Last Sunday, my husband and I invited my parents, our daughter, and her family to a kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine) restaurant called Kitcho, which is one of the most famous restaurants in Japan. Since the seven of us had a fantastic meal together, I'd love to share the experience with you.

Since we have our two-year-old grandson who is playful and my dad who speaks loud because of his hearing problem, my husband reserved a private room for us. The room had a nice tokonoma (Japanese alcove) and a lovely garden. So, we enjoyed both the exquisite food and scenery.

The meal started sake with a red lacquer cup in the picture below. When we saw the first dish, everybody said, "Wow!" Japanese cuisine is known for its visual beauty, and the presentation was truly perfect. It was decorated on the top of shaved ice and a leaf, so it made us feel cool.

In Japanese cuisine, the tableware is just as important as the food itself. Take a look at this gorgeous soup bowl in the picture below. It's decorated with makie (a traditional lacquer technique using gold or silver powder). I absolutely loved the bowl, and it inspired me to try making similar with my own skills.

When I opened the lid, I was doubly surprised to find another makie design on the inside. The soup was made by my favorite fish, hamo (pike conger), and it tasted superb!

The third dish was also fun to look. I thought it was such a clever idea to decorate the dish with Japanese green male leaves and shaved ice in the summer. I'm sure they'll use the red ones in the fall. We Japanese appreciate these subtle ways of feeling the changing seasons.

One of the most stunning presentations was shown in the picture below. They served the several small dishes with two of flower arrangements. The decoration was so beautiful that it felt like a work of art..

To me, it was art.

Three waitresses attended to us, serving each dish individually and leaving the flower arrangements on the table. So, while having the dishes, we also admired the flowers.

The restaurant was so creative in its presentation that I was completely amazed by the dish served inside a ground cherry. When I opened it, a small piece of food appeared. what a surprise!

Everybody was curious about the tamatebako (a treasure box from Japanese folklore)shaped container. We joked about Urashima Taro. When we opened it, it might suddenly make us old!

The picture below shows corn rice dish, which was another pleasant surprise. Since none of us have had such unique rice, we all enjoyed it.

My grandson had his own meal and he absolutely enjoyed it.

After the meal, we enjoyed walking around the Japanese garden. As we walked, we couldn’t stop talking about how amazing the food had been.

Everybody keeps saying Kitcho is the best, and now I completely agree. Their presentation and creativity are exceptional. They turn food into a form of art that no one has ever seen before, and everything tastes phenomenal. It was truly an unforgettable experience.

We're planing to celebrate my mom's eighty eighth birthday there in the fall. In Japan turning 88 is called beijyu (米寿) and it's a special occasion. I'm sure she'll love it.

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