Local tells Top 5 Cooking Classes in Kyoto! Experience Japanese cooking!

Hi,I’m Keiko from Osaka!

Perhaps you are already a fun of Japanese cuisine if you spend some time touring around Japan.

Japanese cuisine is known to be one of the healthiest, and it has and continues to influence top chefs in the world with its simple yet deep flavor and techniques.

How about picking up some Japanese cooking skills while in Kyoto?

It is a great way to learn Japanese culture and traditions.

Here are 5 best places you can learn Japanese cooking!

Top 5 Cooking Classes in Kyoto

1.airKitchen Kyoto Cooking Class/エアキッチン料理教室

airKitchen is a matching platform that links online a local host, who teaches home cooking at the place visited, with travelers from around the world who want to learn cooking at the local spot.

Visiting travelers, by using airKitchen, can visit Japanese homes and make Japanese food with their hosts.

The time for this experience is approximately 3 hours including the mealtime.

The fee for participating will differ depending on the menu, but is approximately 5,000 yen per person.

In Kyoto, they offer a wide variety of cooking classes.

If you want to make authentic Japanese dishes, try Sushi and Ramen classes.

If you want to learn classic home cook dishes,you can try Gyoza, unique Bento Box Making, Kyoto Dashimaki Tamago (Kyoto Omelette) and Okonomiyaki&Takoyaki making classes.

Check Best Cooking Classes in Kyoto!

2.HARU Cooking Class/ハル料理教室

HARU Cooking Class is a very popular cooking class operated by a nice Japanese family.

The class allows you to take a step into a Japanese home literally, as the class takes place at Chef Taro’s house.

Welcomed by Taro, his wife Seiko, and their kids at their traditionally looking house, you will experience Japanese home cooking.

Depending on your preference, you can choose either a healthy vegetable-based course or a Kobe beef course to learn with.

You can spend your afternoon with the family, learning about various cooking methods and ingredients as well as the Japanese culture behind the cuisine.

The class is 7,900yen per person for the Kobe beef course or 5,900yen per person for the vegetable based course.

You can also have an option of accompanying Taro to Nishiki market, where he will show you how to shop like a chef.

Here is a video of HARU Cooking Class:

3.Cooking Sun/クッキング サン

Cooking Sun is a place for you to learn Japanese cooking hands-on by English fluent instructors.

You can either choose to prepare a beautiful bento box (lunch box including sushi rolls) in the morning or Izakaya food (bar food, including gyoza) in the afternoon in time for dinner.

You will learn basic Japanese cooking skills using local ingredients.

The cooking class costs between 7,200yen to 7,800yen depending on the number of participants.

The lesson takes around 3.5 hours.

The cooking class takes place in a beautiful machiya-themed studio, which itself is picturesque.

It is centrally located, Karasuma or Shijo station as the nearest station.

Here is a Video of Cooking Sun Kyoto in Japanese:

4.Uzuki Cooking Class Kyoto/卯月クッキングクラス

This is another intimate cooking class that takes place in a home of Emi, who was born and grew up in Kyoto.

She will introduce you to typical Japanese home-style cooking in fluent English.

There are many types of courses either meat based or vegetarian based, or Japanese depending on your preference.

She also offers sweets making class.

You will learn how to make soup stock, roll sushi, cook vegetarian Kyoto dishes using local ingredients, etc.

The classes are between 4,500 to 6,000yen depending on your choice of the class (or 2,500 to 3,500yen for sweets making classes).

If you are into vegetarian dishes, this might be a perfect option for you as Emi has various vegetarian focused courses.

You will have a beautiful insight into a Japanese family home, in addition to picking up some Japanese cooking skills.

5.Kyoto Daidocoro/京都だいどころ

This is a kitchen studio conveniently located in center of Kyoto at Kawaramachi, whose mission is to let tourists experience the Japanese culture of home-cooking.

English proficient staff will teach you basic skills of Japanese cooking, explain the regional ingredients and the Japanese cuisine culture.

For 6,500yen per person, you can learn to cook a typical Japanese meal consisting of rice, an appetizer, a main, a side dish, a soup, which takes around 3.5 hours.

Alternatively, you can learn to make a character bento box (decorated lunch in a lunch box) for 8,000yen or choose a teppanyaki course for 10,500yen per person, which includes sizzling items as yakisoba, okonomiyaki, gyoza on a grill.

You can also add an option of sake tasting for 1,800yen or a guided tour of Nishiki Market for 4,000yen.

There is also a private cooking lesson for 10,000yen per person where you can request a special menu of your preference.

This kitchen gives you a recipe to take home with, so you can replicate it for your friends and family back home!


It will be good experience for you to learn Japanese cooking in Kyoto.

If you’re looking for a hand-roll sushi cooking lesson,you can book via Voyagin:here

I hope you enjoy Japanese cooking lesson in Kyoto!

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