Let all your senses bask in the magic of Onomichi, a Japan Heritage site at the crossroads of the Inland Sea, at the premium outdoor restaurant DINING OUT ONOMICHI with LEXUS

Dining Out, a premium outdoor restaurant that materializes for only a few days somewhere in Japan, will visit the city of Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture on Saturday, March 26 and Sunday, March 27, 2016, for its eighth iteration, DINING OUT ONOMICHI with LEXUS.

DINING OUT is a premium outdoor restaurant that opens for a few days only, where cuisine prepared in novel ways by a master chef using local ingredients is served in a spot carefully selected and stage-managed to best capture the charm of the locale. It’s an experience sure to delight not just your taste buds but all your senses.

DINING OUT ONOMICHI with LEXUS will take place in the harbor town of Onomichi, which has been designated a Japan Heritage site under the title “A Miniature Garden City from the Middle Ages Built Around the Onomichi Channel.” Onomichi presents a unique spectacle that still preserves something of medieval Japan. On one side it is bordered by the Onomichi Channel, or the “Saltwater River” as it is known, a vital transportation route oft plied by merchants since the Middle Ages. On the other side it is hemmed in by the three sacred peaks of Onomichi — Mounts Taiho, Mani, and Ruri. Within those narrow confines are steep roads and winding alleyways lined with many historic Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and traditional Japanese homes. A flourishing port, Onomichi has since olden times welcomed people from elsewhere and the products and cultural influences they have brought. Over the centuries it has blended those heterogeneous elements into a magnificent amalgam distinctively its own. The wondrous feeling of having entered another world experienced by anyone who walks the streets of Onomichi is the product of the time-honored tradition of receptivity and harmonization that is in this town’s very DNA.

This openness to outside influences and ability to meld them into something new and wonderful — in a word, fusion — may be exactly what the modern age needs. Inspired by Onomichi’s heritage in that regard, DINING OUT ONOMICHI with LEXUS will showcase the cutting edge in fusion by bringing chefs of different cuisines together in the precincts of the Jodoji, Onomichi’s most ancient Buddhist temple and a designated National Treasure, which has welcomed countless visitors through the centuries and been a crucible of culture.

Your meal will be orchestrated by restaurant producer Naotaka Ohashi, founder of TIRPSE, where local and traditional dishes are transformed into something utterly new. Naotaka’s brainchild, the Tokyo restaurant TIRPSE, has attracted worldwide attention with its innovative culinary creations and new take on dining; just imagine what amazing treats Mr. Ohashi will devise for your gastronomic pleasure. Your host will be renowned Asia scholar Alex Kerr, already a familiar face to DINING OUT patrons, having hosted past events in Sado and Iya. Alex’s erudition and sense of beauty make him an incisive observer of things Japanese; so what hidden charms will he reveal to you at this Japan Heritage site? Never again will there be an opportunity to experience such a thing: creative pioneers converging on Onomichi to produce the ultimate in fusion. You won’t want to miss it.

DINING OUT ONOMICHI with LEXUS will take place for two days only, on Saturday, March 26 and Sunday, March 27, 2016. On the day after the dinner — the 27th and 28th respectively — there will be an optional tour of Onomichi’s attractions. Tickets go on sale from Friday, February 5. Only sixty places are available.
Lexus will again act as official partner. Dining Out sets itself the creative challenge of stimulating all the senses and engendering an experience that surprises and delights; and as a Japanese luxury brand Lexus can certainly identify with that, hence its support. To add to the enjoyment of the event, participants will have the opportunity to experience the Lexus driving program.

LINK : Dining Out official website