Originally Posted by
MikeFromTokyo
This is not a matter of opinion. It is a fact that at many of the finest Japanese restaurants kaiseki is eaten at counter seats or in private rooms with either chairs or a recessed "foot well" type of seating. I have only had to kneel down for meals at Ryokan, and this is one of the reasons I prefer western style hotels. I am looking forward to the Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons properties planned for Kyoto.
Re hotels, I also disagree with your above statement, as some hotels have exceptional restaurants. I recommended the Palace in my above post because the food is very good, and because such restaurants are very approachable for people new to Japanese cuisine and who may not speak Japanese.
I don't understand where your comment about quadruped came from, but I would generally agree. Some chefs who take a more contemporary approach to Japanse cuisine do however serve charcoal grilled wagyu as part of kaiseki meals, and it can be delicious.
I don't disagree that
1) Some hotels have exceptional restaurants.
2) Hotel restaurants are very approachable
3) Charcoal grilled wagyu is delicious
4) Food can be exceptionally good at these restaurants
But IMHO, it's not really kaiseki. There's probably some official Japanese rule book (maybe not published) on this, but my sense is that there are certain elemental aspects to kaiseki including the type of cuisine, ingredients, seasonality, locality, tableware, decor, etc. This may just be a personal bias or personal experience, but I don't think of it as real kaiseki if it's served on paper plates or to diners sitting in "high" chairs, etc.
Even if the food is the same as kaiseki, it doesn't necessarily make it kaiseki.