The Japanese often say, ¡°Me de taberu¡± (¡°You eat with your eyes¡±), something I truly understood the first time I stayed at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese-style inn.

It was there that I was served a multi-course meal in an array of delicate, immaculately plated courses served on gorgeous ceramics of all shapes and sizes. The experience left an impression, and, as a result, researching and collecting Japanese tableware has since become a passion of mine.

Japanese artist and chef Kitaoji Rosanjin once likened tableware to a ¡°kimono for food,¡± and the care that goes into moritsuke (plating) takes into consideration the food that¡¯s served as well as the choice of plates, bowls and cups, and how they are placed.