The 10 Private Cooking Classes in Japan That Earn Their Price

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.Unique Private Cooking Class with a Tokyo Local Emi

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 131 reviews · from $99

Join Emi for a private Japanese cooking class in Tokyo. Over about three hours, you will prepare three dishes, learn practical home-cooking methods, drink tea and sake, and share the finished meal. Weekend groups of two or three may cook in Emi’s home, while larger or weekday groups use her studio. Menu requests are due four days ahead.

“We had a great time with Emi. We received the recipes for our selected dishes and met up in a kitchen studio. Emi was very kind and explained us what to do, step by step. The food was really good and we take some precious memories with us. Our selected recipes: Gyoza (Shrimp) Yakisoba (Vegetarian) Ginger fried pork”

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3.Private Japanese Cooking Class with a Local Chef

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 81 reviews · 3 hours - 270 minutes · from $120

Meet Chef Sato at Shinjuku Station and walk to his apartment for a private English-language cooking class. Depending on the day, you may prepare ramen, gyoza, curry, okonomiyaki, teishoku, or other seasonal dishes. Eat what you make, enjoy barley tea, and add the optional afternoon walk through Shinjuku and Nakano.

“we had a wonderful time with Chef Sato on his cooking lessons. Its a practical home cook gyoza and miso ramen made from scratch. The result was fantastic! we didn’t imagine we can cook that way and that tasty. Highly recommended for travelers interested in common Japanese cuisine.”

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4.Private Kyoto Sushi Cooking Class & Tea Ceremony with Emika

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 66 reviews · from $109

Spend about three hours in Emika’s Kyoto home learning sushi or seasonal Obanzai cooking with local ingredients, including vegetables from her garden. Prepare a meal, enjoy matcha or one to two drinks, and finish with a tea ceremony. Add a market tour for a closer look at everyday Japanese ingredients.

“We used vegetables grown organically by Emika to make a side dish before jumping into making sushi, and miso soup. We chose nigori sake as our drink - we recommend it but other options were also available. Most importantly Emika’s teaching style was clear and helpful and she gave us tips on where to get supplies to make sushi at home.”

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5.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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6.Private Cooking Class Udon in Kyoto Japan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 23 reviews · from $60Best value

At a renovated 120-year-old Kyomachiya near Nishi Honganji, you will make udon from flour, saltwater, and plenty of footwork. Tanaka and other local teachers guide you through kneading, resting, stretching, and cutting the noodles. Afterward, your udon is served with tempura and dipping broth. The private class starts at noon and is especially easy for families.

“It was so fun! Our teacher was so cute and made the cooking so fun! We even learnt the udon dance! We learnt a lot and the food was delicious.”

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7.Private Ramen or Gyoza Cooking Class in Kyoto with Chef Midori

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $169

Meet chef Midori at her private Kyoto cooking studio for tea, ingredient lessons, and hands-on Japanese cooking. Choose from five set menus, including ramen, gyoza, tonkatsu, sushi, vegetarian, and vegan options. You will cook for about 1.5 hours, then sit down with Midori to eat and discuss Kyoto food tips.

“Midori gave very specific advice on shopping related to our cooking wishes. We cooked two delicious meals with her. She was enthusiastic and experienced.”

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8.Private Guided Traditional Buddhist Cooking in Japan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $70

At Yukari’s Japanese Home Cooking in Kyoto, you’ll learn the Buddhist tradition of Shojin-ryori from Yukari or Yuka. In a private, hands-on class, you’ll prepare seven vegan dishes, including miso-glazed eggplant, lotus-root kinpira, tofu salad, wheat-gluten fried chicken, and rice balls. The 2.5-hour class includes ingredients, tea or water, equipment, an apron, and recipes.

“My family and I had a great time learning how to make Shojin Ryori (vegan Buddhist cooking) with Yukari san. She kept my 11 year olds entertained and we enjoyed a delicious vegan meal we all had a hand in creating at the end of the lesson. Read more”

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9.Private Plant-Based Japanese Cooking Class – Kyoto Edition

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · from $98

Meet near Shijo Karasuma for a private, English-friendly Kyoto cooking class with ABC Sustainatable. You’ll prepare shojin ryouri using seasonal local vegetables, cook rice and miso soup from scratch, and make two kinds of yatsuhashi mochi. Eat what you make, then take home a bamboo lunchbox.

“Really good experience! Perfect activity to do with your friends! The staff are accommodating and friendly too. Will for sure spread the word about this”

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10.Takayama: Private Cooking Class at Local’s Machiya House

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $233

Meet Koichiro at a honey shop beside the family’s machiya in Takayama Old Town. After tea and wagashi, you’ll learn Japanese cooking principles, prepare seasonal Hida dishes, share a five-course meal, and tour the historic house, with a possible look at the attached former maternity hospital museum.

“The cooking class experience in a historic house in Takayama was truly extraordinary! The welcome was warm and the explanations very clear. We were able to eat the dishes cooked with fresh ingredients, which were excellent. In addition, our host gave us a tour of the old maternity hospital in Takayama, which is attached to the house and is now a museum.”

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