Nature

If nature is always the cradle of culture and cuisine, this is especially true of Japan, where the link between nature and food remains visibly fresh and strong. It is therefore appropriate to begin any exploration of Japan’s unique and richly diverse cuisine with a look at the natural environment it reflects.

North to south, the Japanese archipelago stretches over 3000 km, from snowy Hokkaido to sub-tropical Okinawa. The climate is largely temperate, giving rise to four defined seasons which foster an abundant variety of foods. The Japanese people live between mountains and sea; the mountains are blessed with mushrooms, fruit and nuts, and the rain that falls upon them runs in natural springs, gathering mineral goodness from the slopes, to the fertile surrounding sea. Here, converging warm and cold currents stimulate a multiplicity of life that has allowed Japan to develop a cuisine boasting some of the world’s finest seaweed and seafood.