What is Shojin Ryori?
Shojin-ryori is an ancient cuisine that has been eaten by Zen Buddhist monks in Japan since the 13th century. Due to Buddhism's restrictions on meat-eating, it is fully vegetarian and avoids any strong flavors like garlic or onion. Instead, there is an emphasis on drawing out the five food flavors (salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami) naturally. Each meal should also visually represent five colors (red, yellow, green, black, and white) and use five preparation methods (raw, stewed, boiled, roasted, and steamed). This concept is known as the "Rule of Five" and is connected to Buddhist ideas on spiritual balance.
As a traditional Japanese cuisine, shojin ryori changes to fit the seasons and different ingredients are used to represent the different times of year. For this reason, shojin ryori can differ greatly depending on when eaten, but common ingredients include: tofu and other soy-bean based foodstuff, konnyaku jelly, dashi stock, miso and soy sauce. With its strong emphasis on nature, fresh mountain vegetables make up a large portion of the meal.

Program （Ingredients are subject to change depending on the season）
In this program, guests are taught how to make an authentic shojin ryori meal from scratch. Our expert instructor will teach you the processes to making traditional shojin ryori dishes, such as tempura vegetables, tofu salad and dashi-based soup.

* You will then sit down to enjoy your dishes as a complete shojin ryori meal while your instructor explains the history and etiquette of this ancient cuisine.
** Traditionally, shojin ryori was a mostly vegan-based cuisine. Nowadays, eggs and milk have been introduced into certain elements of the meal. Please let us know if you would prefer the vegan-only option.