Forested mountains run through the center of Japan flanked by seas, and its rich food culture is colored by the many blessings these forests and seas bear. Chef Narisawa has utmost respect for his Japanese ancestors who have lived in the Satoyama – on the edge of these wild expanses – and coexisted with nature for centuries, instinctively taking only what they need. NARISAWA’s “Innovative Satoyama Cuisine” is about taking those concepts and passing that through the chef’s unique filter to create food that is beneficial for the body and soul, while also proving sustainable.

In conceptualizing dishes, Narisawa maximizes each item of precious produce, taking boundless inspiration from his journeys. The stories told on his plates are snapshots of the stunning landscapes he has experienced in his search for ingredients. Each dish is breathtakingly beautiful with an equally deep message, going beyond simply tasting good to convey culture and aesthetics. Oscillating between delicacy and boldness, the dinner course of up to 14 dishes can even be altered to vegetarian and vegan preferences. To show the chef’s intentions and the integral nature of Japanese culture, the meal commences with a dish modeled on the Japanese national flag. A shallow red lacquer sake dish sits on washi paper with large visible fibers, and Chef Narisawa treats you to a taste from his premium sake collection in the formal tea ceremony tradition of hiki sakazuki, serving Aramasa Sato Uhei NARISAWA special order sake produced through the age-old method of cloth bag filtering.

Next is a dish that speaks of early summer with water shield plant and chiayu young sweetfish. Slippery water shield plant from deep in the mountains of Hiroshima float gracefully alongside young peas in a transparent liquid made from tomato extract and Kuragakoi kombu, a variety which is aged in a cellar over several years resulting in more mellow flavor and deeper umami. Behind, the refreshing sight of fish swimming playfully is recreated on a glass plate accented with pickled cherry blossom petals.

The chef’s signature dish “Satoyama Scenery” demonstrates irreplaceable aspects of Japanese culture and celebrates Japan’s fermentation traditions. Served on a timber plank and including a bamboo cup holding chilled clear soup extracted from cedar and oak, the dish reflects the landscape where the countless wild grasses served at Narisawa are harvested. Soil made from charcoal, sherry vinegar and dried onion powder, and moss recreated from okara soybean pulp, chlorophyll, perilla, green tea powder and olive oil are artistically arranged across the timber over soybean paste flavored with honey and sansho pepper buds. Deep-fried burdock root mimics the trees atop which sit the wild grasses seasoned with sweetened vinegar.

A course called “Bread of the Forest” served since 2010, puts the spotlight on microbes, made from naturally occurring forest yeasts from the Shirakamisanchi mountain region of northern Japan. Anticipation rises as you watch the fermentation process take place at your table, and it’s almost unbearable when aromas emerge from the stone oven cooking the bread at your table. From citrus to sakura and kinome sansho buds, the seven or so varieties each year offer a stroll through Japan’s distinct seasons.

Extremely poisonous Okinawan sea snake called irabu and soft-shell turtle are fashioned into meatballs. Pierced with a traditional wooden pick, the meatballs are served in a broth made in a pressure cooker through an intensive two-step process, first with sake and kombu, and then with pork, chicken and other flavor components for six hours. The bowl sits within a blackened coil which may give you shivers when you realize it’s actually the dried snake. Topped with pipache Okinawan island pepper, the highly nourishing dish beautifully showcases the regional flavors of Japan’s southernmost prefecture.

“Sumi” – a large chargrilled block of lean Kobe beef rump topped with chargrilled Shimonita green onion powder – was first introduced in 2008. Served on a plank of precious ubame oak charcoal, the sliced beef reveals a brilliant red center in a dish that questions the coexistence of man and forests, depicting the crumbled remains of a charcoal-roasting shed. The celebratory Owan dish was inspired by temari folk craft hand balls, an ancient Japanese pastime. Nestled within the stunning ball of colored root vegetable strips is a sumptuous prawn and scallop dumpling.

“Tsubaki & Koji” served since 2015, is a thematic dish featuring Aspergillus oryzae – the koji mold indispensable in Japanese cuisine and sake. Camellia leaves are reduced to only veins and crisped to perfection, accompanied by petal jelly and amazake paste to complete this dessert which contains not a single grain of sugar. Servers transport you to a sake brewery by mimicking the movements of toji brewers who sprinkle koji mold over rice thereby kicking off the sake production process.

INGREDIENTS
The chef’s signature dish “Satoyama Scenery” first appeared in 2010 to demonstrate irreplaceable aspects of Japanese culture. The dish is a snapshot of the scenery in Kaga, Ishikawa, where the countless varieties of wild grass served at Narisawa are harvested. And it is the restaurant’s demand for such produce that promotes a healthy pace of rejuvenation. This is the concept that drives the chef’s search for premium ingredients including soft-shell turtles that thrive in the nourishing waters of Lake Hamana, Shizuoka Prefecture, where salt and fresh water cross paths; and langoustine, akaza ebi in Japanese, fished off the coast of Shizuoka Prefecture from Narisawa’s dedicated boat. They swim in underground tanks at Narisawa until they are prepped for service, making it possible to give guests the freshest flavors and textures.

Black abalone and bonito are the same items presented as offerings at the sacred Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture. Kombu is of the Kuragakoi variety, aged over several years in cellars for more mellow flavor, and the chef uses soy sauce from the Sawai Shoyu company which has been producing in Kyoto since 1879. Hanazansho flowering sansho Japanese pepper from Shimane Prefecture is only available two weeks a year, making a visit to Narisawa during that time a precious experience.