“Holistic Ryokan Breakfast” for Mind and Body

The “Holistic Ryokan Breakfast” uses seasonal ingredients and emphasizes the deliciousness of each dish, while also striving to balance all five flavors (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy), five colors (red, yellow, blue/green, white, black), and five cooking methods (raw/cutting, simmering, grilling, steaming, frying) of Japanese cuisine. In the winter, the “Miso Soup” features an abundance of seasonal vegetables such as daikon radish, burdock root, and pumpkin, and is made with white miso characterized by the mellow sweetness of koji. The small dish “Five-Color Ganmo” is a visually appealing item made with carrots, lily bulbs, daikon radish leaves, tofu, and black sesame seeds. The “Dashimaki Tamago” (Japanese rolled omelet), carefully rolled one by one, is served immersed in warm dashi broth, allowing guests to fully enjoy the aroma of the dashi made with meticulous temperature control to maximize the umami of kelp and bonito. The “Nine Accompaniments” served with white rice cooked in a kamado pot include “tsukudani” (seaweed boiled in sweetened soy sauce) and pickles made to highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients, making the white rice even more delicious and providing a delightful experience for the body. Starting the day with a meal balanced with the five flavors, five colors, and five cooking methods promotes a healthy day.

Sample Menu

• Mashed Turnip
• Small Dishes: Five-Color Ganmo, Simmered tofu skin and Japanese mustard greens, Hijiki seaweed and Fried Tofu with Carrot, Seaweed and Spinach Salad
• Nine Accompaniments:
  • Wasabi Pickles
  • Tsukudani (seaweed boiled in sweetened soy sauce)
  • Beef Simmered in Soy Sauce
  • Chirimen Sansho (dried baby white fish and Japanese peppercorns)
  • Pickled Plum
  • Daikon Radish Pickles
  • Flaked Salmon
  • Kelp boiled in sweetened soy sauce
  • Sweetened Black Beans
• Grilled Dish: Yellowtail Teriyaki
• Covered Dish: Dashimaki Tamago (Japanese rolled omelet)
• White Rice
• Miso Soup

Since lacquerware has been used in “Honzen Ryori (*1),” the traditional formal dining style of Japanese cuisine, the “Awakening Breakfast” is served in original lacquerware trays and Oryoki bowls (*2). The five nested bowls for the main dish, side dishes, and soup, etc., are made by carving out a single piece of wood on a lathe, and when stacked, the wood’s annual rings overlap beautifully. The arrangement of the “round bowls” on the “square tray” is designed with an emphasis on maintaining balance, using an “odd number” of bowls, which is considered auspicious. This special morning provides an experience where guests can feel the Japanese aesthetic and refinement from the “beauty” of the Oryoki bowls, each meticulously crafted by skilled artisans, and the “uniquely Japanese values” that emphasize shape and number.

*1 Honzen Ryori: A formal banquet cuisine with multiple trays.
*2 Oryoki: Eating utensils used by Zen Buddhist monks during training.