niponica is a web magazine that introduces modern Japan to people all over the world.
2020 NO.28
Tokyo: The Ultimate Gourmet Experience
Japanese Cuisine for the Seasons
Spring
Sashimi of prawns and yellow jack caught in Tokyo Bay are arranged in the shape of a folding fan used in traditional dances during cherry blossom viewing. The plate featuring a design of grass sprinkled with cherry blossoms enhances the spring ambience.
Summer
Conger pike, a delicacy that gets particularly fatty in summer, is scalded and then immediately immersed in icy water. The fish is served in a bowl with kelp broth and decorated with a star-shaped slice of green yuzu citrus fruit, which, together with fireworks depicted on the inside of the lid, creates the image of a summer night sky.
Autumn
Rice cooked with maitake (hen-of-the-woods) mushrooms picked in the mountains of Tohoku during the autumn harvest season is sprinkled with salmon roe marinated in soy sauce and fragrant Japanese honeywort.
Winter
The meat of snow crab, a beloved winter delicacy, is steamed and then returned to the shell. The creative arrangement is served in a matching leaf-shaped plate, with a vibrant decoration of cucumbers and two types of edible chrysanthemum.
(All four dishes are prepared by Kaiseki Komuro)