Appetizing start of Christmas

How about taking the elevator home?

You can also choose to leave all the holiday hassle behind and allow yourself to relax in style during the festive season. Imagine yourself in one of the most luxurious surroundings in Amsterdam to celebrate the season's festive moments with your family and friends. Have you already booked a culinary treat at one of Okura's restaurants? From December 21st to 28th you can combine your restaurant reservation with a special room rate.

What's in a name?

New Year or 'Oshogatsu' is so prominent in Japanese culture that it overshadows other winter feasts, but elements of these other festivals are definitely found in the winter menus of Yamazato Restaurant. One of those festivals is Setsubun, which is nowadays celebrated in February. The festival involves purification rituals to drive demons out of the house by throwing roasted soya beans from every external door and window of the house. Good spirits are invited in by throwing beans into the house as well, with the accompanying spell: "Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi" – 'demons out, luck come in'. Children eat the beans that fall on the floor and try to consume one for each year of their lives.

Change with the seasons

Cherishing nature

Not only the food is served in absolute harmony with the season; the seasonal aspect is all-pervasive. Flower arrangements in dining rooms change according to the season: pine for New Year, plum blossom in February. In winter evergreen or branches with fruits are also used. The hangings at the entrance of the restaurant (called noren) change in colour and design with the seasons, as do the waitresses' kimono. Even the tableware shows seasonal decorations. All signs of the deeply cherished connection with nature that is of utmost importance in Japanese culture.

World Christmas Circus

With a grand circus gala, the greatest circus palace ever seen in Europe was opened in 1887 by Oscar Carré. Now, 125 years later, the annual World Christmas Circus (Wereldkerstcircus) is a classic. With spectacular acts and price winning clown performances from around the world, a sensational show is guaranteed. The perfect seasonal retreat and a feast for the entire family.

Get carried away

Another enchanting night out can be enjoyed with the Cinderella fairytale. The production, performed by the Dutch National Ballet, includes some very special stage effects that will turn the thousand-year-old fairytale into a unique 21st-century experience. The world premiere takes place on December 13th in the Amsterdam Music Theatre and Cinderella will be performed until January 1st.

Do you love to read or write about food? Have you ever written a review for a restaurant and would you like to learn more about how to present the outcome in a constructive article? Curious how to describe a wine for untrained tasters? Or which cooking trends are important when creating a recipe and how to write it down in a clear way? These questions will be answered by Dutch leading culinary speakers who will share their knowledge about their profession: writing about food. The idea? Inspiring others, whether you are a professional wine critic, have a culinary blog or just love to talk about food. On several Sunday afternoons from January to April various informative lectures are organized by Onno Kleyn and Hotel Okura Amsterdam.

How it all started

Onno Kleyn, founder of 'Academie Culinair en Wijnschrijven' (Academy for Culinary and Wine Writing) and author of more than 40 books about food and wine, felt the urge to share knowledge about that one thing he loves doing most: writing about food and wine. He posted a tweet on Social Media asking for a partner in crime. The question was picked up by Hotel Okura Amsterdam. Being known for its culinary versatility, Okura seemed a logic partner in organizing culinary lectures and the idea for Okura's lectures was born. A simple request to co-writers in the culinary field resulted in many enthusiastic reactions and the first lecture started to take shape.

It's up to Mac van Dinther to take care of the kick-off on the 20th of January. Being a restaurant critic and culinary journalist whose reviews are published weekly in the Volkskrant, he is the expert in writing restaurant reviews and he will tell you all about it in the first lecture.

To be continued...

Practical information

Please note that the Sunday Afternoon lectures will be in Dutch. The admission fee for these lectures is €22.50 when subscribing in advance and €27.50 on the day itself (respectively €15.00 and €20.00 for students). This includes coffee, tea and a glass of wine. The lectures start at 4.00 p.m. Afterwards you have a chance to meet like-minded food lovers while enjoying dinner in Serre Restaurant – Inspired by Ciel Bleu, serving a special 3-course menu at €35.00. More information on the lectures and how to register can be found on: www.academieculinairschrijven.nl.