Do you love Japanese food? Wish you could cook more of it at home? One good way to perfect your Japanese cooking shops is to learn from someone who cooks it daily. Here’s why, next time you’re in Japan, you should consider taking a cooking class. We’ll also tell you how to find one in Tokyo that suits your dietary needs.
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Why take a cooking class?
Get exposed to the full range of Japanese cooking
People are flocking to Japan in record numbers. The country also enjoys many repeat visitors who come back two or more times every year. A report earlier this year from Japanese company Honichi Lab found that Japan was the number one country people wanted to return to by far, at a whopping 34.6%. (The closest runner-up, Singapore, clocks in at 14.7%.)
One thing that keeps people flocking back? The food. Those polled by Honichi said the number one reason they wanted to return was the “variety of food” here. In a separate survey by Japan Rail Pass, travelers designated Tokyo the third best foodie capital of the world.
However, as we’ve written before, there’s a huge gap between what most tourists think Japanese food is and what it actually is. Most won’t be familiar with ingredients such as mentaiko, gobo, kinoko, and kamaboko. Or with foods such as oden and ochazuke. Or with the variety of restaurants available.
A cooking class can help fill in the gaps in your knowledge by exposing you to foods and ingredients that aren’t typically used in your homeland. You can extend your boundaries beyond the type of Japanese food that’s popular abroad (sushi, ramen, etc.) and discover the full range and variety of washoku, or Japanese cuisine.
Have an experience vs. sightseeing
There’s nothing wrong with soaking in the sights. We highly encourage it – and can help you find places to visit!
However, an experience can immerse you in Japanese culture in a way that mere sightseeing often can’t. It gives you a chance to talk with a Japanese expert, learn about their lives, and hear about their culture in their own words. You can also meet other tourists to Japan who share some of your interests.
Experiences are becoming increasingly common as Japan looks for ways to offset the negative effects of overtourism. We wrote recently about one fun (and somewhat whacky) new project that lets you act like a Japanese high school student for a day. We’ve also touted yakatabune tours as a unique and entertaining way to see Tokyo at night. Cooking classes are yet another way of doing something a little different while you’re here.
Eat within your dietary restrictions
In my home country (the United States), it seems like everyone I know has some form of dietary restriction. That’s very American – the ideas that you can have everything “your way” and that society should go the extra mile to accommodate people of various beliefs and backgrounds.
Historically, Japan has more of a “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit” kind of gastronomic culture. Special orders and customizations are rare. (It’s why American chains like Subway struggle to thrive here.) Support for vegetarian, vegan, Halal, and Kosher diets remains slim.
This is slowly changing as Japanese society grows more diverse and global. For example, Japan’s rising Muslim population means there are more options for eating Halal than ever.
As a result, there are now many cooking classes in Tokyo that offer vegetarian, vegan, or Halal options. Taking a class can help you understand how to prepare traditional Japanese meals in ways that meet your restrictions. A Japanese cooking teacher can also explain what does and doesn’t meet your dietary restrictions here so you can make educated eating choices.
Tokyo cooking class: How much should you pay?
What you pay for a cooking class in Tokyo will vary depending on what you want to cook, how long the class runs, and whether you’re a couple of people or a large group.
Average rates run anywhere from 12,000 yen (USD $80) to 20,000 yen ($133). That’s not much to pay for an experience that delivers both a delicious meal and skills you can take home with you. Most classes will run somewhere between three to six hours in length.
Finding a Japanese cooking class in Tokyo
Fortunately, a good Tokyo cooking class in English isn’t hard to find. Here are a few options to explore.
Tokyo Cooking Studio
The creation of San Francisco cooking school graduate Yukari Matsushita, Tokyo Cooking Studio launched out of a garage in Shibuya in 2016. Today, it offers a class nearly every day of the week.
Options include vegetarian ramen and gyoza making, izakaya cooking, and a market-to-table experience starting at the Hachiko Statue near Shibuya Station. Classes run between 15,700 yen ($104) and 19,800 yen ($132) per person.
Mayuko’s Little Kitchen
Mayuko is a former Lush manager who, one day after giving a tour to a Finnish couple, came up with the idea of teaching other foreigners about Japanese cuisine. She opened Mayuko’s Little Kitchen in 2015, which continues to offer classes in Tokyo and Mayuko’s hometown of Choshi in Chiba Prefecture.
Mayuko’s offers a variety of classes, including vegetarian options, starting at 14,900 yen (USD $99). They also offer “Survival Classes” – a package of multiple courses where Mayuko’s team teaches you how to cook traditional Japanese washoku using ingredients specific to Japanese cuisine.
airKitchen: Home cooking and restaurant experiences around Tokyo
Looking for a more personalized, one-on-one experience? airKitchen is a service that connects you to Japanese people offering private cooking lessons in their homes or businesses.
With airKitchen, you can narrow down your preferred experience by food type. This can include, for example, classes focused on sushi or wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets). You can also check out the site’s numerous vegetarian and vegan experiences. Other classes include making okonomiyaki and mochi, the country’s classic sticky-rice treat.
Prices will vary depending on the type of experience and range from 7500 yen ($50) all the way up to 40,000 yen ($266) for private lessons from an expert sushi chef. The median price hovers around 14,000 yen (US $93).
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Sources
「もう一度行きたい国」日本が1位に、その背景は？：ジャパンブランド調査2024（電通）. Honichi Lab
