Udon und Tempura Kochkurs in Nara

We loved it!! The restaurant owner was an amazing teacher - the instructions were clear and the class was a lot of fun! It was really cool getting to take a class right there in the restaurant and learn directly from the owner. Highly recommend!! It’s probably our group’s favorite experience so far in Japan. :)

The owner of the udon restaurant was very friendly and encouraging. Our kids had so much fun making udon! The udon turned out very yummy, too!

Loved the class! We have a new found appreciation for udon, having seen so much labor and love that goes into it. We enjoyed Masekase’s class very much. Learnt a lot, and today i learnt, u can step on the udon dough to knead it!

It was a very rewarding and educational experience! The owner was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about noodle-making. During the lesson, he told me about the variations in procedures for making udon, soba and ramen noodles, drawing on his extensive experience in these areas. When I told him that I preferred Yoshida or Musashino-style udon noodles, he made the necessary adjustments immediately. I ended up making slightly stronger, chunkier noodles than usual — exactly what I wanted to achieve at home! As for making noodle outside of Japan, he provided his wild guess -- that French bread flour would probably work best for udon and that the hardness of water won't change the result. I will try it at home in the UK and see how it turns out.

We had the most incredible time with Masakazu Sakaguchi during our udon-making class in Nara! From the moment we arrived at his restaurant, we felt warmly welcomed. We were kindly asked to wash our hands and remove our shoes before starting—setting the tone for a clean, authentic experience. Communication was seamless thanks to our translator app, which helped bridge the language gap between English and Japanese throughout the session. We learned how to make udon from scratch, starting with the dough and using traditional techniques to build elasticity—yes, even using our feet! It was such a fun and hands-on process. He also taught us how to prepare delicious tempura to top off our freshly made noodles. The meal at the end was absolutely delicious! To top it all off, he surprised us with “Master Udon Maker” certificates, which was such a thoughtful and memorable gesture. We highly recommend this unique and fun activity to anyone visiting Nara. It’s a perfect blend of culture, food, and hands-on learning that you won’t soon forget!