A journey through Japan’s kitchen and philosophy Why do the pretty looking Japanese sweets called Wagashi taste like dusty sugar, why do the tea cups have strange dents, why doesn’t the soup taste of anything? Malte Härtig, cook and philosopher, is mystified when he first tastes Japan’s famous Kaiseki cuisine. He is unable to decode Kaiseki neither with his philosophical approach nor with his European cooking education. But then he finds access through Zen Buddhism and the famous tea ceremony: simplicity, mindfulness, calmness, concentration on details – all these elements of Japanese philosophy are reflected in the tea ceremony and in Kaiseki too. And with both, he encounters wisdom and a refreshing attitude, not only to food, but also to life. Malte Härtig takes us on a journey and leads us through a complete Kaiseki menu and the experiences he has made with it. It starts with the tea itself, from the making of the tea cup to the various dishes. For all the elements one will learn interesting facts and stories that have accumulated in the millennia-old tradition: Härtig explains, why a fish called Hamo plays such a big role, which special features the cultivation of bamboo shoots have and which important role rice plays when it comes to define Japanese identity. One will understand why Japan, the mentality of its inhabitants and the Kaiseki cuisine are increasingly influencing the way we cook and live in Europe.