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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Overall, I had a very good time, the experience with Aki-san was fun! I was quite surprised when Aki-san put the udon dough in a plastic bag, set it on the floor, and proceeded to knead it with her feet! Genius! And it was neat to see solid katsuo-bushi grated the old-fashioned way for dashi; I’d heard about that, but never seen it before. The presentation of all the food was good, and Aki-san has a whole cupboard crammed with dishes and bowls to choose from (typically Japanese, and fun). I did learn about Nagoya-style food, which was very tasty. Aki-san thoughtfully provides a printed copy of the recipes, which I appreciate.

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Market Tour

Cooking with Yoko was an amazing experience! She met us right at the Minami-Morimachi station and wore a Japanese kimono as this is what traditional Japanese wear for teaching classes and tea ceremonies. Yoko walked us to her apartment through some of the local shopping streets and gave us a small tour of her area. She was very welcoming and was a great tour guide explaining everything we saw and telling us stories. Yoko is well known in her area as many people greeted her as we walked by on the way to her apartment. She made us feel right at home and greeted us with a cute welcome sign on her door. She had hangers out for us for our jackets and charming aprons to wear. The cooking portion of the experience was very hands on and extremely informational. She taught us so much about traditional Japanese cooking techniques such as how to cut cucumbers into a snake (accordion) design, which looked way better than just a cut up cucumber. She also gave us lots of cooking tips as well including to always mix the miso into a small portion of broth before adding into the soup as it would lose all its flavor, it is easier to cut tofu in your hand (very carefully) since it is so soft, always crack an egg on a flat surface and so much more. One of the highlights of the cooking portion was making the Japanese omelet - one of the best omelets we have ever had! She was so accommodating and even purchased and used gluten free soy sauce as I had an allergy. We had such great conversations over our meal with her about Japan and life that we felt like we were just having a meal with an old friend. At the end of the experience she even walked us about 10 minutes to a local park and pointed us in the direction of the Osaka Castle which is where we were headed to after. She even gave us lots of tips on other places in Japan we would enjoy and wrote them all down for us. We left the entire experience with our bellies full, lots of new Japanese cooking techniques and feeling like we made a new friend. It was an amazing experience altogether!

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Our entire experience with Masa and his team was filled with laughter, kindness, and levity. The experience took place in their cooking school which gave it a slightly more formal feel. However, their attentiveness and care for our experience made the experience very enjoyable. The space is incredibly clean and organized (as you would expect in Japan). All ingredients were ready upon arrival. Then it was very hands-on at each and every step. Their team would demonstrate the technique and then hand over the reins to us. Even when we messed up, they would help us fix the issue and then give it back to us to try again. Piece by piece, we assembled our sushi, nigiri and omelet feast. All three hosts were extremely kind, attentive to our needs, and supportive of our efforts in the kitchen. Then at the end we arranged it on a beautiful platter and sat down with our hosts to the best meal of our entire three weeks in Japan! Truly memorable and enjoyable!

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Market Tour

We joined Satoru for a cooking class on our recent trip to Tokyo, and we are so glad we did. Communication before our class was clear, and he was early at the meeting point. He welcomed us to his flat, and we had an excellent experience, fixing a lovely lunch with a great host. Satoru is knowledgeable, friendly, and warm. He was generous to provide the recipes for the dishes we made so we could try them at home. The class gave us a good background in Japanese food, cooking and presentation that helped us really appreciate the meals we had on the rest of our trip. We definitely recommend cooking with Satoru for a unique experience in Tokyo.

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Market Tour

What a wonderful experience for our family. Directions to the location were clear and easy to find. We had a great time making (and eating) Udon noodles, Japanese omelette, and tempura. Would absolutely do this again.

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It was a small intimate expletive that we shared with Emi which was perfect! We had good fun learning how to cook some Japanese home cuisine which we will definitely use for the future! :) Emi was a gracious host who looked after us really well!!

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I booked a cooking class with Furu through Traveling Spoon. He offers a variety of dishes to learn. I was most curious about Tamago-yaki, the Japanese omelette. Furu was a great teacher; rolling and flipping the Tamago-yaki is much more difficult than it appears! We also prepared Japanese hot pot and soba for the rest of the meal. Great experience and delicious food!

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Market Tour

Don’t miss this amazing experience This was the best experience we have had in Tokyo! Junko is utterly charming, energetic, funny and kind. She is also a superb chef. We spent more than an hour touring the market as Junko explained many aspects of Japanese foods and showed us her favorite vendors. She stopped to let us shop for some other fine products. We then accompanied Junko to her home, where she cooked a meal that was far more than we could consume and was absolutely delectable! She showed us several of her cooking techniques and allowed us to participate in creating the meal. We were delighted by Junko’s granddaughter, who accompanied us throughout the day. She gave us several recommendations and enhanced the experience with her knowledge and warmth. It was a lovely afternoon and we hope to see Junko and her granddaughter again.

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Market Tour

I was so lucky to be gifted a class with Noriko. I have a five year old granddaughter who is in Kindergarten this year and very much wanted to be able to make fun lunches for her occasionally. This class was perfect and Noriko was extremely patient and supportive of me during the class. Her detailed notes for preparation prior to the class ensured that I was ready to go right away. I am now researching and planning some really wonderful and different lunch boxes for when it is my turn to provide for her. Thank you Noriko.

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This was one of the best experiences of our trip! Makiko was such a lovely host, teaching us about the different processes and sharing interesting stories. The supermarket tour was great with a local point of view. And of course the food is amazing! And it was so interesting having real home style Japanese cooking. If you’re looking for a more intimate experience with a peek into a Japanese household you should definitely try this one.

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Market Tour

After a welcome drink, guests will enjoy a meal and a glass of wine or shochu in a quiet residential area with greenery. Yasue's gastronomic and wine pairing experience includes a meal served on a beautiful table setting with Japanese tableware. Yasue offers a seasonal menu that may include dishes such as takikomi-gohan (Japanese style pilaf), miso soup made with authentic dashi, chicken teriyaki, tofu with handmade tsukudani (seaweed in sweetened soy) or Japanese style bagna cauda. Your Japanese dishes will be paired with wine that Yasue specifically chooses for your meal, if you choose alcohol option.

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Join Eri in her modern kitchen to learn how to cool three traditional, Japanese homestyle dishes. Since some of the dishes need to be marinated beforehand, she may have those pre-marinated and ready for you to add the final touch. For the rest of the dishes, you will enjoy a hands-on cooking class during which you will help to chop, fry, grill and learn about Japanese food presentation. Immerse yourself in this Japanese cooking class in a local Tokyo home over conversation about Japanese culinary traditions, unique food ingredients, and secret cooking tips passed down through generations in Eri's family.

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What a wonderful experience! Miki met us at the station and took us on a walk thru her neighborhood. We stopped at a furikake shop, a mochi shop, a tofu shop and a tsukudani shop. All established shops in existence for decades. We had samples at each and Miki got all my questions answered as she is fluent in both English and Japanese. Such history within the shops. Of course I bought some items to take home. Our next stop was the grocery store. Though the stop is to primarily get what’s needed for the upcoming meal, I got input from Miki on what she thought was the best miso, kelp, salt, and dried kiriboshi and hijiki. I cook a lot of Japanese food at home and always try to pick up stuff in Japan, but it’s always iffy. Having a local give input was so helpful. The lesson itself was invaluable. She teaches you the proper way to make dashi. It’s easier than I expected and I will be making my own dashi from now on. I’ve been using the packets, and tried a recipe she taught me as soon as I got home, but the taste was completely different. Of course I had used a packet and it completely overpowered the taste of the dish. I will make my own dashi from now on. She also taught me the sa-shi-su-se-so method of layering my ingredients and it has completely changed the way I approach Japanese cooking. When we were done, Miki told us she would drive us back to our hotel, but we declined as we wanted to go to a matcha tea shop. We explained we were having a hard time finding matcha. She immediately asked us the name of the shop and called them. She told us they were nearby and had 4 matchas in stock. She drove us there, and we were able to procure our tea. Our hotel was close by so although she offered to drive us, we declined but was so thankful for her offer. Our time with Miki flew by. We will for sure book another cooking lesson when we’re in Japan. She even told us we could cook what we wanted if we let her know in advance. We left her looking forward to another lesson and feel we’ve also made a great friend.

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Market Tour

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 with Yoshiko was such a pleasure. She is so nice and the food was amazing. Strongly recommend to try, won't be disappointed ❤️

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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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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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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