Learn to prepare 4-5 Japanese home style dishes from scratch during this Osaka cooking demonstration in Yoshiko’s kitchen. Yoshiko will start by showing you how to make dashi stock, the Japanese foundation that most dishes are based on. You will learn how to use dashi instead of water when cooking Japanese dishes to bring out the umami flavor of each dish. You can expect the cooking portion of your experience to last about an hour before you sit down to enjoy the meal you helped prepare. Yoshiko will share printed recipes with you so you can recreate the dishes you learned back home. Please note the experience ends at Yoshiko's home. If you choose the optional alcohol add-on, Yoshiko serves plum wine (or local beer if requested in advance).
NOTE: Please let Yoshiko know which of the four menu options below you would like to cook at least three days before your experience. If she does not hear from you, she will cook Option 1 (Mother's taste).
Yoshiko will pick you up in her car at the station and drive you 10 minutes to her home. Join her at her dining table for a meal that will definitely include at least one dashi-based dishes such as dashi maki egg roll or miso soup or teriyaki chicken. In addition, you will get to try Yoshiko’s creative specialties such as tofu gratin or steamed salmon and vegetables with a creamy sesame miso sauce. Feel free to let her know your preference from the sample menus below. The experience ends at Yoshiko's home.
Yoshiko picks her guests from Kawanishiikeda station on the JR Takarazuka line. If there are more than 4 people in your group, Yoshiko requests that additional people take a taxi and follow her home. Also, please note that the experience ends at Yoshiko's home. After your experience is over, you need to make your way to the station on your own. Yoshiko can surely help arrange for a taxi that you can use to get to the nearest station, it will cost you approximately ¥2000, which needs to be paid directly to the driver.
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
Yoshiko worked as a tour guide for many years before she started teaching Japanese cooking at home. Proud of the cooking techniques she learned from her mother, a wonderful home cook, Yoshiko enjoys sharing her mother's recipes and cooking skills with others. She also enjoys creating and experimenting with new menus. Yoshiko values using fresh and natural Japanese ingredients and enjoys using a variety of ingredients in the healthy Japanese food she prepares. In her spare time, Yoshiko enjoys playing in her band and golfing. She lives in Takarazuka, a town located a quick 20 minutes by train from central Osaka, known for both its hot springs and its all-female Takarazuka Revue, a musical theater-troupe.
"Cooking with Yoshiko was such a pleasure. She is so nice and the food was amazing.
Strongly recommend to try, won't be disappointed ❤️"
"This cooking class was the highlight of our trip. Yoshiko is absolutely wonderful! She invited us into her home and spent over 2 hours showing us how to make authentic home cooked Japanese food in her kitchen. We sent over a few notes about what types of food we liked and were interested in making and she helped us pick the right dishes to make - we ended up learning how to make traditional dashi stock, Japanese rolled omelette, a cucumber, spinach and wakame salad, grilled tofu and shiitake mushrooms with sweet miso sauce, and Osaka-style okonomiyaki. Yoshiko did a great job explaining all the local ingredients, condiments and sauces. We cannot recommend her enough!!"
"Yoshiko, guided us through making a wonderful meal in her home. The whole experience was friendly and informative.
I would highly recommend if you want to see a big of real Japan away from the bustle of the cities."
"Yoshiko was a very gracious host who spent time explaining each step and showing us all the ingredients. It was so nice to feel at home so far from home! The dishes were excellent and we had a great time talking with Yoshiko about our travels. We highly recommend this experience to everyone!"