The 10 Best Home Cooking Classes in Japan

1.Private Home Cooking in Yanaka – Local Flavors in a Warm Setting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 173 reviews · from $122Our pick

Meet Yuki and cook Japanese comfort food in a small, home-style kitchen near Yanaka Ginza. Your two-hour private lesson may include dishes such as miso soup, udon, gyoza, sushi, bento, or nasu dengaku. Request vegetarian, vegan, allergy-friendly, or other menus in advance.

“Yuki is an awesome host and teacher. She made us all feel comfortable and welcome. Her English is excellent! She provides everything needed to prepare a wonderful meal to enjoy. We made Oyakodon and Nikujaga, both delicious. All iRead more”

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2.Near Fushimiinari: Kyoto Home Cooking Class & Supermarket tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 100 reviews · from $118

Meet Miho or another licensed English-speaking guide near Fushimi Inari for a four-hour home cooking lesson. Prepare about five Japanese dishes, eat together in a traditional room with a garden view, then spend 30 minutes learning how to find the ingredients at a local supermarket. Groups are limited to six.

“Miho was great. I highly recommend this class. She gave guided instruction on how to prepare a number of local dishes and provided interesting background on Japanese cuisine. Miho was friendly and graciously answered many questions that the group had. Her English is perfect and easily understandable.”

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3.Japanese Home Cooking Class & Walk in Todoroki Temple Tokyo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 88 reviews · from $110

Meet Tomoko at Todoroki Station, visit Todoroki Fudoson and Todoroki Valley, then walk to her home for a hands-on Japanese cooking class. You may prepare dishes such as ramen, gyoza, okonomiyaki, sushi rolls, or curry rice, with the menu arranged in advance. The group is limited to four, and lunch, drinks, and recipes are included.

“Tomoko was incredibly kind, welcoming, and caring. The walk through the Valley was a beautiful prelude to the cooking class. Tomoko made us feel very well come in her home, and had put special effort into prepping the specific meals we had requested (vegan and non-vegan ramen). As the lesson began, Tomoko’s passion for cooking and for sharing her knowledge came across incredibly clearly. She had also printed out the recipes for us to look at during the cooking process, which was very helpful. The food all turned out wonderfully, and we had a very fun time sharing the meal together. If you are looking for a unique, local experience…”

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4.Private Japanese Home Cooking Class in Kyoto with Michiyo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 55 reviews · from $86

Meet Michiyo at Otsukyo Station, ride three minutes to her home, and prepare a seasonal Japanese meal with her guidance. You’ll make dashi and chirashi sushi, learn practical cooking methods, then eat together with Michiyo and her husband. Lunch and dinner times are available, with alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks.

“Our cooking lesson and dinner with MIchiyo was one of the highlights of our visit to Japan. We're looking forward to using her recipes to cook a meal at home!”

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5.Kyoto Home Cooking Class ＆Supermarket tour near Fushimiinari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 31 reviews · 4 hours · from $127

Spend four hours with an English-speaking guide such as Miho in a traditional Japanese home near Fushimi Inari. Learn dashi, prepare about five dishes, eat lunch beside a garden, then visit a local supermarket to identify the ingredients and products you can use at home.

“Miho is a great teacher and food passionate. We felt at home away from home. The food was great better than in some restaurants. We Made a feast that we cant watt to replicate home with our family. Of I had time I would have loved to take ah other class.”

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6.3-Hour Guided Musubi Japanese Home Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · from $85

Meet Akiko near Musashi-Koganei Station and cook in her Tokyo apartment, not a studio kitchen. In about two and a half hours, you’ll prepare one main dish, two side dishes, rice, miso soup, and dashi. Menus can include gyoza, fried chicken, or seaweed-wrapped sushi rolls. English instruction, ingredients, lunch, and recipes are included.

“Great food and human experience. Would recommend without hesitation. Very nice and generous host and a great cook.”

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7.Hands-on Japanese Cooking in a Shinjuku Home Kitchen with Satoru

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · from $130

Meet Satoru at JR Shinjuku Station and walk to his cozy apartment for a private, hands-on Japanese cooking class. Over about 2.5 hours, you’ll prepare two to five homestyle dishes, learn about ingredients such as dashi and honey, share a meal and one or two drinks, and take home a Japanese utensil and ingredient.

“Thoroughly enjoyed our cooking course in Tokyo. Saturo was engaging, educational and fun. His menu was perfect for our family including teenagers. The meal was absolutely delicious, l highly recommend!!”

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8.Nagoya Super Market Tour & Home Cooking Class with a Local, Akiko

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $119

Meet Akiko at Kasugai Station for a private supermarket tour and home cooking class. Learn about Japanese ingredients, shop for items to take home, then prepare Nagoya-style dishes such as red miso stew, shrimp tempura rice balls, fried chicken, and miso pork cutlet sandwiches. The three-and-a-half-hour visit includes the meal, local alcohol, and station pickup.

“We made Nagoya style wings, fried pork, and stuffed tempura rice balls. She was absolutely wonderful in teaching us how to cook! She also let us take home the recipes so we can make them at home. The local market review helped us learn more about local grocery stores. The experience we well worth the money!!”

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9.Experience Authentic Japanese Home Cooking in Kyoto

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 1 day · from $122

Meet near Kyoto’s Sanjo or Shijo area and cook a traditional Japanese meal in a more than 100-year-old townhouse. Kayo and the Live Foods Academy team teach you to make dashi from kombu and bonito flakes, then use it in rolled omelet, miso soup, simmered vegetables, and chicken teriyaki. The private 2.5-hour class includes ingredients, an apron, and the meal.

“Wonderful, hands-on learning that can be immediately applied at home. The teacher’s were kind, knowledgeable, and fun to talk with!”

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10.Culinary Home Cooking with Grandmothers – Vegan Friendly

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $78Best value

Meet local grandmothers in a warm Aomori home for a three-hour cooking class near Mutsu-Tsuruta Station. You’ll learn to prepare keno-jiru, onigiri, and seasonal plant-based sides, with English support, a welcome drink, all ingredients, and lunch included. The menu suits vegan, vegetarian, Oriental Vegetarian, and gluten-free diets.

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