Most of the books that I introduce here are written in Japanese. But I still believe that it’s worth sharing them, because I was desperate for a starting point when i researched Kaiseki and the cultural environment around it. Japan is also still very much a paper society so there aren’t a lot of online ressources.. So hopefully these recommendations will help some of you! And obviously all the recipes that I share are in English as well, so you get to enjoy Kaiseki Cuisine whether you speak Japanese or not! Most of the books that I shared have lots of pictures, so it might be worth checking out even if you can’t read the text (google translate can be surprisingly helpful as well). I just hope that it will be able to lift some of the mystery and lead to a better understanding of this amazing Cuisine.
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SHUN WO MORU plating the season
This is a 4 book series, with a dedicated book for spring, summer, autumn and winter. The author was a very influental chef and the owner of the famous restaurant “Tsujitome” that is still around. To this day you can basically not go wrong with books from him in regards to traditional Kaiseki cuisine! I Read more
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KISO GIJUTSU basic techniques of Japanese cuisine
This book has a great overview and introduction of all the basic techniques that are essential for Kaiseki Cuisine. If you are a beginner it’s a wonderful ressource to getting into the topic and you are sure to learn lots of new things along the way! It might not be the most exciting thing ever, Read more
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MUKOITA fish cutting techniques
As far as technical ressources go this is the Kaiseki equivalent of the bible. And there is an ENGLISH Version thankfully. Unfortunately it is out of print and extremely difficult to source, but if you can get your hands on it, make sure you grab it! It has very detailed photographs of how to filet Read more
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WAGASHI – Wagashi for professionals
This is a great first book if you want to get into Wagashi making! It is amazing for technique and has step by step instructions with lots of fotos. People outside of Japan might find the detailed instructions on how to make “anko” bean paste from scratch very beneficial because it is one of the Read more
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GION SASAKI Sasaki Hiroshi’s stage
Gion Sasaki is one of the 3 Michelin Star restaurants in Kyoto and famous for their service that mimics a well thought out play. This book is a little bit older so the interieur of the restaurant has changed since they reopened in summer of 2023, but the gorgeous food photos are worth the price Read more
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CHAKAISEKI NO ITADAKIKATA how to eat Cha-Kaiseki
This is a brilliant and at the same time, for most people, probably not “every-day” book. It beautifully shows step by step instructions with photos on how to eat so called Cha-Kaiseki at a tea ceremony. The light meal before a tea ceremony is a complicated process with lots of formalities and can be seen Read more
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NIHON NO 72 KOU enjoying Japan’s 72 micro seasons
This book is without a doubt my absolute best find and most treasured resource! I initially heard about Japan’s traditional 72 microseasons called KOU during classes in culinary school. Every micro season is spanning about 5 days and has plants, flowers, vegetables and sea food associated to it. It is basically the backbone of traditional Read more
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Japanese table manners
This one is the odd one out in my collection, but it is also a very useful one. It gives brief introductions to lots of topics concerning manners and I reach for it surprisingly often. It’s published by the Japanese hotel and restaurant service association and is mainly used as a textbook for their table Read more
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SHIKI NO GYOJI seasonal festivities
This book is amazing if you want to dive deeper into seasonal festivities of Japan. It might seem like it’s not that relevant of a topic, if you are not looking to celebrate japanese events, but I can promise that it has lots of relevance in terms of decorations! The typical motives can not only Read more
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Japanese Craft Sake
This book is a great ENGLISH resource about Japanese Sake aka “Nihonshu”. It has lots of great explainations and goes into detail about the brewing process and different regions of Japan. If you are at all interested in Sake I would highly recommend you check out this book! I am adding a link to the Read more
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