This was an amazing experience, and I highly recommend it to everyone visiting Tokyo who would like to learn something new, have a great time doing so, and meet some wonderful people! :) Risa is an amazing host and just as good a teacher. I attended her cooking class with a friend, and we both felt very welcome the entire time. She took care of us from the moment we arrived at the train station until we left. We talked about food, our countries, anime, and video games — it felt almost like visiting a friend and catching up on life over a shared meal. We ate delicious miso soup and okonomiyaki, and also got to try some excellent green tea. Thank you for your hospitality, and I really hope we’ll meet again in the near future!
Join Toshiko in the dining room and kitchen of her apartment building's party room where you'll be greeted with a refreshing welcome drink. Embark on a journey into Japanese cuisine as Toshiko introduces you to traditional ingredients like shoyu, sake, konnyaku, and mirin. She will guide you through an authentic cooking demonstration, teaching you how to prepare dashi - the essential base for many Japanese dishes, including nikujaga, miso soup, and other homestyle favorites. The 1.5-hour demonstration is followed by a delightful meal, where you'll savor the dishes prepared, sharing this intimate dining experience with Toshiko and her family. Enjoy your meal with a choice of sake or beer to complement the authentic flavors. Please note that this is a cooking demonstration, not a hands-on class, due to space constraints.
This was one of the best experiences of our trip! Makiko was such a lovely host, teaching us about the different processes and sharing interesting stories. The supermarket tour was great with a local point of view. And of course the food is amazing! And it was so interesting having real home style Japanese cooking. If you’re looking for a more intimate experience with a peek into a Japanese household you should definitely try this one.
The highlight of our Tokyo visit! Our cooking class and dinner with Hiroko was so special. It felt like dinner with family. She was such a generous host and made us feel extremely welcome. We could have stayed and chatted to her for much longer! The food was absolutely delicious and lots of thought had been put into the menu. Thank you so much for having us in your lovely home, Hiroko-san. We couldn’t recommend this experience highly enough.
I booked a cooking class with Furu through Traveling Spoon. He offers a variety of dishes to learn. I was most curious about Tamago-yaki, the Japanese omelette. Furu was a great teacher; rolling and flipping the Tamago-yaki is much more difficult than it appears! We also prepared Japanese hot pot and soba for the rest of the meal. Great experience and delicious food!
I had an excellent experience with Emi's cooking lesson. From the first moment, her communication was excellent, her instructions to find the studio were spot-on, and her poise, personality and knowledge were amazing. I learnt how to cook three recipes, some tricks and alternative ingredients available in my country and we chatted over a shot of sake. Time flew, because her personality is magnetic. Do not skip this activity! It will be the highlight of your time in Tokyo!
Don’t miss this amazing experience This was the best experience we have had in Tokyo! Junko is utterly charming, energetic, funny and kind. She is also a superb chef. We spent more than an hour touring the market as Junko explained many aspects of Japanese foods and showed us her favorite vendors. She stopped to let us shop for some other fine products. We then accompanied Junko to her home, where she cooked a meal that was far more than we could consume and was absolutely delectable! She showed us several of her cooking techniques and allowed us to participate in creating the meal. We were delighted by Junko’s granddaughter, who accompanied us throughout the day. She gave us several recommendations and enhanced the experience with her knowledge and warmth. It was a lovely afternoon and we hope to see Junko and her granddaughter again.
What a wonderful experience! Miki met us at the station and took us on a walk thru her neighborhood. We stopped at a furikake shop, a mochi shop, a tofu shop and a tsukudani shop. All established shops in existence for decades. We had samples at each and Miki got all my questions answered as she is fluent in both English and Japanese. Such history within the shops. Of course I bought some items to take home. Our next stop was the grocery store. Though the stop is to primarily get what’s needed for the upcoming meal, I got input from Miki on what she thought was the best miso, kelp, salt, and dried kiriboshi and hijiki. I cook a lot of Japanese food at home and always try to pick up stuff in Japan, but it’s always iffy. Having a local give input was so helpful. The lesson itself was invaluable. She teaches you the proper way to make dashi. It’s easier than I expected and I will be making my own dashi from now on. I’ve been using the packets, and tried a recipe she taught me as soon as I got home, but the taste was completely different. Of course I had used a packet and it completely overpowered the taste of the dish. I will make my own dashi from now on. She also taught me the sa-shi-su-se-so method of layering my ingredients and it has completely changed the way I approach Japanese cooking. When we were done, Miki told us she would drive us back to our hotel, but we declined as we wanted to go to a matcha tea shop. We explained we were having a hard time finding matcha. She immediately asked us the name of the shop and called them. She told us they were nearby and had 4 matchas in stock. She drove us there, and we were able to procure our tea. Our hotel was close by so although she offered to drive us, we declined but was so thankful for her offer. Our time with Miki flew by. We will for sure book another cooking lesson when we’re in Japan. She even told us we could cook what we wanted if we let her know in advance. We left her looking forward to another lesson and feel we’ve also made a great friend.
Make Fluffy Japanese Pancakes in a Tokyo Home Cooking Class with a Local Host! Join a hands-on cooking class in Setagaya, one of Tokyo’s peaceful residential neighborhoods, and learn the secrets to making fluffy Japanese pancakes, also known as soufflé pancakes, with a friendly local host, Tomoko. Meet Tomoko near Todoroki Station and take a short stroll together through charming Japanese gardens before arriving at her beautiful home. In this 1-hour Japanese pancake class, you'll discover how to make the fluffiest pancakes from scratch, using Tomoko’s original recipe. Her unique version was developed through many trials and improvements, inspired by a traditional recipe from a Japanese patisserie.
During the class, Tomoko will guide you step-by-step:
Learn how to prepare the pancake batter
Cook your own fluffy soufflé pancakes
Decorate with seasonal fruits, whipped cream, maple syrup, honey, chocolate sauce, walnuts, or powdered sugar
Tomoko will demonstrate the process first, then you’ll get to make your own pancakes, right from the batter to the final decoration. To make the experience even more special, your pancakes will be served on beautiful, hand-painted ceramic plates, created by Tomoko herself. Whether you're a foodie, pancake lover, or cultural traveler, this Tokyo cooking class offers a fun and authentic taste of Japanese home cooking.
Meet your host Eri at her beautiful and modern house, located within a five minute walk from either the Umegaoka or Setagayadaita station on the Odakyu line. Her home is located in a peaceful residential area of the popular Shimokitazawa neighborhood. Her traditionally inspired, modern home is designed to make you feel at peace, away from the restlessness of Tokyo. You can take a peek into her grandparents-in-law’s traditional house and petit Japanese garden next door before making yourself comfortable in Eri's upstairs living and dining area. Relax over a welcome drink before joining Eri for a traditional-inspired Japanese homestyle meal. Eri speaks English but not as fluently as she would like, she is still learning the language. Your menu may include dishes such as nikujaga (meat and potato stewed in soy and mirin), salmon sauté, silken tofu topped with hijiki seaweed and beans, amazake (sweet, non-alcoholic sake) and rice balls with pickles. Your menu may vary depending on the season and the freshness of available ingredients.
Chieko and her team of lovely ladies were amazing and super helpful throughout. They explained what we were doing and why and about the different produce we cooked with. The end product was absolutely fantastic!! Highly recommend this experience.
Begin your private, Tokyo sushi-making class with a warm welcome drink, a sakura (cherry blossom) latte, and a brief introduction to Edomae food and its rich history from your host, Akemi. During this 2-hour class, you’ll learn how to prepare traditional Edomae sushi, starting with the essential vinegar rice. Akemi will guide you through the art of making four types of sushi: Maki (rolled sushi), Nigiri (traditional hand-pressed sushi), Inari (tofu pouch sushi) and, Gunkan (battleship sushi), alongside freshly grated wasabi and sliced ginger. As you work, you’ll also learn about the history of Edomae sushi, including the use of red vinegar - a unique preservation method from the Edo period, when rice was so valuable that it was paid as tax. The lesson will include a demonstration on how to cut sushi from a whole fish, and you'll leave with a printed recipe book to recreate the dishes at home. After the sushi-making, enjoy your creations with a savory broth and a beverage (Japanese sake, plum wine, orange juice, or cola). The meal concludes with a delightful dessert, such as matcha ice cream or yuzu sorbet. Please note, while Akemi will be busy serving, you’ll have the chance to relax and enjoy your meal. Children are charged the same as adults. A vegetarian option is also available.
We joined Satoru for a cooking class on our recent trip to Tokyo, and we are so glad we did. Communication before our class was clear, and he was early at the meeting point. He welcomed us to his flat, and we had an excellent experience, fixing a lovely lunch with a great host. Satoru is knowledgeable, friendly, and warm. He was generous to provide the recipes for the dishes we made so we could try them at home. The class gave us a good background in Japanese food, cooking and presentation that helped us really appreciate the meals we had on the rest of our trip. We definitely recommend cooking with Satoru for a unique experience in Tokyo.
I was so lucky to be gifted a class with Noriko. I have a five year old granddaughter who is in Kindergarten this year and very much wanted to be able to make fun lunches for her occasionally. This class was perfect and Noriko was extremely patient and supportive of me during the class. Her detailed notes for preparation prior to the class ensured that I was ready to go right away. I am now researching and planning some really wonderful and different lunch boxes for when it is my turn to provide for her. Thank you Noriko.
If you like cooking, and enjoy Japanese food this is an excellent opportunity to learn simple home-style Japanese cooking, with ingredients that are available in most large U.S. cities. The food was delicious and our host was friendly and engaging. The interpreter did a nice job too. Having the session in an average Tokyo outer suburban home makes it even more interesting as few westerners will have that experience.
The Udon Noodle cooking experience was the HIGHLIGHT of my trip! I felt that the cost was WELL WORTH it, given how much time we spent and all the wonderful cooking tips! I would most certainly book again!!!
A Wonderful Japanese Cooking Experience with Tomoko! As a French person who loves good food, I was absolutely delighted by my cooking class with Tomoko in Tokyo! She is such a generous, kind, and welcoming person — from the very first moment, I felt completely at home. We prepared a full traditional Japanese meal together, and everything was simply delicious. The flavors were delicate and perfectly balanced — you can truly feel the love and attention she puts into her cooking. What made the experience even more special is that after the class, Tomoko took me to a local supermarket to find the key ingredients so I could bring some of Japan back home with me. It was so much fun to explore the aisles together and learn about the local products! Tomoko explained every step with great patience and shared so many interesting insights about Japanese culture and cuisine. I learned a lot, laughed a lot, and felt deeply inspired. If you want to discover the real taste of Japan in a warm, authentic, and personal way, I can’t recommend this experience enough. It’s not just a cooking class — it’s a truly unforgettable memory!
Our entire experience with Masa and his team was filled with laughter, kindness, and levity. The experience took place in their cooking school which gave it a slightly more formal feel. However, their attentiveness and care for our experience made the experience very enjoyable. The space is incredibly clean and organized (as you would expect in Japan). All ingredients were ready upon arrival. Then it was very hands-on at each and every step. Their team would demonstrate the technique and then hand over the reins to us. Even when we messed up, they would help us fix the issue and then give it back to us to try again. Piece by piece, we assembled our sushi, nigiri and omelet feast. All three hosts were extremely kind, attentive to our needs, and supportive of our efforts in the kitchen. Then at the end we arranged it on a beautiful platter and sat down with our hosts to the best meal of our entire three weeks in Japan! Truly memorable and enjoyable!
