. Like a symphony, kaiseki tempo alternates between big movements and adagio interludes. The meal follows a single seasonal theme, but each course features a different cooking method. The overture was mushiawabi--steamed abalone--a luxurious opening. A subdued salad of zuiki, or taro stems, seemed to say that opulence must avoid ostentation. The clear soup arrived, an important kaiseki moment. When we lifted the lacquer lids, an aromatic tsunami swept...
...time we came to the roasted oysters dengaku, Mrs. Yuki was discussing my husband's luxury business. In kaiseki, the first half-dozen courses are just nibbles to go with sake; the real meal is rice. In fact, the Japanese words for "meal" and "rice" are the same, gohan. That night's main event was another matsutake masterpiece, which the okami-san herself dished from the old-fashioned pot. The final bowl of shaved ice and matcha-tea syrup combined a clever reference to the tea ceremony with a last, nostalgic taste of summer...
...reluctantly said goodbye, I remembered the Zen mantra ichigo ichie, meaning "one chance, one meeting." In kaiseki, it is the mandate to treat each moment as precious, never to be repeated. At the door, Mrs. Yuki said she hoped to see us again. No matter how often we do, I know each encounter will be the meal of a lifetime...