The Japanese often say, “Me de taberu” (“You eat with your eyes”), something I truly understood the first time I stayed at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese-style inn.
It was there that I was served a multi-course meal in an array of delicate, immaculately plated courses served on gorgeous ceramics of all shapes and sizes. The experience left an impression, and, as a result, researching and collecting Japanese tableware has since become a passion of mine.
Japanese artist and chef Kitaoji Rosanjin once likened tableware to a “kimono for food,” and the care that goes into moritsuke (plating) takes into consideration the food that’s served as well as the choice of plates, bowls and cups, and how they are placed.