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Japanese Cooking: Sushi and Obanzai Delights
5.0
72 Ratings
Kyoto
Immerse yourself in the art of Japanese cooking with a Kyoto cooking class. Learn sushi and Obanzai techniques, make traditional dishes, and enjoy a meal together in a local home.
Immerse yourself in the art of Japanese cooking with a Kyoto cooking class. Learn sushi and Obanzai techniques, make traditional dishes, and enjoy a meal together in a local home.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- 31-30 Katsurainariyamachō - This is a wonderful chance to visit a local’s home and immerse yourself in traditional culture and cuisine. Join Emika at her residence for a regional culinary adventure that begins or concludes with a freshly prepared cup of traditional matcha green tea, made by Emika or her father. In this Kyoto cooking class,…
- 31-30 Katsurainariyamachō - This is a wonderful chance to visit a local’s home and immerse yourself in traditional culture and cuisine. Join Emika at her residence for a regional culinary adventure that begins or concludes with a freshly prepared cup of traditional matcha green tea, made by Emika or her father. In this Kyoto cooking class, participants will learn to make sushi of their choice or a traditional main dish, along with two Obanzai-style vegetable dishes. Discover how to prepare classic dishes, explore seasonal ingredients, and savor the flavors of Japan in a lively and engaging setting. All skill levels are welcome! Emika cultivates her own organic vegetables, which will be used in your Japanese cooking class in Kyoto. The cooking segment of your experience may last about an hour before you enjoy the meal you have prepared together. Your meal concludes with a tea ceremony.
If you opt for the Market tour, Emika will guide you on a 1-hour tour to a “supermarket” and produce store where locals typically shop. After your meal, take a 10-minute walk together to the supermarket to gain an understanding of Japanese ingredients and seasonings. Emika can assist you in purchasing ingredients to take home.
What's Included
- Local alcohol (1-2 glasses)
- Private cooking class and tea ceremony with your host Emika
- Supermarket and produce market tour (if you choose the Market tour option)
- Local alcohol (1-2 glasses)
- Private cooking class and tea ceremony with your host Emika
- Supermarket and produce market tour (if you choose the Market tour option)
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meal Options
- Choice of 1 main: - Sushi (nigiri or oshi) | Okonomiyaki | Gyoza | Obanzai main (meat or fish)
- Obanzai style vegetable side dishes
- Japanese sweet
- Japanese tea ceremony
- Choice of 1 main: - Sushi (nigiri or oshi) | Okonomiyaki | Gyoza | Obanzai main (meat or fish)
- Obanzai style vegetable side dishes
- Japanese sweet
- Japanese tea ceremony
Additional Information
In this session, you’ll acquire the skills to create sushi based on your preference or traditional Obanzai style meals such as seasoned and cooked mushrooms, pickled or braised seasonal veggies and tofu recipes prepared the old-fashioned way. This will take place amidst engaging discussions with your host Emika in her warm and inviting kitchen. Emika…
In this session, you’ll acquire the skills to create sushi based on your preference or traditional Obanzai style meals such as seasoned and cooked mushrooms, pickled or braised seasonal veggies and tofu recipes prepared the old-fashioned way. This will take place amidst engaging discussions with your host Emika in her warm and inviting kitchen. Emika will also instruct you on how to make authentic, homemade miso soup from the beginning.
Anticipate the cooking segment of your session to take roughly an hour before you sit down to relish the food you cooked together.
Emika’s family is proprietors of an organic vegetable farm from where she sources most of the veggies for her culinary creations. Get ready to be fascinated by the extensive diversity of daikon radishes cultivated on their land!
Team up with Emika and master the art of traditional Japanese culinary methods, from cutting to marinating, guided by a charming local!
- Please inform your host Emika if you would prefer a sushi or Obanzai (native Kyoto) menu when making your booking
- If any travelers in your party have any allergies, dietary restrictions or cooking preferences please advise at time of booking
- Please note that if you choose the market tour option, it includes a supermarket and your private market tour happens “after” your cooking class and lunch, not before.
Location
31-30 Katsurainariyamachō
Meet your host Emika at her home. The above is a generic location, not the exact address. Exact address and Google Maps link can be found in your ticket upon confirmation, check the 'before you go' section. It is a 15-minute walk or 5-minute taxi ride from Katsura station on the Hankyu Kyoto line.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(72 Ratings)
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Steph6664
Jul 28, 2025
Fun while learning with a local - Emika was a great host and teacher. My husband and I along with our boys 25 and 18 took this cooking Sushi class. It was an easy train ride from center of Kyoto and a welcome breath of fresh air to roam around a local nabe. The class was interesting and fun. Emika's uncle made the homemade miso for the soup and it was the best Miso we had ever had! The sushi was fresh and delicious. My only negative-it would have been nice to see how to cut the fish to make the sushi slices. Otherwise a fun experience. We will try and make our own back home. Thank you Emika!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trip31071155545
Jul 16, 2025
One of the highlights of our trip! - What an amazing opportunity to meet, talk with, and learn to cook from a local! Emika was a thoughtful and gracious hostess, and everything was pre-planned and organized to maximize our time there. The ingredients she purchased were of the highest quality, and she even picked fresh organic vegetables from her garden. She gave us insight into daily life, culture, and her experiences working in a sushi restaurant - all while she taught us how to make an incredible meal. And we finished it with a beautiful matcha tea ceremony that was both tasty and insightful. This was one of the highlights of our trip! Thank you Emika for such an exceptional experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yamma33
Jul 9, 2025
Unforgettable experience!! - Our family had so much fun cooking with Emika! Learning how to cook traditional Japanese dishes with her in her home was just so special and one of the highlights of our first trip to Japan :). Emika made us feel welcome from the start and I truly appreciated her patience with us (especially with our kids). We made miso soup, pickled cucumbers, okonomiyaki, and nigiri sushi…with ingredients fresh from her garden. Everything was so delicious and filling! To top it off we had sweet treats and the traditional tea ceremony in the end.
If you ask our kids what one of their favorite things was in Japan, “cooking with Emika” is one of the first things they will say. Thank you so much Emika for welcome us into your home. Cooking with you and learning about your culture was such a wonderful experience that we will never forget.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lauren_h
Jul 4, 2025
One of the highlights of our trip! - What an amazing opportunity to meet, talk with, and learn to cook from a local! Emika was a thoughtful and gracious hostess, and everything was pre-planned and organized to maximize our time there. The ingredients she purchased were of the highest quality, and she even picked fresh organic vegetables from her garden. She gave us insight into daily life, culture, and her experiences working in a sushi restaurant - all while she taught us how to make an incredible meal. And we finished it with a beautiful matcha tea ceremony that was both tasty and insightful. This was one of the highlights of our trip! Thank you Emika for such an exceptional experience!
Review provided by Viator
Chelsfile
Jul 4, 2025
Cooking with a new friend - Emika was lovely! She picked us up from the train station and straightaway made us feel comfortable in her home. This experience was more than just a cooking class. It felt like we were hanging at a friend's house learning to cook some new recipes. We will definitely be making some of these new meals at home!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Justinjenniferk
Jun 1, 2025
Sushi making class with tea ceremony. - Emika was a wonderful host! We enjoyed our sushi cooking class and tea ceremony with her very much. You won’t be disappointed! It was a fun evening!! :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Williamct3175rk
May 20, 2025
Kyoto Cooking with Emika - The cooking class with Emika was incredibly fun. We made Gyoza, Miso Soup, and side dishes which were all amazing. It was unbelievable that we actually made it because it all tasted so good. Emika also taught us proper Japanese table manners which was great to know for the rest our trip. The tea ceremony we did was with high quality matcha. We also made a trip to the grocery store to see how the locals shop and what is good to buy. Lastly the restaurant recommendations we received have all been excellent and really helped us know where to go.
This class was so much fun, next time we are in Japan we want to do it again and learn how to make other dishes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T7001volouisc
May 5, 2025
Great time and enriching cooking experience! - We had a great time with Emika, who taught us the basics of making sushi and other Japanese specialities. We'd like to thank her for her warm welcome and kindness. We had a wonderful time and, as the icing on the cake, we were able to make and taste a wonderful matcha tea!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gillian
May 4, 2025
Private sushi class - Enjoyable experience.
Made to feel very welcome in her home.
Worthwhile to do whilst in Japan.
Well taught and then lovely to sit together and have lunch with our sushi creation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brett_g
Apr 12, 2025
A home cooking experience that shows real Japanese home life. - Mrs. Emika was a wonderful hostess. Although a 10-15 minute walk from the Kasura station, she lives in a very nice neighborhood and we enjoyed walking, with the assistance of google map, through the winding streets of her neighborhood. Emika was warm and inviting. Although she hasn't ever spent any time in a English speaking country, her English is comprehensive and easy to understand (Eigo o Jōzuna desu). She was very good about teaching and explaining Japanese eating culture. She involved all members of our family with the cooking experience and shared the recipes with us so we could replicate them at home. We chose the sushi experience and Emika was well suited as she worked in a sushi restaurant during the pandemic. Ture to the typical Japanese meal, we also made the side dishes like sonomono, broccolini dish and miso. For the miso she used miso paste that her family makes and it had a wonderful nutty flavor as compared to other miso soups. She sourced high quality ingredients for the sashimi portion of the meal. She was also very accommodating for my wife being a vegetarian. The tour of the local supermarket was also interesting and I would highly recommend that you participate in this as well. Her supermarket has a bakery and we stocked up on some Japanese breads and fresh fruits for snacks later in the day. It was an experience that was well worth it and if we are in Kyoto again we would consider taking another class so we could try her okonomikayi or gyoza.
Review provided by Viator
