Tours & experiences

🍜 Food & Cooking in Japan

Small-group tours, day trips, cooking classes and multi-day adventures. Every tour vetted for traveller reviews first.

Start with a country

🌍

CategoryDurationRatingPrice (AUD)

1,764 tours in Food & Cooking in JapanClear filters

Sort by:

★ 5.0 (536)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Japan

Tokyo: Make Your Own Chopsticks Shibuya

A hands-on chopstick-crafting workshop in Shibuya where you'll shape, sand, and finish your own pair from timber within an hour. Located seven minutes from Shibuya Scramble Crossing, this one-hour class suits anyone after a practical souvenir they've made themselves—no woodworking experience needed. Choose from several timber types, and add custom engravings (¥1,000 extra) to personalise your chopsticks with a name, date, or message before taking them home.

Osaka: Hidden Backstreet Foodie Tour

A 3-hour backstreet food tour through Osaka's Uranamba neighbourhood, limited to 9 people per group. You'll taste around 13 dishes at local eateries with a professional guide who shares stories about the city's food culture and subcultures rather than reciting scripted facts. Includes 2 drinks. Best suited to food-curious travellers who want to eat where locals eat, not at tourist-oriented venues.

Osaka Sake Tasting & Takoyaki Cooking Experience

A two-hour hands-on class where you cook Osaka's signature takoyaki using a local guide's recipe — featuring wagyu and cheese fillings — then taste 10+ varieties of sake with a sommelier who trained as a brewer. You'll learn sake history, production methods, and how to identify quality bottles, then eat what you've made. It's the rare experience that combines both cooking and serious tasting in one session.

Cozy Tokyo Class: Ramen, Sushi, Sake Pairing & Cultural Exchange

A 2.5–3 hour cooking class in Tokyo where you'll make ramen and either sushi or gyoza from scratch, paired with sake chosen to match each dish. Small groups with English-speaking Japanese hosts create a relaxed setting focused on both technique and the cultural story behind what you're cooking. Families with children are welcome, and the class works well for milestone celebrations.

Experience all of Japanese culture and Japanese food experience classes "origami, udon, Japanese food, green tea, calligraphy" in 4 hours

A 4-hour cultural and cooking class at a private home where you'll learn origami, hand-roll udon noodles, prepare sushi and tempura, experience matcha tea ceremony with Japanese sweets, and receive a calligraphy souvenir with your name. Suits anyone wanting a hands-on introduction to Japanese traditions in an intimate, family-run setting. Vegetarian and vegan options available for all dishes.

Near Fushimiinari: Kyoto Home Cooking Class & Supermarket tour

A 4-hour cooking class in a traditional Japanese home near Fushimi Inari where you'll prepare and eat lunch, then tour a local supermarket to learn where to source ingredients. Maximum 6 people per session, with English-speaking instruction covering fundamental Japanese seasonings and techniques. You'll leave with recipes to recreate the dishes at home.

Asakusa Classic Ramen & Crispy Gyoza Cooking Class

A 3-hour cooking class in Asakusa where you'll make ramen from scratch and hand-fold gyoza, set in Tokyo's original ramen neighbourhood. You'll work through both dishes in a single session, using natural ingredients with no MSG, and walk away with recipes to recreate them at home. The class suits anyone keen to learn Japanese cooking fundamentals in a hands-on format, regardless of prior experience.

Tsukiji Fish Market: Street Food Tour with Tasting

A 90-minute guided food tour through Tsukiji Fish Market, one of the world's largest wholesale seafood hubs. You'll taste seven dishes—sushi or seafood rice bowl, Wagyu beef skewer, breaded Wagyu cutlet, sweet omelette, grilled eel, dumpling, and strawberry dessert—while learning about artisan knife work, umami-building techniques, and the market's place in Japanese culinary history. A curated wasabi selection accompanies tastings to deepen flavour.

Ramen and Gyoza Cooking Class in Osaka Dotonbori

A three-hour hands-on cooking class in Osaka where you'll knead ramen dough from scratch, simmer a chicken bone broth from the start, and craft gyoza alongside an English-speaking instructor. You'll choose your own toppings and take home the recipes—ideal for anyone curious about the technique behind this globally popular dish rather than just eating it.

Yokohama Ramen Adventure near Tokyo: From Factory to Home Cooking

A 5-hour hands-on ramen and home cooking experience in Yokohama that starts at a third-generation family noodle factory, where you'll craft custom ramen by choosing doughs and blade cuts, then move to a local home to cook and share a full meal. You'll learn authentic techniques from someone steeped in noodle-making history, with dietary variations available and a sparkling plum wine toast included.

Kyoto Ramen Noodle Making Class

A one-hour ramen-making class in Kyoto's Gion district where you'll hand-craft noodles using a traditional ramen machine, then eat a bowl prepared by the restaurant's chef. You'll work with an English-speaking instructor in a specialty ramen restaurant, learning the basics of noodle craftsmanship before tasting your own work paired with broth simmered while you cook. Ideal for food enthusiasts wanting a practical, hands-on introduction to ramen beyond eating it.

Kyoto Wagashi(Japanese sweets) Cooking Class near Fushimiinari

A 2.5-hour hands-on wagashi class in a traditional wooden house near Fushimi Inari where you'll learn to make three Japanese sweets from scratch. Groups stay small (maximum six people), instructors teach in English, and you'll leave with printed recipes to recreate the desserts at home. The class recreates the informal experience of being invited for tea in a Japanese home, and it welcomes vegetarians and vegans with advance notice.

Ramen Gyoza Onigiri Japanese Cooking Class in Kyoto

A 90-minute hands-on cooking class in central Kyoto where you'll learn to make ramen (soy sauce and miso varieties), gyoza and onigiri from English-speaking instructors, then eat everything you've prepared. You'll work with authentic techniques and ingredients—stock, miso, pork, sesame oil—in a kitchen setting designed for home-style Japanese cooking rather than restaurant precision.

1-Hour Sushi & Bento Box Making at Tsukiji Fish Market

A hands-on 1-hour sushi and bento box class at Tsukiji Fish Market where you'll craft 10 premium sushi pieces using professional knives and high-quality market ingredients, then eat what you've made on-site. Small groups (up to 16) with English instruction make it accessible for families and first-timers. Your booking supports the market's future.

Ramen Making from Scratch with Tokyo Mom(Vegan Option Available)

A 2.5-hour ramen and gyoza cooking class led by an English-speaking Japanese host in Tokyo. You'll knead noodles from scratch, build broth, and hand-fold dumplings using fresh ingredients with no MSG or artificial additives. The host accommodates vegan and other dietary preferences where possible, and the relaxed, home-kitchen setting suits anyone curious about Japanese food fundamentals rather than restaurant techniques.

Tuna Auction Market Guided Private Tour in Nachi-Katsuura

A guided walk through Japan's largest fresh tuna landing port in Nachi-Katsuura, where you'll learn how auctioneers grade fish, track the catch from boat to market, and discover the long-line fishing methods that keep tuna never-frozen. Lasts 40 minutes to just over an hour. You'll understand why local buyers prize this port above others and meet the working community behind the industry—not fishermen, but the buyers, processors, and traders who make it tick.

40 min – 1h 15mfrom AUD $58

Tokyo Ueno Food Tour Sushi Ramen and Local Favorites

★ 5.0 (65)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Japan

Tokyo Ueno Food Tour Sushi Ramen and Local Favorites

A 3-hour food tour through Ueno, Tokyo's oldest neighbourhood, where you'll eat at generations-old local restaurants and izakayas rather than tourist spots. You'll taste freshly prepared sushi, ramen, gyoza, yakitori and other classics whilst learning the district's 400-year history from a guide who grew up here. Suits first-time visitors, couples, families and solo travellers who want to eat what locals actually choose, not what's trendy.

Tokyo Shinjuku Chopstick Making Workshop

A one-hour hands-on workshop in Tokyo's Shinjuku where you'll craft your own chopsticks from a choice of over 11 high-grade woods and personalise them with custom Kanji name engravings. You'll take home a finished, functional souvenir made by your own hands. English-speaking staff guide you through the process, and the workshop welcomes all fitness levels and abilities, including wheelchair users and families with infants.

Japanese Cooking Class with Local Family in Takayama Old Town

A three-hour private cooking class in a 200-year-old wooden townhouse on Takayama's Old Town main street, run by a local family. You'll prepare a traditional Japanese meal from scratch in their home kitchen, learning regional recipes and food customs whilst hearing stories about seasonal living and life in the town. This suits anyone wanting hands-on cooking tuition paired with genuine cultural exchange rather than a classroom setup.

Kimono experience and Japanese home-cooking lesson Osaka Umeda

A 3-hour session combining kimono dressing and Japanese home cooking in Osaka. You'll prepare a meal from one of four menus—including ginger pork, takoyaki, or kushikatsu—using everyday ingredients, then dress in traditional silk kimono or formal hakama to photograph yourself in the tatami space. Lunch is included. Note: vegetarian and vegan diets aren't accommodated.

Let's make only one original onigawara in the world

A two-hour ceramics class in Kyoto where you hand-sculpt an onigawara — the mythical protective tile face that crowns Japanese temples and historic houses — from raw clay. No pottery experience needed; the instructor has simplified the traditional technique so anyone can shape and personalise their own guardian figure, which gets fired and posted to you afterwards as a one-of-a-kind souvenir.

Sushi Cooking Class: AKEMI's SUSHiKiTCHEN in Tokyo

A 2.5-hour sushi-making class in Tokyo where you'll learn to roll and prepare sushi from scratch, then eat what you've made. The class covers sushi history, key terminology, and proper eating etiquette—material substantive enough that even Japanese participants report discovering new aspects of their own food culture. You'll finish with a full meal, beverage, and dessert.

Umami Town Street Food Tour

A 5-hour guided walk through Osaka's neighbourhoods exploring street food, markets, and the stories behind local flavours. You'll taste your way through bustling food districts and visit historical food production sites that explain why Osaka earned its reputation as Japan's food capital. Meals and snacks included throughout. Suited to food-curious travellers who want context alongside eating, and families with prams.

Miyajima Guided Tour and Fresh Oyster Farm Tour

A 4.5-hour guided tour combining Miyajima Island's cultural landmarks with an oyster-focused culinary experience. You'll explore Itsukushima Shrine (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), cruise past the Great Torii and working oyster rafts with expert commentary from local producers, then grill and feast on fresh oysters at a waterfront restaurant. Suits culture-minded food lovers and those wanting a compact intro to the region's heritage and signature seafood.

【Family Friendly】Traditional Mochi Pounding Experience

A one-hour hands-on mochi pounding class where you'll learn to pound and shape glutinous rice dough using traditional tools, then taste your freshly made mochi with toppings like soybean powder, red bean paste, and seaweed. Designed for families with children under 13, this experience walks you through the cultural history behind the craft whilst patient instructors guide you through each step.

Advanced Kyoto Insider Sake Tasting Experience

An advanced sake tasting for those beyond beginner level, exploring rare brews made with ancient and innovative techniques across a two-hour session in Kyoto. You'll taste ten carefully chosen sakes that reveal how philosophy, materials, and fermentation choices shape flavour, learning to read labels as used in real restaurants and understanding the full spectrum of sake styles and brewing methods — no food pairings included.

Gyoza Making from Scratch- Tokyo Ultimate Cooking Class

A 1 hour 50 minute hands-on gyoza class in central Tokyo where you'll make wrappers and filling from scratch, learn proper folding technique, pan-fry your dumplings, and prepare accompanying soup and side dishes. You'll compare homemade versus store-bought wrappers, taste multiple dipping sauces, and take home an English recipe and digital photos. English-speaking instruction suits all ages and fitness levels.

Tokyo: Discover the Art of Kintsugi in Ginza

A 90-minute hands-on kintsugi workshop in a private room near Ginza Station, where you'll repair a ceramic piece using traditional lacquer techniques. You'll work with synthetic materials that cure within the session, taking home your finished piece. Ideal for anyone curious about Japanese craft philosophy and the aesthetic of mended objects, this experience combines cultural insight with practical skill-building in an intimate setting.

Well-balanced BENTO (lunch box) Cooking Class

A 2.5-hour hands-on cooking class where you'll prepare a complete Japanese bento box lunch from scratch. You'll learn to make dashi broth, cook seven traditional dishes using Wagyu beef, seafood, vegetables and eggs, shape rice balls by hand, and pack everything into a decorative lunch box. By the end you'll sit down to eat what you've made, served with complimentary miso soup. Suits anyone curious about Japanese home cooking techniques and wanting to take practical skills home.

Daruma Workshop by Making your Own Japanese Souvenir in Shinjuku

A 90-minute hands-on craft workshop in Shinjuku where you'll paint and customise your own daruma doll using traditional washi paper, creating a personalised Japanese souvenir. KUROMAMEDO also offers other crafts like mizuhiki charm-making and maiko bookmarks. You'll be served seasonal Japanese green tea and a snack while you work, making it a relaxed introduction to Japanese artistic traditions rather than a rushed tourist tick-box.

Exclusive Tokyo: Kichijoji Food & Bar Hopping with a Local Guide

A three-hour food and bar crawl through Kichijoji's Harmonica Alley limited to six guests per group. You'll visit 4–5 handpicked food stalls and izakayas, including some regulars-only spots closed to walk-in tourists, sampling 6–7 plates of traditional dishes and street food. A local guide handles ordering and explains drinking customs and food stories so you navigate the experience as a guest, not a tourist.

1 and a Half Kyoto Premium Sushi Class near Fushimi Inari Shrine

A 90-minute sushi-making class near Fushimi Inari Shrine where four instructors teach you to hand-roll nigiri and hosomaki using fresh fish sourced daily from Kyoto's central market. You'll practise technique with training tools before working with real ingredients, then take home what you've made. Suits anyone wanting hands-on culinary skill rather than a passive tasting.

Matcha Experience with of Japanese Tea Tasting in Tokyo

A 90-minute Japanese tea tasting and education session in Tokyo where you'll sample nine varieties of tea—from hojicha and sencha to matcha and matcha lattes—alongside homemade sweets. Led by a former Kyoto tea farmer with agricultural expertise and a practising pharmacist, the experience covers cultivation methods, processing, and the history of Japanese tea culture. You'll taste multiple styles in small portions to discover your preferences.

Mochi and Nerikiri Wagashi Combination Cooking Class

A 2.5-hour private cooking class where you'll make mochi and nerikiri wagashi (decorative Japanese sweets) from easy recipes in a quiet Tokyo residential home. You'll work at your own pace in a small group (three or fewer), take home what you make, and receive all photos and videos from the session. All materials, tools and aprons are provided—bring nothing but yourself.

Knife Making Experience in Samurai Sword Town

Spend five hours in Seki, Japan's sword-making capital, forging your own Damascus steel kitchen knife under a master bladesmith with over 50 years' experience. You'll shape, sharpen, polish, and engrave the blade, then test it on fresh vegetables. The experience includes a museum visit, Japanese lunch with local produce, a mini knife souvenir, and a signed certificate — all in a single day trip from Kyoto (roughly 1.5–2 hours by train).

Sushi Class in Osaka Dotonbori

A 3-hour hands-on sushi-making class in Osaka's Dotonbori district where you'll learn three techniques—nigiri, rolled, and pressed sushi—from a local Japanese instructor, then eat everything you've made with miso soup. Suited to anyone keen to build real sushi skills in a working kitchen, no prior experience needed.

Japanese Katsu Curry Cooking Class–near YANAKA, Tokyo!

A 2.5-hour hands-on cooking class in Yanaka where you'll make curry roux from scratch and fry tonkatsu in a home kitchen run by a local chef. You'll learn to customise flavours to your taste, work through simple recipes designed for home cooks, and discover ingredient swaps that work in your own kitchen. Vegetarian adaptations available with advance notice. The studio sits in a quiet residential pocket of Tokyo's old downtown, giving a real sense of everyday Japanese domestic life.

Okinawa Hidden Gems: Private Morning Food & Culture Tour

A 2-hour private morning tour through Naha's backstreets, tasting three local snacks and three types of awamori while your guide shares Okinawan history and food culture. You'll hit spots most visitors miss, learning how to drink awamori properly and sampling one fresh local juice. Works best as an introduction to the island on day one or two, with a relaxed pace and no crowds.

Japanese Cooking and Udon Making Class in Tokyo with Masako

A 2.5-hour cooking class in Tokyo where you'll learn to make authentic Japanese dishes from scratch in Masako's kitchen. Choose from udon noodles (hand- and foot-kneaded), okonomiyaki, tempura, or Japanese sweets, using seasonal ingredients sourced from Niigata farmers markets. You'll cook, then sit down together to eat what you've made, finishing with dessert and included drinks.

Sushi Making Experience Luxury Course in Nara

A 90-minute hands-on sushi-making class in Nara where you'll learn to prepare rice, grate fresh wasabi, slice fish, and craft nigiri under skilled instruction. Small groups mean personalised guidance regardless of your skill level. You'll make eight pieces to take with you, receive a certificate, and walk away with techniques to replicate at home. The class covers the cultural history behind sushi as well as the practical craft.

1h 30mfrom AUD $158

Some tours listed with Viator, a Tripadvisor company. Prices and availability confirmed at checkout.