In the mouth seasoning, a way of eating in which one enjoys the changes in flavor that take place as one chews, has drawn renewed interest lately. Washoku is listed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Overseas, bento culture is growing increasingly popular. Washoku, or Japan’s traditional cuisine, draws on fresh and varied ingredients and the corresponding flavors to strike a wonderful balance between sensory perception and nutrition. Perhaps most striking and engaging for people of different cultures more accustomed to eating dishes one at a time is discovering the flavors, and reaping the health benefits, of in the mouth seasoning, as exemplified in the practice of “triangular eating”—the custom of rotating between dishes in a certain order.

Inspired by these traditions, the window expresses and displays the universe of Washoku, a harmony in the bento style of form, flavor and nutrition based on regard for the natural world, in which highly varied ingredients are arranged artistically in a box.

The culture of Washoku is intimately linked to the seasons and to the hospitality of annual events. Here and there on the Food Floor, you’ll encounter cross-genre resonances with Washoku culture, including the designs of confectionery gifts that allude to this aesthetic.

Art director: Yasuko Sato