Japanese Cooking Class in the Heart of Sapporo with Sakura
Description
Join your local host Sakura in her kitchen for a wonderful hands-on cooking experience. The friendly local lives in a beautiful apartment, located in a peaceful residential area within a ten minute walk from the Higashi-Sapporo station. Relax over a welcome drink before joining Sakura in the kitchen where she will teach you how to prepare 2-3 authentic, home-style Japanese dishes that are easy to replicate at home. You can expect to cook together for about 1- 1.5 hours before sitting down to enjoy the meal you helped prepare. Your menu may include dishes such as chikuzenni (chicken and vegetables stewed in soy and mirin), miso soup, dashimaki tamago (egg roll cooked with dashi stock), and hand shaped onigiri (rice balls). It will conclude with a cup of freshly brewed tea. The menu may vary depending on the season and availability of fresh ingredients in the market! Join this charming local in her cozy home and get a true glimpse into Japanese cuisine and culture!
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Menu may vary depending on the season
- This is a not a professional cooking class in a cooking studio, rather, a cultural opportunity to visit a local home and learn to cook with a local expert
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required - if you have any dietary restrictions, please include them when booking
- Private, personalized experience
- Child friendly experience!
Reviews(10)
Good experience with the cooking class. The host has good patience, even though the event was delayed due to the navigation of the place not being according to the website description (not the host's fault, but the company's). When you try to contact the host via email (according to the website), it can take several minutes of delay. Here it is good that before the event you have contacted the host. Finally Sakura-san came to pick me up, which was very kind. Similarly on the way home she went with me to the nearest train station to lead me to the right destination. As a result, all the dishes were made according to the descriptions. But there were two more dishes that were (bonus) not planned. But I am happy to try them. In summary, it was a good experience, despite the complications. But the host is helpful and helped me. In addition to the authentic food (which some claim to be simple), there were dishes that were prepared with love. The host gave good advice on Japanese food and typical food related to Sapporo and Hokkaido. //Minh
Sakura was so kind and treated me like family, she made me feel so welcome and the food was amazing. 100/10Thank you Sakura!
Very interesting home cooking class with Sakura. It was fun to learn about “regular” home cooking techniques and share a delicious meal together afterwards.
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for your kind review! We're so glad you enjoyed your cooking experience with Sakura and appreciated the opportunity to learn authentic Japanese home cooking techniques. At Traveling Spoon, we love connecting guests with local hosts like Sakura who offer not only authentic, regional meals, but meaningful cultural exchange. We hope you’ll carry these memories and maybe even a few new recipes with you for years to come!
It was not as interactive as expected. The dishes were simple & uninspiring with very little taste. Would not recommend for visitors who are foodies and knowledgeable about cooking.
Dear Lori, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that the experience did not meet your expectations. At Traveling Spoon, we aim to connect travelers with warm local hosts for meaningful cultural and culinary exchanges, and we understand that every guest brings their own preferences and expectations to the table. We’ve shared your comments with our host, Sakura, who also expressed regret that the experience didn’t resonate with you. She shared that you arrived much earlier than expected, and while she encourages guests to be hands-on in her classes, it seemed there may have been a mismatch in expectations around participation and the style of cooking. Sakura focuses on teaching simple, approachable home recipes - meals that busy individuals can recreate in their own kitchens, rather than restaurant-style cuisine. We’ve already updated the experience description to note that this class is ideal for beginner cooks, in order to help set clearer expectations for future guests and ensure the best possible fit. We understand that you had requested tempura shortly before the class, which is not part of Sakura’s usual menu. Although she took time to prepare for this special request, it may not have reflected the same level of confidence and refinement as her standard dishes. We appreciate your honesty and will use your feedback to help us better set expectations for future guests, especially those seeking more advanced or gourmet-level instruction. Thank you again, and we wish you many wonderful culinary experiences ahead.
Had a wonderful time cooking with Sakura in her home. It was a great way to learn more about Japanese culture and life in Hokkaido all while also learning some great recipes to bring back home.
My GF and I just had a wonderful cooking class with Sakura in her nice home. She is a great cook and made the recipe seem simple. Sakura even gave us copies of the recipes. Everything we tried was very tasty.
Chef Sakura was very patient with me! I ended up losing my way for a while and ended up being quite late for my reservation. Take it from me, use the Google link provided in the description! It will make your trip sooo much easier than copying the address! Once I got to the correct location, Chef Sakura allowed me time to cool down from being lost and we went over what we would be cooking that day. Chef Sakura made the local dishes very easy to cook and answered all the little questions I had along the way with precision and kindness! After we finished cooking, we sat down and enjoyed the meal together! If you are looking for a great way to learn local dishes, Chef Sakura is definitely the one to book!
A very pleasant moment where we learnt the basics of the Japanese food with nice hosts. It was a moment apart with open discussion and a good way to discover Japan outside of the standard path.
Great experience of Japanese home cooking and culture. I’d recommend it to anyone. The host was wonderful
Really enjoyed our time with Sakura and her family. We felt very at home and our kids had a great time. Food was yummy and we learned a lot!
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