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Ichijū Sansai: The Standard Elements of a Typical Japanese Meal

  • A woodblock print showing the arrangement of dishes on a footed tray. The Fifty-Three Stations by Two Brushes: Hiratsuka, Utagawa Hiroshige and Utagawa Toyokuni III, 1854. (Courtesy the National Diet Library)

    A woodblock print showing the arrangement of dishes on a footed tray. The Fifty-Three Stations by Two Brushes: Hiratsuka, Utagawa Hiroshige and Utagawa Toyokuni III, 1854. (Courtesy the National Diet Library)

  • Placement of rice and main/side dishes. (© Pixta)

    Placement of rice and main/side dishes. (© Pixta)

  • The beverage goes to the right of the food. (© Pixta)

    The beverage goes to the right of the food. (© Pixta)

  • Fish should be arranged on the plate with the widest part to the left and the skin facing the rear. Pickles are not considered a principal meal element; they can be placed near the rice. (© Pixta)

    Fish should be arranged on the plate with the widest part to the left and the skin facing the rear. Pickles are not considered a principal meal element; they can be placed near the rice. (© Pixta)

  • Soup is consumed by lifting the bowl to the mouth. (© Pixta)

    Soup is consumed by lifting the bowl to the mouth. (© Pixta)

  • Lacquerware, sometimes called “Japan” in English, is a proud craft tradition. (© Pixta)

    Lacquerware, sometimes called “Japan” in English, is a proud craft tradition. (© Pixta)

  • Illustration by Satō Tadashi

    Illustration by Satō Tadashi

  • Illustration by Satō Tadashi

    Illustration by Satō Tadashi

  • Chakaiseki, a light meal served with the tea ceremony, also consists of ichijū sansai but is served in the order of rice, soup, sashimi or vinegared dish, simmered dish in clear broth, and fish. (© Pixta)

    Chakaiseki, a light meal served with the tea ceremony, also consists of ichijū sansai but is served in the order of rice, soup, sashimi or vinegared dish, simmered dish in clear broth, and fish. (© Pixta)

  • For millennia, Japanese have prayed for bountiful harvests before rice planting and thanked the deities by ceremonially presenting the first ears of rice at harvest time. (© Pixta)

    For millennia, Japanese have prayed for bountiful harvests before rice planting and thanked the deities by ceremonially presenting the first ears of rice at harvest time. (© Pixta)

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