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Noodles to sushi, katsu to yakitori, the world of Japanese cuisine can at once seem simple and complex to the untrained eye.

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But on closer inspection, there's a deep, almost spiritual appreciation for this fare from all those who create, cook and eat it.

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We begin our journey in Osaka, the so-called "nation's kitchen," at the country's most prestigious cooking school, the Tsuji Culinary Institute,

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the brainchild of Shizuo Tsuji.

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It opened in 1960 and is now attended by several thousand students in sister schools across Japan and France.

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The former journalist and crime writer also penned the West's first bible on Japanese cooking, still a staple of modern chefs around the world.

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Today, his son, Yoshiki Tsuji has picked up where his father left off, directing the prominent academy.

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Tokyo has more Michelin stars than New York and London combined.

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There are some countries that don't have any Michelin stars. Japan has so many. What sets it apart?

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Japanese cuisine keeps on evolving.

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Japanese people are very good... we have always been good at taking outside sources and into... adapting [them] into the Japanese system.

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And that's why I think when you talk about the numbers of stars in Tokyo and Kyoto, well, Kyoto is comprised of Japanese restaurants of Michelin stars.

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But when it comes to Tokyo, you're not just talking about Japanese food; you're talking about French, Chinese and Italian, too.

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And this just a... [these are] the strong characteristics of Japanese craftsmanship that we are very good at taking outside sources and adapt[ing] [them] into our own.

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We're actually on the west mountainside of... from the city of Kyoto.

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And the restaurant we're going to is called Kitcho, Arashiyama Kitcho,

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which is... has been a three-star Michelin since the actually first book came out, in [the] Kansai area.

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And the proprietor of the restaurant is called Mr. Kunio Tokuoka. And he's actually [the] third generation of this grand maison of Japanese cuisine.

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Kaiseki, it is a very formal, traditional, almost artistic, revered Japanese ceremony.

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How would you describe the different elements of the formal meal?

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Firstly, it's a chef's heart on a plate.

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We hope the customer enjoys the meal by giving everything we can offer in every small portion.

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There's a meaning behind the second course coming after the first one and before the third one.

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Each dish is thought out by portion, taste and scent, and prepared in a way a customer would be entertained by providing many little surprises.

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We'd like to introduce you to a Japanese cuisine chef [whose food is] visually looking not too revolutionized.

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But palate-wise, philosophy-wise, it's... there's a huge change in it, and you'll be surprised [at] some of the dishes that you're gonna be tasting.

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His name is Mr. Kenji Mitsuda.

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And he was one of your students.

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Yes, 29th graduates, [alumnus] of our school, graduated about 25 years ago.

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You serve some of the most exquisite, modern Japanese food.

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What is your philosophy that you take to this restaurant but also to your menus, your dishes?

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There are a few things. One is to use innovative technique that has not been used in Japanese cuisine before,

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such as making use of scientific knowledge and using different temperatures in cooking for enhancing texture and flavor, for example, to bring out the best in the produce.

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Another thing is, since we live in a global society,

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I like to make use of produce from different parts of the world and pick out what works for Japanese cuisine.

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We've had a thousand years of craftsmanship in our country to adapt into our own system.

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It's very unlikely that it's going to drastically change. There will be slow change, but it's not gonna be a drastic change.

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It's not just [a] domestic debate, it's an international... it's a global debate as to how... what the Japanese cuisine should go for... towards.

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So, these three things are crucial: education, environmental issues and [the] message that you want to transmit globally.

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And that debate will decide which direction Japanese cuisine will go, I think.