Perhaps you may think this is an odd question. But if you have been fortunate enough to be offered a Kaiseki meal during your visit to Japan, you will understand.
Foreigners mostly expect Japanese food to consist of sushi, sashimi, tempura noodles and rice.
But the difference with Kaiseki cuisine is the fact that although it is the finest and most elegant fare that Japan has to offer, it's concepts are nevertheless firmly grounded in Japanese home cooking. A Kaiseki meal is a lesson in colour, composition and taste. A skilled Japanese Kaiseki chef will offer a example of every style of cooking at his command and every tiny piece is a work of art designed to please both the eye as much as the tastebuds, and the menu for each day is different. Dishes are served one at a time in a pre-determined order. Each serving is tiny, often not more than a mouthful, and each will have some reference to the season, either in the ingredient or the decoration or both.