If there is one word to describe Japanese cuisine then it has to be "artistic" in its purest sense. No other cuisine is so in harmony with nature, reflecting the rhythm of the seasons. No other accords food such awesome respect. No other prepares it with such an eye to detail -- color, texture, flavor, balance -- each ingredient's roll perfectly defined in the final dish. In Japan they first feast with their eyes, then comes the aroma, then taste, the palate pleasure.