In a hive of solutions

The Japanese pavilion

On an installation called "Diversity Waterfall", numerous CG images "pour down" from the upper part to the basin area that looks like a dining table. When people touch these interactive images, they will display contents about the diversity of Japanese agriculture and food culture.

The climax is a live performance at a theater, which looks much like a conference room at the United Nation. People sit before the tables that are installed with multiple interactive video displays.

The show prides itself on the dynamics of washoku, or the traditional Japanese cuisine that was designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage item in 2003. The screens show beautiful and well-presented washoku dishes that change from season to season.

It is a conclusion that goes right to the core of Japanese cuisine: light, well-balanced diet is how the human being can achieve harmony with nature.

It's best to arrange your visit to the Japanese Pavilion close to dinner time. The restaurant there is highly recommended and packed with diners who, after a visual-and-audio feast, are in dire need of a real treat.

Visitors can choose from the six representative menus of Japanese cuisine. I ordered the suyiyaki set that included a serve of wagyu beef, tofu (beancurd), vegetables and mushrooms cooked together in a specially made sauce. It goes with a bowl of miso soup, rice, pickles and a half-boiled egg.

I took a photo of the set and sent it to my cousin who has lived in Japan for almost 10 years. She replied, "That's not what ordinary Japanese people eat. It simply caters to how foreigners imagine Japanese food to be."