Shellfish, plump and full of flavor in spring, take center stage here. Ark shell (akagai) from Oita, whelk (tsubugai) from Hokkaido, clams, geoduck, and more—flash boiled and served medium rare, prepared as kamameshi in a small iron pot, or paired with seasonal vegetables. Delightfully fragrant and textured shellfish dishes.
Shellfish, plump and full of flavor in spring, take center stage here. Ark shell (akagai) from Oita, whelk (tsubugai) from Hokkaido, clams, geoduck, and more—flash boiled and served medium rare, prepared as kamameshi in a small iron pot, or paired with seasonal vegetables. Delightfully fragrant and textured shellfish dishes.
Shumbun is the spring equinox, when day and night are the same length. This is a time when you can physically feel the season moving. We prefer to live by the old calendar, where the year is divided into 24 small seasons. Based on the position of the sun and earth, it fits the way we feel physically. The weather for this period is expressed as “three cold days and four warm days,” perfectly describing how spring approaches subtly but surely.
Shumbun is the spring equinox, when day and night are the same length. This is a time when you can physically feel the season moving. We prefer to live by the old calendar, where the year is divided into 24 small seasons. Based on the position of the sun and earth, it fits the way we feel physically. The weather for this period is expressed as “three cold days and four warm days,” perfectly describing how spring approaches subtly but surely.
Whether at an exclusive restaurant or at our own table, we end each meal with the words gochisou sama deshita. We give thanks for a fine meal through a phrase that evokes the notion of a rider on a galloping horse. It is an expression of gratitude not just for the food itself, but for all of the running around that a fine meal requires.
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Whether at an exclusive restaurant or at our own table, we end each meal with the words gochisou sama deshita. We give thanks for a fine meal through a phrase that evokes the notion of a rider on a galloping horse. It is an expression of gratitude not just for the food itself, but for all of the running around that a fine meal requires.
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The Doll Festival, or Hina-matsuri, is a time to pray for the health and happiness of your young daughter. Originally, it was a day set aside to wash away any troubles with running water. Shimogamo shrine continues this tradition by setting paper dolls to float away in the stream that runs through the shrine, taking any evil away with them.
Kyoto Wakuden’s course for March celebrates health and the coming of spring with a bowl of clam and fresh seaweed, beef and mugwort mochi with a bitter leaf bud sauce, and a special sushi with shellfish.
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The Doll Festival, or Hina-matsuri, is a time to pray for the health and happiness of your young daughter. Originally, it was a day set aside to wash away any troubles with running water. Shimogamo shrine continues this tradition by setting paper dolls to float away in the stream that runs through the shrine, taking any evil away with them.
Kyoto Wakuden’s course for March celebrates health and the coming of spring with a bowl of clam and fresh seaweed, beef and mugwort mochi with a bitter leaf bud sauce, and a special sushi with shellfish.
Read more ＞
Bear from the Hokuriku region, boar from Kyushu, canard de Challans: life that has run free on the mountains and in the fields possesses a certain “heat.” We take this energy and pass it on in a simple dish, paired with watercress and other iconic spring vegetables.
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Bear from the Hokuriku region, boar from Kyushu, canard de Challans: life that has run free on the mountains and in the fields possesses a certain “heat.” We take this energy and pass it on in a simple dish, paired with watercress and other iconic spring vegetables.
Read more ＞
For the past 1270 years, the Shunie ritual has been held at Todaiji temple. Artificial camellias surround the eleven-faced kannon statue in Nigatsudo hall. The crimson, white, and yellow Japanese paper that constructs the flower is dyed at the studio of Sachio Yoshioka, a master and historian of traditional plant dyeing. The crimson is dyed using safflower, the yellow with gardenia. The monks who serve the ceremony assemble the flowers. They then cut out camellia branches from the mountain behind Todaiji and place the flowers on the branches. Just as the ritual of Shunie will always continue, so will the traditional way of bringing out the deep red color from safflower be forever passed down. Now, camellias and plums are in bloom, and then come the cherry blossoms. With the flowers comes spring.
For the past 1270 years, the Shunie ritual has been held at Todaiji temple. Artificial camellias surround the eleven-faced kannon statue in Nigatsudo hall. The crimson, white, and yellow Japanese paper that constructs the flower is dyed at the studio of Sachio Yoshioka, a master and historian of traditional plant dyeing. The crimson is dyed using safflower, the yellow with gardenia. The monks who serve the ceremony assemble the flowers. They then cut out camellia branches from the mountain behind Todaiji and place the flowers on the branches. Just as the ritual of Shunie will always continue, so will the traditional way of bringing out the deep red color from safflower be forever passed down. Now, camellias and plums are in bloom, and then come the cherry blossoms. With the flowers comes spring.
