Meet your host Sakura at her beautiful apartment, located in a peaceful residential area within a ten-minute walk from the Higashi-Sapporo station. Relax over a welcome drink before joining Sakura for a homestyle Japanese meal. Her husband who is originally from the U.S. and their son might join you for a fun family meal when they are present. Your menu might include dishes such as chikuzenni (chicken and vegetables stewed in soy and mirin), miso soup, dashimaki tamago (egg roll cooked with dashi stock), and hand shaped onigiri (rice balls). Your meal will conclude with a cup of freshly brewed tea. Please note that the menu may vary depending on the season and availability of fresh ingredients in the market.
Join Sakura in her Sapporo kitchen for a hands-on Japanese home cooking experience. In this welcoming class, you'll learn how to prepare 2–3 authentic, everyday Japanese dishes that are simple, flavorful, and easy to recreate in your own kitchen. Consider it a Japanese home cooking 101 lesson! You’ll cook together for about 1 to 1.5 hours, followed by a shared meal around the dining table with Sakura. This experience is ideal for beginner cooks and those looking to connect with Japanese culture through casual, home-style cuisine.
This is a child friendly experience!
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.
Chikuzenni (chicken and vegetables stewed in soy and mirin)Miso soupDashimaki tamago (egg roll cooked with dashi stock)Onigiri (rice balls)A true Hokkaido local, Sakura was born and raised in Chitose, a neighboring city of Sapporo. Her passion for cooking developed when she got married and had a child as she valued making healthy, well-balanced meals using fresh, seasonal produce for her loved ones. Sakura fell deeper in love with cooking when she watched her family enjoy her meals, and thus began her quest to learn about different cooking techniques used around the world. She is always curious about what people of other cultures cook and eat and enjoys meeting new people and sharing new experiences. Cooking for people brings Sakura joy and and she is excited to meet Traveling Spoon guests from all over the world and share homemade Japanese cuisine with them.
"Good experience with the cooking class. The host has good patience, even though the event was delayed due to the navigation of the place not being according to the website description (not the host's fault, but the company's). When you try to contact the host via email (according to the website), it can take several minutes of delay. Here it is good that before the event you have contacted the host. Finally Sakura-san came to pick me up, which was very kind. Similarly on the way home she went with me to the nearest train station to lead me to the right destination.
As a result, all the dishes were made according to the descriptions. But there were two more dishes that were (bonus) not planned. But I am happy to try them.
In summary, it was a good experience, despite the complications. But the host is helpful and helped me. In addition to the authentic food (which some claim to be simple), there were dishes that were prepared with love. The host gave good advice on Japanese food and typical food related to Sapporo and Hokkaido.
//Minh"
"Sakura was so kind and treated me like family, she made me feel so welcome and the food
was amazing. 100/10Thank you Sakura!"
"Great class with a friendly host
Very interesting home cooking class with Sakura. It was fun to learn about “regular” home
cooking techniques and share a delicious meal together afterwards."
"It was not as interactive as expected. The dishes were simple & uninspiring with very little
taste. Would not recommend for visitors who are foodies and knowledgeable about
cooking.
Traveling Spoon Response:
Dear Lori,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that the experience did not meet your expectations.
At Traveling Spoon, we aim to connect travelers with warm local hosts for meaningful cultural and culinary exchanges, and we understand that every guest brings their own preferences and expectations to the table.
We’ve shared your comments with our host, Sakura, who also expressed regret that the experience didn’t resonate with you. She shared that you arrived much earlier than expected, and while she encourages guests to be hands-on in her classes, it seemed there may have been a mismatch in expectations around participation and the style of cooking. Sakura focuses on teaching simple, approachable home recipes - meals that busy individuals can recreate in their own kitchens, rather than restaurant-style cuisine.
We understand that you had requested tempura shortly before the class, which is not part of Sakura’s usual menu. Although she took time to prepare for this special request, it may not have reflected the same level of confidence and refinement as her standard dishes. We appreciate your honesty and will use your feedback to help us better set expectations for future guests, especially those seeking more advanced or gourmet-level instruction. We’ve already updated the experience description to note that this class is ideal for beginner cooks, in order to help set clearer expectations for future guests and ensure the best possible fit.
Thank you again, and we wish you many wonderful culinary experiences ahead."
