An Invitation to the Profound Taste of Japanese Cuisine
The greatest joy of traveling overseas must surely be
coming into contact with and experiencing a different
culture. Even though we now live in an age ofeffortless access to information, seeing is believing, inother words, it is important to actually visit the placeand experience for yourself. When you travel to Japanand stay at the unique lodging facilities known asryokan, you will be overwhelmed by the 'foreignness'of the culture, so different from others, and made up
of so many diverse elements. In particular, throughyour encounter with Japanese cuisine, you will
acutely perceive the uniqueness of our culture with all
your five senses.
The most remarkable feature about Japanese food isthat Japan is blessed with an exceptionally richvariety of ingredients. The country is a long andnarrow arc of islands stretching from the subarctic
zone in the northeast to the subtropical zone in thesouthwest, and has four distinct seasons as well as
many mountains and rivers, providing ideal habitats
for animals and plants. Moreover, the oceanssurrounding the country are home to numerous
fishing grounds, and all kinds of fish can be caught
from both the warm and cold ocean currents. Thefresh and bountiful products of the sea and mountains
have greatly contributed to the development ofJapanese food, allowing our own original food culture
to blossom.
For a very long time, the Japanese people did not eat
meat but ate mostly fish and vegetables due to theinfluence of Buddhism. Japanese food is uniqueamong the cuisines of the world in that only small
amounts of oils and spices are used. Furthermore, theavailability of the freshest ingredients and abundant
clean water have enabled the Japanese to develop
unique techniques that rely on as little additionalflavoring as possible and to bring out the original
flavor of each ingredient. Japanese cuisine
embodies a unique focus on seasonality, requiring
proficiency at cooking seasonal ingredients andtechniques for expressing the four seasons even in
the actual arrangement of the food on the plates.

バイキング形式のカウンター
A buffet-style counter.

o tei
Even today, first-class Japanese food served at ry‐
and kapp‐o restaurants looks beautiful, tastes delicious, and is perfectly balanced in nutrition. This
healthy food could be described as the perfectcuisine.
As for the origins of Japanese cuisine, there are many
interpretations depending on the perspective. Here,we will assume that Japanese cuisine originated in
the food prepared for court aristocrats in the years
preceding the Nara Period. However, the culinary
techniques were very simple back then, and opinions
differ as to whether the food was worthy of being
called 'cuisine'. Nonetheless, food prior to this era
had primarily been considered as merely a source ofenergy for sustaining life, and so it is possible toidentify the roots of Japanese cuisine in the Nara
Period. Since then, the techniques of Japanesecuisine improved significantly in each period, throughwealth, power, religion. Initially, the influences ofo jin ry‐
o ri (vegetarian meals
Buddhism gave birth to sh‐prepared for religious reasons) using foods processedfrom vegetables and soy beans. Sad‐o (the art ofceremonial tea) produced kaiseki r y‐o ri (tea-ceremonydishes), and honzen r y‐o ri (formal dinner served ontrays with legs) emerged from the samurai society,which later developed into kaiseki r y‐o ri (party dishes
served on individual trays) served during sake feasts.
At the same time, all kinds of ky‐
o do r y‐o ri (regionaldishes) developed in each locality. In the Kant‐
oDistrict (Edo), nigiri-zushi (hand-rolled sushi), tempura(deep-fried fish and vegetables), soba (buckwheatnoodles) and unagi (eel) dishes were created, whereas
in the Kansai District (Kyoto), kaiseki ry‐
o ri (teaceremony dishes) developed into refined dishes
served at high-class ry‐
o tei restaurants, and the foodsof both districts spread nationwide. Later, all of theabove foods started to adopt elements from one
another, and eventually merged harmoniously, which
explains the extensive diversity now seen in Japanesecuisine.

cuisine, has been handed down to this day. Whether
eating out or at home, meals combining Japanese andWestern foods have become commonplace, and it is
becoming increasingly difficult to draw a distinction
between Japanese food and other foods for Japan
has been incorporating the cooking methods ofvarious countries worldwide. There is a prominent
trend among Japanese consumers to seek rice, meat,
vegetables and other ingredients sold under brandnames. This can be positively interpreted as areflection of the pursuit of delicious food made sinceancient times by the Japanese who are used toadapting to things new.
In the contemporary Japanese ryokan, food isprepared by introducing elements of Japaneseregional cuisines and foreign cooking methods while
fundamentally adhering to traditional Japaneseo ri (party dishes)
cuisine, producing kaiseki ry‐
characterized by original touches added by each of
the ryokans. Although this trend has taken root
nationwide, some ryokans serve mainly ky‐
o do ry‐o ri(local specialties), have adopted the buffet style, orare creating unique forms of Japanese cuisine under
new interpretations.
For Japanese people who choose to stay at ryokans,the food is one of the most important factors forselecting a ryokan. The quality of the food is greatly
influenced by the skills and sense of the chefs. That is
why each ryokan strives to hire experienced chefs
with first-class skills, and is committed to training
younger chefs to ensure that these techniques areproperly handed down.
After this lengthy explanation, it is our earnest desirethat you will have the chance to relish the sumptuous
dishes prepared by the ryokan laid out with pride
before you on the dining table, and hope that they will
suit your palate. But however much we describe thefood, nothing can compare to experiencing Japanesecuisine for yourself.

From the Meiji Period onward, the practice of eating
meat spread, and a new form of Japanese cuisine,quite different from the genuine form of Japanese

お弁当形式の日本料理（昼食）Japanese food (lunch) neatly arranged in a box
in an obent‐
o style.

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