Private Kyoto Cooking Class & Tea Ceremony in Emika's Home
Emika grows the vegetables you'll cook with on her family's organic farm.
A private cooking class in Kyoto at Emika's home where you learn to make sushi or traditional Obanzai-style dishes, prepare miso soup from scratch, and participate in a matcha tea ceremony. The class runs about three hours and includes the meal you prepare together, plus one to two glasses of local beer or sake. You can add a 30-minute calligraphy lesson with a board to take home, or a one-hour tour of a local supermarket and produce store after lunch, depending on which option you book.
Options for this experience
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What’s included
- Private hands-on cooking class in Emika's home.
- choice of one main dish (sushi, okonomiyaki, gyoza, or Obanzai with meat or fish).
- two Obanzai-style vegetable side dishes and a Japanese sweet.
- traditional matcha tea ceremony led by Emika or her father.
- the meal you prepare together.
- one to two glasses of local beer or sake.
- 30-minute calligraphy lesson and shikishi board to take home (morning or evening option), or one-hour local supermarket and produce store tour after lunch (supermarket option).
- Every day 11:30 17:00
Information
Learn to cook sushi and traditional Obanzai dishes in a local Kyoto home, then sit down to eat what you made.
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The experience
You'll cook in Emika's kitchen in her home in Kyoto, learning traditional Japanese techniques from someone who grows much of what you'll use. The class starts with a choice: sushi (nigiri or oshi style), okonomiyaki, gyoza, or an Obanzai main with fish or meat. Alongside that you'll prepare two vegetable side dishes in the Obanzai style (the kind of home cooking Kyoto families make every day), and a Japanese sweet. Emika walks you through chopping, marination and the other fundamentals as you work, and the whole cooking portion takes about an hour.
After you finish cooking, you sit down together to eat the meal you made. The tea ceremony happens either at the start or the end of your time there, depending on which option you've chosen: Emika or her father prepares matcha the traditional way. You'll also drink one or two glasses of local beer or sake with the meal. The whole experience runs three hours.
If you book the calligraphy option, you'll spend 30 minutes learning basic brush techniques and write a favorite kanji, a Japanese word or your name on a shikishi board you take home. If you choose the supermarket tour instead, Emika takes you to a local produce store and supermarket where she shops after lunch: an hour to see the ingredients Japanese cooks actually use and get her help picking things to bring back to your kitchen at home. All skill levels work here, and the class is set up for families with children.
Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English and Japanese.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 11 years); Infant (under 4): free.
What's the difference between the morning and evening calligraphy options?
Both options include the same cooking class, meal and tea ceremony in Emika's home. The morning calligraphy option starts with the 30-minute brush lesson before you cook. The evening option does it after lunch. Choose the timing that fits your day.
Can I do the market tour instead of calligraphy?
Yes. The supermarket and produce store tour happens after your cooking class and lunch, not before. Emika takes you for an hour to the shops where she buys ingredients, so you can see what's available and get her advice on what to bring home.
What happens if I have a food allergy or dietary restriction?
Tell Emika when you book. Let her know if you prefer sushi or Obanzai (traditional Kyoto home cooking), and mention any allergies, dietary restrictions or cooking preferences so she can plan the menu around what works for you.
Do I need cooking experience to join this class?
No. All skill levels are welcome. Emika teaches the techniques as you go, so you'll learn chopping, marination and traditional Japanese methods whether you've cooked before or not.
What does the tea ceremony involve?
Emika or her father prepares matcha tea the traditional way. It's part of your three-hour experience and happens either at the start or the end, depending on which option you choose.
Operated by Traveling Spoon. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated today
Private Kyoto Cooking Class & Tea Ceremony in Emika's Home
3h · EN +1
from JP¥ 17,816 per person
≈ US$ 109 in your currency
Next, you choose your date and number of travelers and see the final price.