"Nippon Cuisine ~ A Journey Through Time" Debuts at HOSHINOYA Tokyo

HOSHINOYA Tokyo

HOSHINOYA Tokyo, a traditional Japanese ryokan, will be offering the special "Nippon Cuisine ~ A Journey Through Time" course, which traces the changes in Japanese food culture, from October 1st to 31st, 2019. The aim is to reaffirm the value of Japanese ingredients and cuisine by conveying the attractiveness of Japanese food culture through a special course inspired by its history.

What is Nippon Cuisine?
HOSHINOYA Tokyo is a traditional Japanese ryokan that incorporates authentic Japanese style and modern comforts suited to people of today. "Nippon Cuisine" is a full course combining the ingredients obtained from the rich nature of Japan with French culinary techniques. It focuses on fish, the backbone of Japanese food culture, and will be offered in the dining hall on the B1 floor. Fish is used amply in the dishes and species of fish which are rarely used in French cuisine, along with parts that are often discarded, make an appearance.

How the course was developed 

When thinking about the ingredients to be used in Nippon Cuisine, Executive Chef Noriyuki Hamada conceived the idea that natural ingredients which have existed in Japan since ancient times are precisely what can be called Japanese ingredients in the true sense, and created the concept of "cuisine centered on fish and vegetables, the natural Japanese ingredients". He thought of the possibility of adding the element of "time" in Nippon Cuisine, as Japan had just changed the era name and entered a new epoch in May.

Thus, this is a special course featuring Japanese foods passed down for years until now. The cuisine is inspired by the ingredients and culinary methods used in each era, and Hamada hopes it can convey the history and uniqueness of Japanese food culture that provides tasters with an impetus to re-evaluate

Japanese food - the three elements
1. Tracing the history of Japanese food culture
A fall special course which follows the changes in Japanese food culture with each meal will be offered. Starting from prehistoric times, various food cultures emerged in Japan during the course of history, from the cuisine’s initial formation centering on rice, fish, and the appearance of earthenware, to its later westernization in the modern age. From the appetizer to the dessert, the course is arranged with chef Hamada's unique sensibility, using ingredients and techniques unique to each era from the past to the present, such as the "Ammonite fossil-style conch", reflecting the Paleolithic age, and the "Clay-styled splendid alfonsino", inspired by the technique of baking fish inside clay
from the Yayoi era.

2. Cuisine to link and pass on to the next generation 

In the Tokyo market, where top-class goods are gathered from all over the world, rare high-class fish become a brand and get high prices, while small fish are regarded as valueless even if they are caught, so they get thrown away. It is also said that hundreds of varieties of vegetables unique to Japan disappear each year due to the problem of species and a lack of successors. As he encounters various ingredients through work as a chef, Hamada started thinking that it is important to discover new value in seemingly “valueless” things in order to preserve them for future generations. By providing Japanese ingredients selected by Hamada himself, Hoshino Resorts hopes to spread to the whole world ingredients which are yet unknown.

3. Evoking epochs with space and production
The dining hall on the B1 floor of HOSHINOYA Tokyo has impressive walls with a plaster finish reminiscent of earth strata. This course is offered with a maximum of three groups of six guests each per day. Not only the food itself, but the dishes and cutlery are inspired by each era as well, creating a special culinary experience which goes from the past to the present.

"Nippon Cuisine ~A journey through time~" outline
■Dates: From October 1st to 31st, 2019
■Fee: 30,000 yen per person (tax and a 10% service charge separate, lodging fee separate)
■Reservation: Book at least 7 days in advance from the website
■Capacity: 3 groups of 6 guests each per day (the minimum number of guests is 2)
■Applicable to: HOSHINOYA Tokyo guests
*The course will be available from 18:00
*The contents of the menu may be partially changed according to the circumstances.

HOSHINOYA Tokyo Executive Chef Noriyuki Hamada - Profile
1975 - Born in Tottori Prefecture He started polishing his skills in the world of Italian cuisine from the age of 18 and switched to French cuisine at the age of 24.
2000 - Participated in the FFCC French cooking competition
2004 - The youngest winner ever of the Japanese tournament for the Bocuse d'Or international chef championship.
2005 - Participated in the international tournament of the Bocuse d'Or chef championship
2007 - Elected as a member of the Bocuse d'Or Academy
2010 - Third place in the Le Taittinger international cooking competition, Concour - Japon
2012 - Runner-up in the Asia tournament for the Bocuse d'Or international chef championship
2013 - World No. 3 - Bronze medal in the final selection of the Bocuse d'Or international chef championship France tournament
2016 - HOSHINOYA Tokyo Executive Chef
2017 - Served fish cuisine for about 1,500 world gourmets at the Bocuse d'Or international chef championship 30th-anniversary gala dinner

HOSHINOYA Tokyo
Address: 1-9-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
Reservation Center: +81-(0)50-3786-1144
Website: https://hoshinoya.com/
Number of rooms: 84
Hotel amenities: onsen, main dining area, spa and conference room
Check-in: 15:00 Check-out: 12:00
Nightly price: from 83,000 yen per room (excluding tax, 10% service charge and meals)