Kinugawa Kanaya Onsen: The Finest Kaiseki Cuisine

The finest kaiseki meals are an expression of both time and place. Designed to create lasting memories, the experience of the meal goes beyond the edible. Kanaya kaiseki is an original culinary style developed by the Kanaya Hotel that blends the exquisite kaiseki cuisine of Japan with the best elements of the modern and classic schools of Western cooking, to create Kanaya’s special cuisine that fuses tradition with innovation. Placing emphasis on balance and harmony with nature, every course is designed to reflect the time of year and the location where it was made, with the belief that fruits and vegetables are at their most tasteful and nutritious when they are in season. The style, number, and order of dishes served are at the discretion of the chef. This adds to the uniqueness of every dining experience as the menu is affected not only by location and season, but also the current year’s harvest. 

Some menu items are even arranged on the plate to represent the physical attributes of the area, such forests, mountains, and rivers, but traditionally, kaiseki meals are composed of carefully crafted and selected dishes for guests to enjoy, and include sakizuke (appetizer served with sake), nimono (simmered dish), mukozuke (sashimi dish), hassun (expression of the season), yakimono (grilled course), and lastly, shokuji (rice dish). Wishing to experience the true Japanese onsen ryokan experience, we chose to enjoy our meals in the privacy of our own suite served by young ladies dressed in formal kimonos detailed with a thick brocade sash, who served unforgettable Kanaya kaiseki full-course meals for dinner and breakfast during our stay. Every dish was a delicious, vibrant works of original creativity, from fresh, local vegetables to traditional beef stew, exquisite, seasonal fish, and delectable sweets, with breakfast served in our room with breathtaking views overlooking of the Kinugawa River Valley. Our first Kaiseki dinner was 'East Meets West' and was graciously served by Saiko, who took very good care of us throughout our stay at Kinugawa Kanaya Onsen. 

A lacquerware box was set on our in room dining table containing a little sweet surprise each day

The first sweet gift was Matcha Yokan Shimidori, a traditional sweet bean paste jelly

The first dish of our 'East Meets West' Kaiseki dinner served in our private in-room dining area was 

a series of appetizers starting with Nasu Pork Prosciutto Mousse

Chawanmushi, Kanaya's signature steamed egg dish served in an egg shell

Savoury sweet corn and mashed Kabocha pumpkin flan

A welcome drink of Umeshu, Japanese Plum Wine

A small lotus leaf covers a crystal bowl with grilled red pepper in Japanese broth

A lovely small porcelain turtle-shaped serving piece hides a culinary surprise

The lid is removed and inside is Confit of Sweet Fish

Assortment of seasonal bite-size appetizers with a Japanese maple leaf

Beautiful Sake glass 

Cold Sake served with inset chamber for use to keep the rice wine chilled

Conger eel fish cake clear soup with paper thin slices of miniature melon 

Nikko tofu skin and seasonal sashimi garnished with shiso blossoms

Squid Salad with ume, Japanese plum 

Simmered Winter Melon and Scallop Soup

Even the vegetables in the Winter Melon Soup were artfully cut in the shape of a leaf

Nikko Yume Pork with salt malted rice

Peeled marinated cherry tomato

Grilled breaded locally sourced eggplant with cutlass fish

Saiko preparing the special Koshihikari rice

Kinugawa Kanaya's original Japanese Beef Stew

Tilefish and local vegetable hot pot in green tea broth

Koshihikari rice from Nikko local farm

Miso Soup with nameko mushrooms and tofu

Selection of Japanese pickles

Japanese Kaiseki meals are always artfully presented including beautiful small covered bowls 

like this one concealing little gustatory surprises

Osekihan: Japanese Red Bean Rice

Japanese black tea

Yuzu Fruit Sherbet

A banana leaf wrapped with dried grass ribbon conceals our second dessert

Lotus Root Jelly

After a magnificent Kaiseki dinner, Saiko brought a pate of handmade chocolates from the hotel's John Kanaya Chocolate Bar

Before she left us for the evening, Saiko delivered a lacquerware box

"in case we want late night snack"

Two enormous futon-maki with picked ginger as a bedtime snack

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