shojin ryori

Among other things i did today, i finally ate shojin ryori for lunch. It was composed as follows:
first course-- sesame tofu (a firm and chewy brown tofu with sesame oil topped with wasabi), potato porridge (which was very thick and gooey and topped with shredded green leaves of some sort)
second course-- five cubes of roasted tofu on wooden sticks topped with a green sauce (consisted of sweet potato and spices and something to make it green, maybe tea powder)
third course-- vegetable tempura (shiso leaf, nori seaweed, japanese pumpkin, snow pea, a dark flavorful mushroom, and some kind of sweet gluten) with a sweet soy sauce dip
fourth course-- five slabs of tofu in a ceramic bowl with with steaming water and kombu seaweed as a soup base, placed in the center of the table on a larger ceramic pot heated with a candle, and a small dish of shredded scallions, dish of ginger and spices, and a ceramic flask of soy sauce, kept in the boiling water and taken out when served. along with this was also served a bowl of white rice with shredded nori flakes and two slices of pickled daikon
It cost 3200 yen, which is about 30 bucks, but it was worth every yen. And i did other stuff too, including visiting the nearby temple and surrounding forest complete with stone idols and incense, strolling along a walkway called the "Philosopher`s Path" and helping the staff of an organic cafe translate some more of their menu into English, visiting the "Silver Temple" and enjoying the beautiful autumn colors and carpets of moss crawling up the slopes where a splendid view was had. And a delightful dinner at a vegetarian restaurant with a fat cat who took pleasure in being pet.
Tomorrow... onward!