Home > Kyoto > Kyoto Cooking Class, Sake Tasting and Nishiki Food Market Walking Tour
USD $116.00
Kyoto Cooking Class, Sake Tasting and Nishiki Food Market Walking Tour
Kyoto, Japan
Explore the Nishiki Food Market and learn how to make a home-cooked Japanese meal on this Kyoto culinary walking tour. With a knowledgeable guide, learn about typical Japanese ingredients at the food market, and go off the beaten path with a walk through the city's back streets, filled with interesting shops. Visit an old sake brewery for a tasting, and then prepare your own sushi, soup and salad at a 1.5-hour cooking class. This tour is limited to seven people, ensuring you enjoy a small-group experience.
Your Kyoto afternoon adventure begins at Daimaru Kyoto department store, where you’ll meet your guide and head out on a 2-hour walking tour.
At the famous Nishiki Food Market, your guide will introduce you to the many ingredients that may be used in your Japanese cooking class later in the day. Learn about local produce and spices, and enjoy being part of Kyoto’s bustling food scene.
Next, travel through the back streets and shop-lined lanes of Kyoto to a former sake brewery, now a museum, where you can enjoy a sake tasting as you learn how this iconic Japanese beverage is produced (if the museum is closed on the day you visit, you will receive an admission ticket to use at a later date). Then make your way to a machiya, a traditional wooden townhouse typical of Kyoto, for your cooking class.
Your cooking class lasts approximately 1.5 hours; when it’s over, you’ll know how to prepare a classic Japanese dinner to wow your friends back home. Learn how to roll your own sushi, make miso soup, put together a cooked salad and pick out seasonal fruit for dessert.
After sitting down to enjoy your meal, you have the rest of the evening free to explore Kyoto on your own. If you want to return to your hotel after the class, your guide can help you find transportation.
Note: Click the ‘View additional info’ link below to see a map of the meeting location.
Walking through Nishiki was great, but the sake tasting and the cooking class was a even better time.
Review by: Dennise T, February 2018
Fantastic evening, Yoshi was a generous and informative guide who gave us much more than just a market tour, she shared a lot of local_br/_ habits and hints, language and traditions. The cooking class was wonderful, it felt like we were in the ladys home and were made to feel very welcome. This tour is suitable for any age as the markets are fascinating and the cooking class a lot of fun.
Review by: Lorraine C, October 2017
Too rushed through food market and cooking course was not interactive enough.
Review by: Giuseppe V, September 2017
We had a wonderful time. We visited the Nishiki Food Market. It was jam packed , but we had a chance to purchase some ingredients for our cooking class. We then visited the Sake museum and had the chance to sample some local sake and beer. Both were delicious and our hosts were gracious and charming. Our guide was lovely and so pleasant, we were a little sad when she handed us over to our cooking instructor. Our cooking class was great fun and our teacher was a delight. We got to enjoy our items we prepared in a lovely dinner._br/_ This is a fun tour and good value.
Review by: Malia F, May 2017
Good for first timers to Kyoto. Recommended for those who like to meet people and interested in cooking and sake tasting.
Review by: Jenny L, October 2016
Yoshie, our guide for the Market tour and Sake tasting was excellent. At the market, we purchased the ingredients for our cooking class and learned about the various foods on sale. She also taught us some small Japanese phrases to use. _br/_ Mieko, our teacher for the cooking class also was outstanding - we made dashi, miso soup, rolled egg omelette and Sushi for dinner. _br/_ The whole experience was fun and informative and our groups was only 4 people. Highly recommend the experience.
Review by: Nicolas M, September 2016
Good personal approach.
Review by: Anne T, September 2016
Great experience our guide was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. The cooking class was first rate . I would highly recommend this to anyone traveling to Kyoto
Review by: Amanda F, July 2016
The tour guide was knowledgable, and the market we explored with her was fascinating. The brewery was similarly interesting, with samples of delicious beer and sake. We learned a lot about Japanese food and beverages, including the sake-brewing process. Finally, the cooking class was very fun and we produced simple, delicious food under the guidance of a patient instructor. This was a highlight of our time in Kyoto.
Review by: DR JONATHAN P, May 2016
The guide was very knowledgeable with regards to the various ingredients and fresh produce at the market. It was an eye opener walking through the market._br/_ We had a very nice time making sushi too!
Review by: baskalina c, May 2016
Was one of the highlights of our trip. The guide and the cooking teacher were great. Looking forward to trying out the recipes we learnt.
Review by: Mark S, May 2016
This was a lot of fun and the teachers and tour leaders were excellent.
Review by: Cheryl B, May 2016
Guides were great. Very enjoyable overall. A great way to see local Kyoto plus sake tasting plus learning to make sushi!
Review by: Rhiannon M, April 2016
Good tour of market. Would need to spend more time three to really immerse yourself in it, but you can always go back. The cooking class was more of a cooking demonstration, but it was still informative and fun. A good introduction to Kyoto.
Review by: Karyn S, April 2016
We travelled as a group of 6 adults aged between 19-53 on this wonderfully engaging and interactive tour. Although it went for several hours we were sad to say goodbye. We had knowledgeable women walk us around the back blocks of Kyoto proudly showing us their markets, their special foods, their magnificient department store produce, then a very interesting insight and educational session on the making of sake and finally a delicious dinner partly prepared by our group pf 12 but under the expert guidance and care of the most beautiful ,humble and gentle Kyoto women. Sensational!
Review by: Julie W, April 2016
Wonderful tour.
Review by: hossai_collins, March 2016
This tour was great, we really enjoyed it as it was quite educational, the food was delicious, everyone involved were lovely and they also spoke fluent English!!
Review by: Brad N, February 2016
We really enjoyed this. With just 4 people it was nice and intimate. We were taken through streets we hadn and #39;t seen and learnt a lot about Japanese food and cuisine. A few samples of different items down the markets was also a plus. Great guide, great cooking teacher. Overall a fun experience
Review by: Demitrie T, December 2015
Although there was a mistake at the start of the tour and we were left behind, when I phoned the tour operator they were very apologetic and searched through the busy Nishiki markets to find us only knowing what colour clothing we were wearing. We were reunited with the tour group and went to the Sake Museum and the Cooking Class. We were generously refunded for the part of the tour we missed.
Review by: RONALD M, November 2015
We were looking for a tour that offered a cultural experience of Japan and felt this tour experience looked to meet what we were seeking. We began with a tour of the Nishiki Market. Our tour guide Yosie, was excellent and knowledgeable about the foods and products available at the market. She taught us how to ask in Japanese for items to be used in our cooking class. Thie tour enabled us to see products and vendors we wanted to spend more time visiting. We were able to return to the market for shopping the next day to visit some of the vendors we wanted to spend more time shopping. _br/_ We then walked to the sake tasting. Since Yosie had been educated on sake brewing, she was able to share interesting insights about the sake and brewing process.The highlight was to taste the sakes and beer ._br/_ Our next stop was the machiya, where the cooking class would take place. Mieko was our teaching chef, who walked us through preparing miso soup, spinach salad with roasted sesame seed dressing, and maki sushi. We watched demonstrations and took part in some of the cutting and assembly. The result was a delicious dinner. _br/_ A couple notes for the experience. The directions to meet our guide were not provided and required calling the listed number for questions. Second, there is a bit of walking through out the tour sidewalk walking that might be difficult for some. _br/_ The entire experience was excellent and we recommend it for anyone.
Review by: jim, October 2015
We really liked this personal tour through the food shopping street and then a short tour of a family sake brewery. The walk from the market to the brewery and then the house for the meal preparation was long. I would recommend this tour to someone not familiar with Japanese food or cooking styles.
Review by: Laura N, September 2015
This tour was amazing! The women were so sweet and knowledgeable and spoke English well. It was very interactive. I would 100% recommend this tour and the company.
Review by: Doru A, August 2015
Very interesting tour, even for men. The guide takes you to the market to get the components for making sushi. Then, you go to this house where the teach you how to make a perfect sushi. After that you eat your own masterpiece. It was great!
Review by: Allison B, July 2015
I LOVED this tour! My husband and I ended up being the only ones on our particular tour, but that actually worked out great! Our tour guide was fantastic and I learned so much about the history of the market and the things we were buying. It was fun to pick out ingredients and ask for them in Japanese. The sake tasting was a lot of fun, too, and it was even cooler to see the historic area where it was made.
Review by: Marjorie T B, July 2015
Our tour through the Nishiki market was great, discovering the various types of preserved vegetables and fish was interesting and fun to look at. The artistry and creativity of the candies and all the foods was amazing. Our sake tasting was very educational and well done. The cooking class was so much fun and Yayoi did a fantastic job teaching us how to make miso soup, a delicious sesame dressing for our spinach salad and the trick to making rolled sushi. A big highlight for our family of 4! Domo Arigato Gozaimashta!!
Review by: Steven P, June 2015
My family went on this tour in June. We had a great time. _br/_
The first half is a tour of the market -- great explanations of the products on sale there._br/_
A lot of stuff is different than what it appears. The second half was cooking and eating a meal using what we had bought in the market. Really well done and worth the time and money.
Review by: Llara L, June 2015
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Nicholas J, June 2015
Amazing tour ! Our guide was wonderful and the cooking class was fun and delicious ! Truly a highlight to get to know the city and its culture with a wonderful guide and two funny, kind cooking instructors whose lessons help support female entrepreneurs ! who helped me and my dad make a delicious meal :
Review by: kauaijess2, April 2015
Being foodies the nishiki portion was something we did on our own earlier in the day so we didn't get much out of that other than our guide Hero who was beyond cute! Sake tour, killer! Cooking class, teacher was great but very beginner. Stars are for the guide/teachers only.
Review by: Dominique V, February 2015
Nobu, our guide was very nice. It was an amazing tour. _br/_
We enjoy the market tour, sake distillery without a feeling of being rushed. _br/_
The cooking class was a lot of fun.
Review by: hannah.mccarthy, December 2014
THIS WAS A GREAT ADVENTURE. THE ONLY ISUE WE HAD WAS LOCATING THE TOUR GUIDE IN THE BEGINNING. WE HAD A BLAST IN THE MARKET AND THE COOKING CLASS WAS FUN TOO. THE COOK BOOK WAS AN EXTRA BONUS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO OTHERS!
Review by: Georgios D, December 2014
Good English speaking guide for the walk throufh market with many intresting facts about the market and foods, very nice tradiational home and setup for cooking class, a very good experience
Review by: Joyce, November 2014
Nobu our guide was nice and helpful, good English ! The walk through the market a wonderful experience. Then the brewery was Ok, a pity is not a working one but the sake tasting was good. And then the cooking was so much fun!!! We shared with a charming Vietnamese girl. We learned and had fun !!!
Review by: Michelle M, August 2014
Another fantastic experience w/ the ladies of the Women's Assn. of Kyoto. Tour included the market, an historic tea shop, local craft stores, and sake tasting. Our guide was patient w/ our many questions. Our cooking instructor was attentive, inclusive, and an excellent teacher. We highly recommend!
Review by: Lisa T, August 2014
It was much fun experiencing some of the foods of Japan and how they are prepared. Excellent program.
Review by: James S, July 2014
This was a 50/50 experience but overall pretty good Really more of a 3+ star experience. It consisted of a tour of the markets, sake tasting and a class where you learned to make a sushi roll. The guide and cooking teacher were very pleasant and they made the experience worthwhile. English skills were good but not fluent.
Review by: Dilip C, July 2014
This trip worth evry cent. The tour guide was well informed about myriad Japanese delicacies on display at the Nishiki market and our small group of eight people. At the sake outlet we tasted quality sakes and ended up buying a bottle for the cooking class. The cooking class gave us hands on experience at sushi-making. Our teacher was very clear in her explanations and all of us thoroughly enjoyed our experience, We will recommend anyone to take this tour.
Review by: Nita, April 2014
From beginning to end this was a wonderful afternoon! We met our guide Yoshie at the designated spot and after waiting about 15 minutes for 2 other people who never showed up, we started our tour of the Nishiki covered market! Everywhere we turned, we saw food which we could not identify, but Yoshie answered all our questions in excellent English. She encouraged us to taste various items, some sweets some seaweed, some cakes. She explained the differences in types of rice, tofu, bean curd, tea and more. We munched our way through the colorful market for about an hour. Then, since our feet were tired, we took taxis to the Sake Brewery Museum for a brief tour and explanation of the sake brewery process, but the bulk of the time was a tastings presentation. I never realized there could be so many different nuances in the taste of sake! We loved it so much we bought 2 bottles! Afterwards, Yoshie accompanied us to the mahiya, a traditional wooden town house characterized by black wooden slats in front. There, Yoshie left us in the good hands of Akiko, our teaching chef. The cooking lesson was basic but we had a lot of fun learning the secrets to making miso soup and sushi rice. We were taught how to make tamagoyaki, an omelet in a square pan called a makiyakinabe. Then we used pieces of the tamagoyaki along with pickled vegetable, crab sticks and cucumber to make our very own maki. After cooking , our meal was served to us in a private dining room covered with tatami mats. Akiko poured the tea for us and we feasted on the fruits of our labor! EXCELLENT TOUR ON ALL ACCOUNTS!
Review by: Tracy S, April 2014
Wonderful. Small group of 5, 3 of us. Nishiki Market was amazing. Bought items for our cooking class. The WAK, Womens Association of Kyoto are tremendous. So knowledged, gracious and great command of English. Thoroughly enjoyed learning how to make Dashi, Miso, Spinach sakad and course sushi
Review by: Collie, January 2014
The fish markets were very interesting and our guide was very informative. The sake museum was closed unfortunately, but we did get to taste sake. The dinner was fun to make and lovely to eat in traditional Japanese house. I thought $145 for two people was a little expensive for this afternoon tour.
Review by: Lisa A, December 2013
My daughter and I absolutely loved this tour from the word GO! The Nishiki Market was interesting and fun as our guide shared delicacies from Japan . The walk through town was interesting, and the cooking class was fantastic. We enjoyed making miso soup, Japanese spinach salad, and sushi!! The sake tasting was also a hit. I highly recommend this tour as our guides were informative and fun!
Review by: LINDA W, December 2013
We really had a great time on the tour. The highlight was the cooking class at the end - the hostesses were fun and the food was really good! The tour group was nice and small which made it east to get around in the food market and easier to hear the tour guide. The only two downsides were the following: it was hard to find the meeting space and there was A LOT of walking (getting to the Sake museum and the cooking place). I think if you included a picture map of the meeting place it would help. It might also help to plan a coffee/tea stop on the way to the Sake museum. I know it takes up valuable time, but it would have been a nice break. I might also include an additional bit of money for buying more of the odd things in the market to try. We had a few items, but would have liked to have included more.
Review by: David G, July 2013
Great experience exploring the tastes and sights of both the high-end and street markets. The Sake museum was interesting and the cooking of a meal in traditional style and then enjoying eating it together was a great way to introduce yourself to some of the culture and tastes of Japan._br/_
Enjoyable and worthwhile tour.
Review by: Marjolaine B, July 2013
Tout était parfait. L'accueil était chaleureux et les cours bien préparés. À faire absolument !
Review by: Janet F, June 2013
Very interesting way to be involved in the culture, shopping, cooking and sampling the local food and drink. Hiro and Mieko, our guides were great.
Review by: Ronald M, April 2013
You can learn a lot from a country from it's food and from this point of view, this tour is a window into Japanese culture that would be hard to look through in any other way. The first part ofthe tour in the Nishiki Food Market provided an eye openning expereince to the diversity of Japanese food, not only for the beginner, but for the more experienced foodie. There was plenty of time to check out all of the stalls, and the guide for this part of the tour was extremely knowledgeable and could talk about all of the types of foods in any detail that you would like. Absolutely incredible variety, with plenty of opportunities to taste great food, including extreme food tasting for the adventuresome!
Review by: Lulu W, April 2013
The tour itself was great -- but it was a bit of a logistical nightmare since our guide did not wait for us in the area that was clearly specified on our instructions. We arrived a good 15 minutes early and were waiting exactly where we were told, which was down a set of stairs and out of sight from the street level. Our guide waited at the top of the stairs instead, and when the other four people in our group arrived they left without us (presumably they arrived shortly after she did, otherwise they too would have gone down the stairs to wait).
Review by: Patrick A, April 2013
The tour is not value for money and is pretty much a first timers tour in Japan. The Japanese staff involved were very good however the content is very basic and on our tour, one of the key elements of the tour was unavailable with no addition or replacement.
Review by: Rudy F. G, March 2013
You can't compare the experience of going through this wonderful market with a knowledgeable guide that can answer your every question. The cooking class was very enjoyable, and we have been using the skills we acquired there ever since we got home!
Review by: Ms J Henderson H, November 2012
I know a bit bout cooking and would have liked a more complex menu but members of put group were novices. Still I found the tour most rewarding And picked up many handy tips. Our guide was wonderful and the chef delightful. Very enjoyable.
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