Hidetoshi Nakamura refuses to be bound by the conventions of Japanese cuisine. What’s important, he says, is not to cling to forms but to keep exploring, ever on the lookout for new ideas. One approach that embodies this mindset is vegetable mizuni, food prepared using only water and salt. Rather than lean on kombu and dried bonito flakes, Nakamura expresses the ingredients themselves, along with one of Japan’s treasures: water. Cuisine that captures the bounty of farm, mountain, ocean and river in its natural state is as clear and pure as water itself.