Japanese Cooking Class in Kyoto: Learn Sushi & Dashi From a Local

Master dashi and sushi rice before sharing a meal with your Kyoto host

A private cooking class in Kyoto held in the home kitchen of Michiyo, a local host who teaches you to prepare dashi stock and chirashi-sushi, then serves the meal you cooked alongside local alcohol. The class runs about three hours including hands-on cooking and a seated meal. Michiyo picks you up from Otsukyo Station and speaks English or Japanese. The menu shifts with the season and may include nikujaga, tofu dishes, and dashi-based soup alongside your sushi.

The experience

Michiyo meets you at Otsukyo Station on the JR Kosei line and drives you three minutes to her home, where she and her husband welcome you into their kitchen. Before you start cooking, she walks you through the menu of the day, which changes with what's in season, and explains the techniques you're about to learn. The hands-on work takes about an hour and a half. You'll make dashi stock, the foundational broth that runs through Japanese cooking, and prepare sushi rice for chirashi-sushi, which you'll garnish yourself in a traditional wooden bowl. Michiyo shares knowledge she's built over years. The vegetables she uses come from local suppliers, and she chooses them for the season.

After the cooking portion wraps, you and Michiyo sit down together to eat the meal you made. The spread includes the chirashi-sushi you prepared, plus dishes like nikujaga (slow-cooked meat with potatoes and seasonal vegetables), a tofu side dish, and a dashi-based soup. Local alcohol (one or two glasses) is paired with the food to complement it. This is not a performance or a demonstration. You're cooking in a working home kitchen with a host who lives there, and her husband joins you at the table.

The class is private, which means the pace and the menu can shift for any dietary needs you mention at booking. Michiyo and her husband share the space with El, their dachshund, so let them know if that matters to you. The experience is built around what you do with your hands and what you eat at the end, not around sightseeing or a tour of the city.

What’s included

• Private hands-on cooking instruction in Michiyo's Kyoto kitchen.
• the meal you prepare (chirashi-sushi, nikujaga, tofu side dish, dashi-based soup, and other seasonal dishes).
• local alcohol paired with the meal (1–2 glasses).
• pickup and return transport from Otsukyo Station.

Options for this experience

2 options

Cooking + dinnerGuide in English or Japanese · 16:00

Cooking + lunchGuide in English or Japanese · 10:30

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:30 and 16:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Japanese

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Operated by Traveling Spoon

Is this one for you?Book this class if you want to learn a technique you can use at home: dashi stock is the foundation of Japanese cooking, and making it yourself changes how you approach the cuisine. The private format means Michiyo adjusts the pace and the menu to what you need, and you eat what you cooked instead of watching someone else cook.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Japanese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What exactly is dashi stock and why do I need to learn how to make it?

Dashi is a fundamental broth in Japanese cooking: the base for soups, sauces and many other dishes. Michiyo teaches you to make it from scratch because it's the building block that shapes the flavor of everything else you'll prepare in the class, and it's a technique that carries into cooking at home.

Can I do this class if I have a dietary restriction or allergy?

Yes. Tell Michiyo about any dietary requirements when you book, in the Special Requirements box, and she'll adjust the menu. The seasonal ingredients she sources may also shift what's available on the day you visit.

How long does the whole experience take from the time Michiyo picks me up?

The class runs three hours total, including the drive from Otsukyo Station (three minutes), the introduction to the menu, the hands-on cooking (about an hour and a half), and the seated meal with local alcohol at the end.

Do I need any cooking experience to join this class?

No. Michiyo teaches the techniques step by step in her kitchen. The class is private, so she moves at your pace and adjusts the instruction to what you already know.

Is hotel pickup included, or do I arrange my own transport to Otsukyo Station?

Michiyo picks you up from Otsukyo Station on the JR Kosei line. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included, so you'll need to make your own way to the station.