2 October 2025
Imagine sitting down in a serene tatami room, shoes politely abandoned at the door. You sit on a pillow on the floor. Your feet fall into a well under the low table. Before you is a three foot eating area covered with at least a plethora of small dishes and bowls. Like a kid at Christmas, I check out the contents.
Course 1: Aperitif
The plum wine wets my palate. No chopsticks needed. The mystery begins.
Course 2: Welcome Appetizers
Something that looks like a leaf but smells like the sea. The pink leaf is a radish; not sure about the yellow flower. A couple chicken nuggets? An olive, boiled peanuts, fish and rice, a glutinous square topped with a dab of wasabi, and a couple blind bites and mystery morsels. I hope I haven’t just eaten a garnish. I fumble through with my chopsticks.
Smile, chew bravely, and remember—I don’t have to clean my plate. Dining is to be savored – appreciated as an art form.
This is only the beginning.
Course 3: The Sashimi
Slices of fish so fresh the tuna may file a missing fish report back at the ocean. I’m meant to savor the purity of flavor. A favorite course because I receive a tiny bowl of soy sauce. Mix in some wasabi and I have a feast. A slice of something translucent, artfully arranged on a leaf. I dip my fish, not entirely knowing what I am eating.
Beyond Tea
Ordering an alcoholic drink in Japan is a challenge. Tea is the drink of choice. For me, a travel mate’s description of it as weasel piss is accurate.
Because we walk to hotel after dinner, I order a nonalcoholic Kirin which is very good. It usually takes two or three courses before the beer arrives.
Back at the hotel, I will use the vending machine to get a real beer.
Course 4: The Leap of Taste
I remove the lid of a sweet little cup to reveal something. Fishy, thick broth with a mysterious floating item that may be tofu…or a sea sponge. A spoon hints how it is to be eaten. It’s sort of wobbling and gelatinous.
Course 5: The Soup
Then comes the mushroom soup in a small bowl. A variety of fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi are mixed with crunchy cakes and a delicious thick broth. My chopsticks are happy rooting out all the delicious morsels.
Course 6: The Tempura
A dish is delivered with a small grilled shellfish and tempura shrimp. A few somethings unknown but crunchy. I know the green and orange specks are veggies artfully added for color.
Each dish has been presented like a sacred treasure, artfully arranged, while I fumble with chopsticks and try to pick up tiny morsels to feed my mouth.
I need more plum wine. Instead, I enjoy my nonalcoholic Kirin beer.
Course 7: Flavor Roulette – Raw Fish and Green Slime
A beautiful small plate arrives alongside a delicate leaf dish. This is sashimi, thinly sliced raw fish and tiny crustaceans. Salmon, perhaps tuna decorated with a tomato.
The cup of something green and slimy withing a fine rose goblet. Dipping my chopsticks, I discover seaweed. Reminds me of what my backyard fountain grows after hot summer days.
I need more plum wine. Instead, I enjoy my nonalcoholic Kirin beer. I might need a second.
Course 8: The Simmering Pot
We all peeked to see what was in the pink pagoda pot. Not, someone comes by and lights the fuel. We are to let it simmer until it steams.
Inside, ready for stewing are mushrooms and thin slices of Hida beef. On the side is a raw egg. The pot quickly boils, cooking our main course in minutes. I may use the egg for dipping or, I prefer, to add to the mixture for flavor. I’m stuffed already, but the small 8th course is delicious.
Course 9: The Mystery Box
Something arrives in a beautiful lacquered box. I open it as if revealing treasure—inside are noodles. Below the noodles are a shelf of rice balls. We are to use the beef broth with sesame seeds for dipping our precooked noodles. A small covered kettle to match the mystery box holds hot water (used to boil the noodles) in which to warm the noodles.
Course 10: Suspiciously Delicious
It ain’t over until dessert. The blueberry ice cream, possible three bites, cleaned the palate. Fruit consists of a plump chilled grape, a chunk of mango and pear.
The green stuff suffered caution. In Japan, green tea powder, or matcha, reigns. Matcha is finely ground green tea powder known for its vibrant green color and rich, smooth, and slightly sweet, or umami, flavor. The green stuff tasted pretty good.
Gourmet Gamble
By the end, you are not full in the Thanksgiving sense. Instead, you are gently satisfied, cuisine confused, and suspiciously craving French fries. But you also know you’ve eaten not just a meal, but an experience—ten tiny steps into another world.
I won’t attempt to describe the 12 courses served at Sumibi Yakitori Ryo Kanazawa. No simple, funky chicken here.
And I can’t express to you how happy I am that I am not a dishwasher in Japan.
