the japan edition · field notes

Japanese Food

In Japan the table follows the season as closely as the landscape does. A kaiseki menu is rebuilt around the morning's catch and the week's harvest, and a dish set down in spring will not appear again in autumn. These pieces are on what to eat in Japan and when: the dishes that explain the country, the manners of the sushi counter, the sake of Kyoto, and the kaiseki kitchens that compose a meal course by course.

11 articles
A traditional covered wooden boat moored on a narrow canal thick with fallen cherry blossom petals, blossom branches arching overhead in golden evening lightexperiencesA Cherry Blossom Journey Through JapanA spring journey through Japan is felt as much at the table and in the bath as beneath the branches: the rhythm of the days, and the bamboo shoot, sea bream and seasonal seafood that mark the season on the plate.the full articleA steel ladle pouring a stream of clear golden dashi back into a steel stockpot, steam rising from the surface against a dark backgroundexperiencesJapan Food Tour: A Culinary Journey, Region by RegionSushi in Tokyo, kaiseki in Kyoto, the counters of Osaka, snow crab on the Sea of Japan, wagyu, the sake country and the northern table of Hokkaido: Japan as a serious eater would route it, with dashi as the thread.the full articleSteam rising through a mountain valley of brilliant red, orange and gold autumn foliageexperiencesAn Autumn Journey Through JapanAn autumn journey through Japan runs to a rhythm the season sets: cool mornings in the gardens, afternoons on the move through valleys of colour, and evenings that turn indoors to the onsen and the ryokan table.the full articleSea urchin still in its spiny shell, grilling over open charcoal flameexperiencesThe Northern Table: Hokkaidō's FoodCold water, open pasture and a short summer built Japan's northern kitchen: hairy crab and sea urchin, scallops and salmon roe, milk and butter, Yūbari melon, and the ramen of three cities.the full articleA single kaiseki course in a small red lacquer cup, salmon roe over pickled cucumber and daikon set on iceexperiencesKaiseki: the Art of the Seasonal MealKaiseki is Japan's most exact language of seasonal dining, a sequence of small, deliberate courses, each in its own vessel, that sets a single month on the table.the full articleA path of diamond-patterned stone pavers leading straight to a small temple gate between trees in spring greenplanningHow to Plan a Japan ItineraryA Japan itinerary works when it is built on rhythm: enough nights in each place, honest transfers, and a clear decision about what to leave out.the full articleTraditional wooden sake fermentation vessels beneath a paper shoji window in a dim, steam-filled brewery interiorcultureSake, the Art of NishijinKyoto's famous sake comes from Fushimi. The last brewery inside the old city stands in Nishijin, the silk-weaving quarter, on the springs Sen no Rikyu is said to have used for his tea.the full articleThree whole matsutake mushrooms resting on cedar sprigs in a wooden boxexperiencesThe Autumn TableIn autumn Japan cooks with matsutake, chestnut, new rice, persimmon and the fish of cooling water, and its best kitchens do as little to them as they can.the full articleMorning light through lattice windows in a traditional wooden onsen bathexperiencesThe First Morning in a RyokanWhat happens between waking and breakfast in a Japanese inn: the room turned from night to day, the yukata, the walk to the onsen and the long breakfast that follows.the full articleA sushi chef's hands shaping a piece of fatty tuna nigiri, pressing rice and fish together in the palmexperiencesThe Sushi CounterThe sushi counter, from Hanaya Yohei's stall in 1824 to the omakase of today: why the rice matters as much as the fish, and how the chef sets the order of the evening.the full articleA chef across the counter presenting a seared scallop wrapped in a strip of noriexperiencesWhat to Eat in Japan: Twelve Dishes, and the CostliestTwelve dishes that explain Japan, each tied to its own counter, region and month, from a Hakata ramen bowl to the fugu, otoro and Kobe beef that are the country's most prized and expensive eating.the full article

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