On Sept. 12, the Hyatt Regency Tokyo will hold a special dinner event featuring a rare Imperial Court tradition called hocho shiki (kitchen knife ceremony).
A master of the prestigious Ikama School of hocho shiki will be invited to conduct the ceremony at the hotel's atrium lobby, where gagaku Imperial Court music will be played. The master, wearing ancient court attire, will skillfully carve a fish using a special kitchen knife and chopsticks, without once touching the fish with his hands.
The pre-meal ceremony, passed down from the Heian Period, is practiced at the Imperial Palace and at some shrines around Japan.