In its exactitude and restraint, Bocuse saw an approach that was in many ways the very opposite of decadent French haute cuisine. It shares a history with the austere rituals of the Japanese tea ceremony, and incorporates aesthetic elements from Japanese art forms such as calligraphy and flower arranging. Kaiseki is not a specific dish or technique but a format, often involving a dozen or more tiny courses.
Tsuji introduced Bocuse to kaiseki, an elaborate, formal meal that is considered the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine. In Osaka, he met with Shizuo Tsuji, a former crime reporter who, in his late twenties, decided to pursue his passion for classical French and Japanese cuisines by opening a cooking school. In 1965, the legendary Lyonnais chef Paul Bocuse, who had just earned his third Michelin star, travelled to Japan. This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
