Kyokaiseki Kichisen

Apprenticeship is a crucial phase in the career of those who want to study traditional Japanese arts. To be taken seriously, aspiring cooks and craftsmen often need the gravitas of some respected names on their resume. The owner of Kichisen, a traditional kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto, can boast having studied under no less than 50 masters, across a wide range of disciplines, throughout his illustrious career. Since the age of 15 he has been studying the culinary arts alongside tea ceremony, Zen meditation, and incense ceremony. His brings the quiet, contemplative dignity of these arts to his dining room every evening, providing some of the best food and most authentic hospitality in town. Five years after becoming head chef at a famous Arashiyama restaurant at just 26, he decided to establish his own. Kichisen quickly drew the eye of international gourmets and the Michelin Guide, who currently rate it at two stars. The name of the restaurant was chosen because the owner’s ancestors are reported to have ran a business of that name in the same area — near the UNESCO World Heritage Site Shimagamo Jinja Shrine — 800 years before. For an unbeatable taste of Kyoto cuisine, filled to the brim with heritage, Kichisen cannot be beaten.