Japanese cuisine

First, the Japanese believe in creating food according to the season. They use the ingredients that are ripe and prime in the current season in which they are cooking. For instance, they highlight bamboo shoots in the spring and chestnuts in the fall because those are the items that are most apparent in those specific seasons. They also like the season they are cooking in to reflect in the plating of their dishes. The use of inedible tree branches or leaves are also used to present diners with a symbol of the season. Presentation in this regard is also important to the Japanese as Japanese chefs believe that a person should love what they see before they actually consume it.