What Masakazu Nishiguchi pays attention to are creativity and a sense of season. He wants to make an impression, sometimes interweaving a well-balanced twist or two. With the first of each harvest, he avoids ostentation, preferring honest expression of inherent flavours. It is when a season nears its end that he turns creative. Bamboo shoots, for example, debut as simmered bamboo shoots; as season’s end draws near, they may appear in Japanese-pepper-and-soy sauce steak or in bowls of stew.