Respect is shown not only in the way the food is prepared and cooked but also by the tools used. The most important tool is a sharp knife, and I mean sharp. Japanese cooks take pride in their knives and also care for them well.

The simplicity and precision of Japanese cuisine require a sharp blade in order not to tamper with the fresh flavours and appearance of ingredients. Therefore cutting with a blunt knife damages the cell walls of food and leads to loss of colour and wilting. It also provides a rough surface for bacteria to dock onto.

Japanes Blacksmiths knife forging skills are second to none. Paired with a combination of different metals, this enables the making of such incomparably sharp blades.

It may seem going over the top but there is even a place to bring knives that are no longer used. A graveyard for knives.

Japanese cooking does not overpower nature by forcing flavours upon it, but rather enhances and accentuates the flavours nature provides.

A relative of mine who spent some time in Japan did quite a lot of cooking in her tiny kitchen. She tried some Japanese recipes and cooking methods but also tried cooking the recipes she knew from home using Japanese ingredients. Sometimes a kind of crossover cuisine was the result.

Her Japanese boyfriend was very happy to eat the western style food as spicy as it should be. However, he was not happy when Japanese dishes were what he experienced as over-seasoned, even less so if my relative said, it has no taste without the seasoning. He considered that lack of respect for the natural taste of food.

I think we have at least partially forgotten how food tastes naturally and are used to masking that with other tastes. I fast regularly. At the end of four weeks of fasting, one of the most astounding experiences is being able to taste the natural taste of food without lots of salt and seasoning.

On the other hand, the Japanese cuisine is based on the taste Umami known as the fifth taste alongside, sweet, salty, bitter and sour. A rough translation of Umami is pleasant savoury taste.

Meat and fish, shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese are sources of this umami flavour. In the Japanese cuisine it is known in broths and soups.

Therefore in foods that have been cooked long and slowly to make them particularly flavoursome. This method is also typical, because nothing is too much trouble when trying to obtain the right taste. Other ways of developing the umami taste are aging, drying, smoking, curing, stewing, and fermenting. The latter also being very gut friendly.

Umami was discovered by Ikeda Kikunae, a chemistry professor in 1907.  Currently what we know Monosodiumglutamate, which has a bad reputation and is often used in processed foods, is produced by bacterial fermentation.

However, using umami that we can create using the methods above in balance with the other four primary tastes, enhances the deliciousness of a dish in a natural way. In summary umami is the basis of Japanese dishes. The many flavours typical to Japanese cuisine are put together to create a well-rounded and mouthwatering and outstanding gastronomic experience.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary sublime means awe inspiring due to elevated quality. I am sure it has become clear that this adjective definitely applies to the Japanese cuisine.

The Japanese have a saying, particularly in Okinawa, HARA HACHI BU. They also teach this to their children. So what does it mean? Stop eating when you are 80% full. How do you know, when you are 80% full? You don’t exactly and it takes a little practice. But if you are eating a variety of small portions and stop eating before you have any inkling of feeling full, you are on the right track.

And being sensible or rather sensitive to your body’s needs doesn’t stop there. The Japanese also have an attitude towards snacking called flexible restraint. Which means, it’s alright to have a little snack now and again but only in really small portions, a bite full so to speak.

In a nutshell the WA-SHOKU way of eating which entails a variety of dishes, small portions, soups, lots of vegetables, different cooking methods, a large amount of water, and making use of natural umami – the savoury taste, adds up to a very enjoyable, sensual eating experience, but also ensures a signal for having eaten enough, so one doesn’t feel the need to overeat.