The elegant garden and well-appointed ceremonial space speak of a gracious atmosphere born of unbroken tradition. The fare presented encapsulates the creed of ‘kirei sabi’, or cheerful beauty within a classic form. That which does not change, changes continually. Innovation that gives birth to tradition is the human science of Chef Yoshihiro Murata. ‘The traditional Japanese restaurant is the art gallery of the Japanese aesthetic’, Murata observes, and the aesthetic of Kyoto is elegant simplicity.