KYOTO -- For much of November, Rene Redzepi, acclaimed chef of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, hiked 35 kilometers a day in preparation for a high-profile culinary event next year.
Over the course of 30 days this autumn, the 44-year-old Dane walked the length of the Shikoku Henro, a 1,200-km circular pilgrimage route that passes 88 temples on the Japanese island of Shikoku. The pilgrimage was a prelude to a more complex logistical feat: Next spring, Redzepi will move his restaurant and more than 70 Noma employees to Kyoto for a 10-week residency that will coincide with sakura, or cherry blossom, season.
