Traditional Japanese cooking class and market tour with a fun local

Meet Miki

Miki’s cooking inspiration is her mother’s traditional Japanese cooking methods. Miki was born and brought up in Tokyo by her mother who was a terrific home cook and frequently hosted home parties for her friends. As a child Miki would always help her mother cook in the kitchen to serve their guests - this is how Miki learned and perfected the art of Japanese home cooking. Now, as an adult, cooking and sharing good food with people continues to bring her joy. Miki married a Korean man, moved to South Korea and learned authentic Korean cooking through cooking courses - she has even earned several certificates in cooking. After 14 years of life in South Korea, Miki returned to Japan to start a new adventure with her family. On occasion, she teaches Korean microbiotic cooking and Japanese cooking at schools. She is excited to open up her home to travelers to feast on authentic Japanese cuisine created from natural, fresh ingredients and cooked using traditional cooking methods.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (1-4 guests) Meet Miki at the JR Shinanomachi train station and walk together 10 minutes to her apartment building. Miki will invite you into her modern apartment where you can relax in her living room with a refreshing drink. Join Miki at the dining table for an authentic Japanese meal that showcases fresh, seasonal produce and ingredients crafted using traditional cooking methods. Your meal may include dishes such as Temari-sushi (colorful, ball shaped sushi) or Chirashi-sushi (sushi bowl) as a main, handmade tofu, miso soup, tsukemono (Japanese pickles), ohitashi (cooked and marinated vegetables) or nimono (slow cooked veg/meat) as sides.

Cooking experience: (1-4 guests) Join Miki in her kitchen and prepare either authentic sushi, a bento box or handmade gyoza from scratch. In addition, you will learn to make dashi (the foundation for miso soup and other Japanese dishes) as well as sushi rice shaped and presented on beautiful Japanese plates. You can expect the cooking portion of your experience to last about 1.5 hours. Please let Miki know which of the three options - Sushi, Bento or Gyoza, you are interested in cooking, when booking your experience. If you choose the Bento main option, you will learn to make one main dish such as Japanese wagyu steak or miso marinated fish. Each menu option comes with two sides such as shiraae, gomae or sunomono, in addition to rice and miso soup. Enjoy the meal you helped prepare with Miki as you hear stories of her culinary adventures in Japan and South Korea. Your meal concludes with wagashi, a traditional Japanese confection served with green tea or Hojicha. If you don't include a preference when making your booking, Miki will choose whichever menu she feels would work best for the day.

Market visit: (1-4 guests) Miki offers 2 different market tours below - please remember to include your preference in the notes field when making your booking.

KAPPABASHI MARKET TOUR: Miki gives you a walking tour of Kappabashi Street, also known as Kitchen Town. During your immersive 1.5 hour tour of this unique kitchen tools market, Miki introduces you to the variety of kitchen utensils used in Japanese cooking. This is a great tour if you've been looking to purchase a Japanese knife! This street market is where Miki purchases everything she needs for her kitchen and dining room, from knives and cookware to teapots and chopsticks. Your experience ends at Kappabashi street. If you chose the optional transport add-on, Miki will drop you off at your hotel. NOTE: If you choose the morning experience, Miki will drive you to Kappabashi market after your cooking class as the shops open later in the morning. If you choose the evening market tour and cooking class experience, Miki will take you to the market first and then drive you back to her home for your cooking class.

YOTSUYO NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET: If you want to get a first-hand glimpse into how locals shop, this is the market tour for you! Meet Miki at Yotsuya station and walk to the supermarket where local Japanese shop for ingredients, whether produce, seafood, ramen or seaweed. In addition to the supermarket shopping expedition, Miki takes you to a Japanese Castella or sponge cake shop which was started in 1897. You will also drop by Kinsho-bai to try Tsukudani, a Japanese traditional food made of vegetables and seafood eaten with rice. After picking up these local Japanese foods, walk 25-minutes to Miki's home (while visiting fun places along the way) and begin your cooking class.

Notes: If you choose the optional transport add-on, Miki will pick you up from your hotel and drop you off after your experience. Pick-up is only available from the Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Aoyama and Akasaka districts in Tokyo.

Languages spoken: Japanese, English, Korean

Sample menu

• Main of A) Temari or Chirashi sushi, B) Shokado Bento or C) Gyoza
• Miso soup
• Vegetable side dishes such as shiraae and gomae
• Handmade tofu
• Traditional Japanese confections and green tea

Traveler reviews

I had a really wonderful time with Miki! I was traveling by myself, so it was great to connect with a local and hear some tips about other things I should do while in Tokyo. The food was so delicious, and I appreciated how Miki explained each step and ingredient she was using. She was very friendly and she was also very flexible with adapting to a pescatarian diet. Overall, I would highly recommend booking a meal with Miki!

- Sophie U February 11, 2024

Miki was a wonderful host. She carefully planned the menu around our dietary restrictions and showed us how to make 5 different dishes in 1.5 hours! We loved the morning we spent cooking with her, and the gyozas we made were delicious.

- AS438 April 26, 2023