Between its umami-rich dishes and visual appeal, traditional Japanese cooking doesn’t just feed you - it stages a full-on sensory coup.
If you'd like to create dishes just as appetizing and bring a taste of Japanese culture to the table, 'go' is your go-to guide.
The Book of Five Things
For all its variations, classic Japanese food comes down to one number: 'go', or five. The goho (five cooking methods), gomi (five flavors), goshiki (five colors), gokan (five senses) and goteki (five kinds of appropriateness) form a framework that’s part cooking manual and part cultural philosophy.
Guiding chefs and home cooks for centuries, these principles ensure that a meal is satisfyingly balanced, visually harmonious and in keeping with the season.
Think of the five sets of five rules as the equivalent of a family book of recipes, except that the family in question is an entire nation.
五法 (Goho) - The Five Cooking Methods
The goho are the five fundamental cooking techniques in Japanese cooking: cutting raw food, grilling, simmering, steaming and frying. If you use all of them for one meal, you're guaranteed a range of flavors and textures.
A formal kaiseki meal will include each method, much like a symphony touching on every instrument in the orchestra.
生・切る (Nama; kiru) - Raw; or Cutting
In many cuisines, serving uncooked food might raise eyebrows. In Japan, it raises the bar.
Raw food is a hallmark of washoku - with sashimi as its most celebrated example - and because cutting determines both texture and mouthfeel, knife technique is paramount.
In the right hands, knife work is a form of poetry, with knives such as the yanagiba designed specifically for long, clean slices. This isn’t just “cutting”; it’s precision engineering, only with tuna instead of titanium.
焼く(Yaku) - Grilling
Whether using charcoal, gas or firewood, the ingredients are heated directly over a flame or indirectly using a pan or pot with oil.
Yakimono - grilled items - in Japan usually means fish seasoned with a sprinkle of salt: simplicity with a crunch.
The essence of good grilling lies in locking in the juices while creating a lightly charred, aromatic surface. Direct heat imparts a distinctive smoky fragrance, while allowing excess fat to drip away, deepening the flavor.
Techniques vary by fish: some are grilled until the skin is crispy, others only lightly seared to preserve their delicate texture.
煮る(Niru) - Simmering
In this gentle cooking method, ingredients are slowly cooked in water or broth, allowing the flavors to meld and deepen.
The foundation of many simmered dishes is dashi - a delicate stock made most commonly from kombu kelp and dried bonito flakes.
Enriched with seasonings such as soy sauce, miso, sake and mirin, the dashi is used to create simmered dishes that range from lightly seasoned preparations to richly flavored stews. A characteristic of washoku simmering is the adjustment of the cooking liquid to suit each ingredient, allowing the original flavors to shine through.
蒸す(Musu) - Steaming
Another gentle cooking method, steaming preserves nutrients while keeping textures tender. Chawanmushi, the savory egg custard studded with shrimp and other morsels, is a classic example.
Successful steaming depends on the balance of steam volume, cooking time and temperature. In some regions, the ingredients are wrapped in leaves to impart extra aroma and flavor, combining a meal with an aromatherapy session.
揚げる(Ageru) - Frying
When it comes to Japanese food, frying usually means deep-frying. Ingredients are immersed in oil heated to around 140-200°C, creating a crisp, golden exterior while keeping the inside tender and moist.
Though introduced to Japan from China and Europe, deep-frying has evolved into a distinctly Japanese art within washoku, with creations such as tempura now a fixture in Japanese restaurants.
Timing and control of oil temperature are crucial: too low and you get a greasy, soggy mess; too high and your prawns are charcoal with tails.
五味 (Gomi) - The Five Tastes
The five tastes, or five flavors, refer to sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami, the taste sensation often described as savory. Together, they create balance and prevent palate fatigue.
- Sweet – not just sugar but also the natural sweetness of pumpkin, mirin or white miso.
- Salty – soy sauce, miso and salt, used with precision rather than abandon.
- Sour – vinegar in sushi rice; yuzu in dressings; pickled daikon, for example.
- Bitter – seasonal greens such as nanohana in spring or bitter gourd in summer.
- Umami – Japan’s culinary gift to the world; found in kombu, shiitake and tomatoes.
The balance of gomi is why a Japanese set meal feels harmonious. A main dish of grilled mackerel would be paired with lime and joined by side dishes such as sweetened omelet, pickles and a bowl of miso soup, each taste supporting the others like polite dinner guests.
五色 (Goshiki ) - The Five Colors
If gomi delights the tongue, goshiki speaks to the eyes.
The five colors - red, yellow, green (traditionally “blue” in East Asian color theory), white and black (or deep purple or brown) - guide plating and ingredient choice.
Here are a few suggestions of how to add the colors to a meal:
- Red – carrots, tomatoes, red miso soup
- Yellow – egg yolk, pumpkin, chestnut
- Green/Blue – spinach, cucumber, edamame
- White – rice, tofu, daikon radish
- Black/Brown – shiitake, burdock root, grilled mackerel
The point isn’t to turn dinner into a rainbow but to ensure visual balance and nutritional variety. A bento box with rice (white), broccoli (green), tamagoyaki omelet (yellow), an umeboshi pickle (red) and sesame seeds (black) is already ticking the goshiki boxes - and without a nutritionist in sight.
五感 (Gokan ) - The Five Senses
The principle of the five senses reminds us that dining is more than eating.
- Sight – the gleam of lacquerware, the seasonal motif on a ceramic dish.
- Hearing – the sizzle of tempura hitting oil, the clink of ice in summer barley tea.
- Smell – the earthy aroma of miso soup, the citrus burst of yuzu.
- Taste – the interplay of gomi in every bite.
- Touch – the snap of crisp nori, the silkiness of tofu.
A true Japanese meal activates all five, transforming the act of eating into an act of presence.
五適 (Goteki ) - The Five Forms of Appropriateness
If the other 'fives' tell you what to cook and how to present it, goteki tells you how to serve it. It’s the etiquette-and-empathy dimension of Japanese dining.
適温 (Teki-on) – Appropriate Temperature
Hot dishes arrive hot; cold dishes, cold. Lukewarm ramen is a culinary crime.
適材 (Tekizai) – Appropriate Ingredients
The menu should suit the diner’s needs. An example relevant all over the world: If cooking for an older person who has trouble chewing, the textures should be softer.
適量 (Tekiryo) – Appropriate Amount
Stuffing is for turkeys, not people - serve just enough to satisfy.
適技 (Tekigi) – Appropriate Use of Technique
Skill should serve the ingredient rather than the chef’s ego. In washoku, the best technique is the one that seems effortless.
適心 (Tekishin) – Appropriate Spirit
Hospitality and atmosphere complete the dish. Even the humblest bowl of miso soup is a feast if served with genuine care.
Making Your Meals Count
In a world of grab-and-go meals, Japan’s meticulous attention to detail is an antidote.
Distilled into the principles of fives in Japanese cuisine, they demonstrate how to make a meal more than the sum of its parts.
These principles suit all occasions, whether you’re putting together a lunch box, hosting a formal meal or trying to make Monday night stir-fry feel like a dining experience reminiscent of your time in Japan.
The 'go' philosophy is proof that sometimes, to eat well, you only have to count to five.