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AIZUWAKAMATSU | Kaiseki is a type of traditional Japanese multi course dinner, that was originally reserved for Japanese nobility. More than just food, Kaiseki is all about omotenashi, which means “to entertain guests wholeheartedly”, and embodies warmth and respect. The dishes are small and beautifully presented, with a focus on balancing the taste, texture, appearance, and colours of the food. Only fresh, seasonal, local ingredients are used, and a focus is placed on regional specialities. The order of the dishes, and the exact recipes used, are always at the discretion of the chef.
Kissho is a restaurant at the hotel Onyado Toho, and is a great way to experience Kaiseki. The meal here follows the traditional Kaiseki structure:
- Sakizuke – an entree served with sake
- Futamono – a lidded dish, typically soup
- Nimono – a simmered dish
- Mukozuke – a sashimi dish
- Hassun – an expression of the season
- Yakimono – a grilled course
- Hanmono or shokuji – a rice dish
It’s all very delicious, and provides a great overview of dishes and the specialties of the region, such as the soup, koduyu, which features mamefu, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, satoimo, kikurage, itokonnyaku simmered in dashi made of dried scallops. The rooms in which the meal is served are traditional, private rooms, which enhances the ceremony of the meal. After dinner, you can take a traditional bath in the Onyado Toho’s open air bath which draws water from Higashiyama Onsen. Kaiseki isn’t cheap, but it’s a unique, truly Japanese expression and is something that every visitor to Japan should experience at least once.
Kissho at Onyado Toho
Innai-706
Higashiyamamachi
Ōaza Ishiyama
Aizuwakamatsu
Fukushima Prefecture 965-0813
Japan
Telephone: 0242 26 3131
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.onyado-toho.co.jp/