Takehisa prizes old-school techniques above all. Simmered items such as unripe plum simmered in sugar syrup and herring with eggplant are labours of patient love. Ingredients are prepared to bring out their natural flavours: edible wild plants find their way into tempura, sweetfish is salt-grilled, chestnuts brighten takikomi-gohan. In his early years, the chef was surrounded by the blessings of nature; in tribute to that experience, and to convey the changing seasons, he garnishes his dishes with leaves collected from the mountains.