Japan has a mythical status when it comes to food, a country where almost every contemporary chef morefinds inspiration and the home to the city with the most Michelin stars in the world. We have criss-crossed the country from north to south, east to west, looking for singular voices that can inspire others.In this issue we have profiled three incredible restaurants in Kanazawa, a city on Japan’s west coast, 2,5 hours with Shinkansen from Tokyo. From environmentally conscious sushi to the soul of kaiseki and finally a real hunter-gatherer family restaurant. We also feature Japanese influences outside of Japan, where award winning writer Lisa Abend met up with the guys behind Ernst Restaurant. An honest story from a young restaurant changing the conservative fine-dining landscape in Germany.