Kaiseki

I don’t know why, but I sure am thinking a lot about Japan lately. Today, my mind brings me back to the Kaiseki banquet dinners I’ve had during a business trip spring of 2019. I’ve really no idea what Kaiseki was, and all I know is that I was up for good Japanese food. And then the experience exceeded my expectations.

I had to do some research to talk about Kaiseki today. It’s a multi-course Japanese meal comprised of the chef’s selection, so they may change regularly depending on the seasonality of the ingredients.

Pardon me for forgetting where exactly we had dinner, as I just walked along with my companions at the time. All I remember is that the first restaurant we had Kaiseki dinner was in the Marunouchi area near the Tokyo Station, and it was overlooking the Imperial Palace grounds. The second restaurant we had it (it was 2 nights in a row!) was also near the Tokyo Station, but this time the restaurant didn’t have a view.

All I remember was the small portions of food were intricately designed with care, and the rich variety of flavors were quite remarkable. The food kept coming though, and towards the end I worried I might not have the tummy space.

On my succeeding trips, I tried to have Kaiseki again, but wasn’t able to on my own. Was meaning to have it this year with D, my sister and brother-in-law as it’s best enjoyed with a group. Alas, travel was halted – so this plan is on a “to be continued” status when we’re all able to, once again.