Kitcho: Japan's Ultimate Dining Experience
Kitcho is a kaiseki (tea cuisine) restaurant with a world-famous reputation for offering the finest in Japanese dining and hospitality. The restaurant, in Arashiyama, Western Kyoto, was also once described by science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke as being “frighteningly expensive”.
In Kitcho: Japan’s Ultimate Dining Experience, chef Kunio Tokuoka, the grandson of Kitcho’s founder Teiichi Yuki, outlines the tradition he has inherited, as well as his own principles of culinary artistry and philosophy in an accessible and enlightening manner. Thanks to the skills of renown literary translator Juliet Winters Carpenter, this is a wonderful chance for international audiences to learn more about Kyoto’s enduring kaiseki tradition, the tea ceremony and Tokuoka’s definitively modern techniques and innovations with time-honoured kaiseki dishes.
"This is a wonderful chance for international audiences to learn more about Kyoto’s enduring kaiseki tradition, the tea ceremony and Tokuoka’s definitively modern techniques and innovations with time-honoured kaiseki dishes.”
Though not a recipe book, there is plenty of information and inspiration here for budding chefs and adventurous foodies alike, on how Tokuoka gets his umami seibun (tastiness factor) and how he adapts recipes to suit certain ingredients or situations.
Accompanied by the sumptuous photography of Kenji Miura, the book follows the ingredients, presentation and decorations of the seasons, starting with spring. There are also photos of Kitcho’s private dining rooms and gardens. The book covers the behind-the-scenes of Kitcho with intriguing family anecdotes and fascinating details of the antique serving vessels that the restaurant uses to serve its mostly locally-sourced ingredients.
The word kitcho means ‘good omen’ in Japanese, and from reading this book it is truly a lucky diner who gets to experience the gourmet excellence and refined world of Kitcho.
Interview with Juliet Winters Carpenter, the translator of Kitcho: Japan’s Ultimate Dining Experience
Juliet Winters Carpenter has translated more than 60 Japanese books in to English; from major literary works by writers such as Enchi Fumiko and Abe Kobo, to a wide variety of books on Japanese culture. A Kansai resident since the 1970s, she is also a professor in the English department at Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts in Kyoto.
SM: Compared with other books you have translated on Japanese culture, what’s unique about Kitcho: Japan’s Ultimate Dining Experience?
JWC: The place itself is definitely unique, but this is a very broad-ranging book. Partly it is a history of Kyoto, of the different vegetables that are grown here, the influence of the tea ceremony, as well as nature and the cycle of life. You can’t separate art from this kind of food – there are the master potters who make the dishes and bowls, the décor of the room, and the presentation of the food. Tokuoka-san (chief chef and owner of Kitcho) is very traditional but he is constantly experimenting and changing. He puts cheese in chawan-mushi (savoury steamed custard), and has a wine cellar. He’s a scientist, as well as an artist, a chef and an architect. He’s also a very spiritual person – he studied in a Zen temple and the Zen influence is everywhere. So, Kitcho epitomises what makes Japan an exciting place, the fact that it is so traditional and yet so cutting edge.
SM: What were the challenges of translating such a complex food tradition into English?
"Kitcho epitomises what makes Japan an exciting place, the fact that it is so traditional and yet so cutting edge”
The key point you want to convey is that the food really does taste good. It has to sound magical, not just accurate. But some of these dishes don’t sound appetising. For example, konoko – the “dried ovaries of sea cucumber” - does not sound good in English, so I called it “roe”. You have to imagine what certain things sound like to people who are not familiar with them. Instead of just translating matcha as “powdered green tea”, you need to explain it, for example “the grassy aroma and slight bitterness of green tea”. So this kind of book goes beyond translation, because research and interpretation are also necessary.
SM: You spent a fair amount of time at Kitcho during the translation of the book, what was it like?
I observed the photography sessions and they took hours! The photographer had to capture the moment when the lid was taken off a dish and the steam rises. Each time the dish had to be freshly cooked. It was amazing to see the amount of effort and pride, as well as the infinite care that goes into the selection of ingredients and presentation of the food.
Once when I was there I drank tea out of a bowl by Ogata Kenzan (17th century ceramicist). Another time, I was served a very simple lunch of onigiri (rice balls) and soup. But they were the best onigiri I’ve ever had. You can’t imagine how different they taste. The flavours were so different, so unique. Kitcho’s mission is not only to present beautiful food, but to preserve these traditions of Kyoto, and make people appreciate them.
SM: Finally, what’s your favourite Japanese food?
JWC: Tofu. There are so many different things you can do with it. It’s a kind of wonder food - really healthy, low calories and especially good for women. You can put it in a salad, or in a soup. It’s perfect!
