Kaiseki dinners in Japan are more formal set menus. On Saturday night my hosts from Gakushuin university took me out for a particularly delicious, light and healthy kaiseki dinner.

The dinner started with appetizers. On the plate are some fried shrimp, a snail (which was particularly difficult to remove from the shell) and a pickled plum.

Next came the sashimi course. You just can’t go wrong with raw fish in my opinion!

Interestingly they served mushroom and broth in these individual tea pots. You poured it out and drank it like tea then you ate the mushrooms from inside. It was delicious!

The main meal was a piece of cooked fish. Elegant and simple in a truly Japanese style. It was delightful.

We also had a vegetable tempura course.

And finally to end the meal, some soup, rice and a few pickled vegetables. Along with some beer and sake, it was a nice meal.

After dinner with my hosts, Profs. Nakamura and Akiyama.