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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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
I visited Emika's home with my wife, sister, and brother-in-law. My wife and I are pescatarian and Emika was quick to communicate with us before our booking to make sure our dietary needs would be accommodated. She and her mother welcomed us into their home and all four of us had a really excellent evening. She was able to answer a lot our questions about Kyoto and Japanese culture and we couldn't have been happier that we got to share in this experience. I would definitely recommend this experience to anybody looking for a really nice evening and a great food experience!
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Market Tour
Michiyo picked us up from the station and welcomed us in her home. This provides a personal atmosphere we like. I expected it to be a cooking workshop in which i follow a recipe or instructions from the tutor, instead Michiyo cooked the food in front of us, showing how to do it. I personally would have liked to do more things myself. I told her I would like to engage more in the process and she let me. I think Michiyo was trying hard to give us a good experience, I hope she will be able to relax more in the future and find some time to do small talk. Michiyo's husband was home as well and was very talkative which was nice. He asked us about our experiences in Japan and our home country. He told us about kanji and wrote our names in kanji. The food was very nice :)
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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
My best cooking class, one of my best experience in Japan!! Aki is a passioned cook with a lot of heart, she explains very well in an excellent English. Her place is amazing: traditional Japanese house with a beautiful garden in the very heart of Kyoto. The open kitchen on the living-room was easy to use and very convenient for all of us.We bought seasonal vegetables and fishes at the market and wee cooked dishes far from all the cliché we have on Japanese food, so interesting...We could met really nice people and share this moment together, thanks again for this unforgettable moment!!
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Market Tour
