Tokyo: Japanese Knife Workshop & Tuna Don or Sushi Making

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.99 (94 reviews) 99% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/29

Duration2h

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN · JA

Mobile ticketAccepted

Slice sashimi with expert knives then taste your own Tokyo creation

You’ll start in a real Tokyo kitchen learning how to handle Japanese knives before slicing fresh tuna for your own donburi or sushi lunch. Watch your instructor’s technique up close, practice sharpening blades yourself, then sit down to enjoy your handmade meal with miso soup and sake tasting. It’s hands-on and surprisingly personal—you might even laugh at your first clumsy slice.

Step-by-step itinerary

Japanese knife and sashimi workshop

Register at 10:45
Greeting and introduction
Watch Japanese knife video
Watch knife demonstration
Practice sashimi knife with dumplings
Practice cutting tuna
Make tare sauce and marinate tuna
Sharpen Japanese knives
Make Tuna Don
Taste Tuna Don and sake
Greeting and introduction for sushi
Watch tamagoyaki making show
Watch Japanese knife video again
Watch knife demonstration by Mr. Kumagai
Practice sashimi knife with dumplings
Practice cutting for sushi
Make sushi
Photo and tasting time with sake
Optional knife sharpening experience

The Experience

I walked into the Tokyo workshop not really knowing if I’d be any good with a sashimi knife. The air had that faint metallic smell you get in kitchens, mixed with rice vinegar and something savory—maybe the miso warming up. Our instructor, Kumagai-san, greeted us with this calm energy that made me relax right away. He showed us how to hold the knife—his hands moved so smoothly it almost looked easy. I tried to copy him (not quite as graceful), and he grinned when my first slice of tuna was a little too thick. “Good for donburi,” he said, which made everyone laugh.

We watched this short film about Japanese knives—honestly, I didn’t expect to care much about knife history but there’s something hypnotic about seeing steel hammered and shaped like that. There was this moment where we all got quiet, just watching Kumagai-san sharpen a blade on the stone. The sound is softer than you’d think—a kind of whisper against the whetstone. When it was our turn, I felt weirdly proud getting the edge just right (or close enough). My hands smelled like rice and fish by then, which I didn’t mind at all.

The best part for me was making Tuna Don from my own slices—marinating them in tare sauce we mixed ourselves. The color of the tuna changed a little as it soaked up flavor. Sitting down together at the end, eating what we’d made with miso soup and sipping sake (I’m no expert but it tasted clean and sharp), it felt more like being invited into someone’s home kitchen than any cooking class I’ve done before. Oh—and if you want kakigori after lunch, just ask them on the day.

What’s included

Your day includes all tools and aprons for hands-on lessons, expert guidance from a local chef, your own Tuna Don or sushi set plus miso soup for lunch, original sake tasting during your meal, a certificate of participation to take home—and if you feel inspired afterward, there’s a shop discount waiting downstairs before you leave.

Good to know

Stroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by 割烹道