This was the most wonderful experience we had in Kyoto! Midori-San communicated with us after we booked and shared several options for what we could choose to cook. On the day of, from the moment we arrived at her charming studio we felt like we were family visiting a close relative. Midori was so welcoming and kind, and we ended up staying and chatting with her for a long while. She had fabulous recommendations for restaurants, shops, and experiences to make our trip perfect. She even spent a good deal of effort helping me track down my Japanese host family from high school. Not to mention the delicious cooking!!! We loved our evening with our new “Kyoto Mama” and would highly recommend as a must-do experience for anyone visiting Kyoto. ❤️
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Cooking Experience
We really enjoyed our lunch. Our host was very friendly and although her English was limited we were able to communicate easily. The house and garden are beautiful as is the area where her home is located. We had two older travellers with us who found it difficult to sit on the floor, chairs were provided.
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Cooking Experience
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!
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Cooking Experience
Market Tour
We had the best time with Michiyo and her husband! She walked us through all the fundamentals of the building blocks for Japanese cooking, then we used these ingredients to make 5 dishes that we all enjoyed together. We can’t wait to bring our new skills back to the US. Thank you Michiyo!
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Cooking Experience
We booked this at the last minute and are so grateful we invested some of our time in Kyoto in this fabulous experience. Rita is a treasure! Warm, funny, present, curious, knowledgeable, genuinely interested in connection, and a fantastic cook! A Kyoto native, her passion for Japanese cooking, culture and connecting through food was evident from start to finish. We spent 3 hours with her, beginning with touring the modest tofu shop of her friend (a 4th generation tofu maker), where we learned about the various stages of the process, the importance of various elements (like the water used) and were treated to samples of different kinds of fresh tofu, soy beans, and soy milk. Upstairs in the kitchen, Rita had a delicious and authentic meal already underway, but eased us into the cooking process with her to complete our meal together. She taught us not only about tofu, but about meal etiquette, Japanese seasonings and marinades, the aesthetic of meal presentation, and even the spiritual meanings behind some of the food customs. She also accommodated our food preferences (we’re pescatarians), which was so appreciated. We enjoyed every minute and morsel and left with a full and happy belly, printed recipes for everything we ate, gifts (including a lovely cotton kimono for our daughter - see photos), a new friend, and knowledge about the wonderful Japanese culture that is sure to enrich our experience in this fantastic country. Highly recommend.
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Market Tour
This wound up being one of the most memorable activities of our trip. Aki was a fantastic host, cook, and guide. She took us through the local market, explaining all of the produce and products, and buying items we were curious about to include in the meal. She then led us through cooking the dishes in her home, explaining the process throughout. The food was delicious and we can't wait to make the recipes again when we get home. Even our teenagers had an unabashedly good time. Most of all, Aki was kind and delightful, and we all just really enjoyed her company. If we're fortunate enough to be in Kyoto again we'll definitely book another class with her.
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Market Tour
