From kitchen disaster to Japanese bento box, chef!
From Kitchen Disaster to Japanese Bento Box Chef! 🍱😂🇯🇵
When our travel agency booked a Japanese bento box cooking class with Fumi and Keigo, I figured this was going to be a wonderful experience… for my wife, Lisa!
You see, I don’t cook! Lisa is an amazing cook who prepares all our meals. My specialty is showing up when dinner is ready and complimenting the chef! 😂
But somehow, Fumi and Keigo managed to get me into the kitchen, chopping, mixing, and actually cooking. And here’s the shocking part… I LOVED IT!
Meanwhile, Lisa was in her element, learning wonderful Japanese cooking techniques. By the end of the class, I was convinced she could open her own Japanese restaurant!
Fumi and Keigo were absolutely fantastic—knowledgeable, warm, funny, and incredibly patient. They made the entire experience so much fun.
Then came the real test… WE HAD TO EAT WHAT WE COOKED! 😂 And believe it or not, everything was absolutely delicious!
A huge thank-you to Fumi and Keigo for an unforgettable experience. You accomplished something Lisa hasn’t been able to do in all our years together—get me to cook and actually enjoy it!
We highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Kyoto!
Five stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ But don’t worry, Lisa, I’m not taking over the kitchen when we get home! ❤️
J
Jasmine_S
April 23, 2026 · via Viator
Good cooking class
Fun little class, learned some good tips that I can put to use in home cooking. A little bit expensive but worth it!
M
MissB772014
April 4, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Best Bento!
We had a wonderful time learning all the basic Japanese cooking techniques. The class was very well organized. The teacher was excellent. The bento box meal at the end was delicious.
D
Diana_F
March 31, 2026 · via Viator
Great experience on our trip
This was one of the best activities we had so far in Japan! Fumi was a great, patient teacher and we learned so much from her in those precious 2,5h. The food turned out amazing and we are definitely going to cook some of these dishes at home too! It was so nice they catered to our pescatarian diet, so that we cooked clams instead of beef. Fumi also helped us with directions to an Osaka street where a lot of kitchen utensils are sold, so we got our own tamago pan after the class. Ookini!
Y
Y6492DCalisonr
March 5, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
The perfect bento making experience
Super fun class and we learned a lot about different ingredients and cooking techniques. It was very hands-on, and once everything was prepared we arranged our bentos after had a really delicious and substantial lunch. Would highly recommend this class!
C
Camper13552487737
October 26, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Wonderful
A wonderful experience learning japanese home cooking 🙌
We managed to cook 7 different dishes and every single ome of them was unique and tasty.
A
adriennebH1589FS
October 21, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Lean about bento and enjoy!
I enjoyed this very much and strongly recommend it. The whole evening - 5.30 - 7.30 - was busy, friendly, very well planned and a credit to the ‘Sakura Cook’. We learned a great deal by lots of hands-on participation. There were many photo opportunities and interesting things to capture. Questions were happily answered, nothing was seen as a ‘silly question’ yet we were leaning a lot of new skills in a short time and if we made mistakes, that was not a problem.
An excellent meal at the end, helped in the making by us.
O
OakvilleGal
September 15, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
The Great Reviews Tell the Tale
Only two of us today, so private class. It was a real pleasure learning how to make bento box foods, starting with a base of authentic dashi. The cooking area and restroom were clean. The whole 2 hours was well organized to keep things moving and focused on the most important stuff. Most importantly, the communication was outstanding from the time of booking confirmation right through to the end of the class. We went out and bought some items right afterwards to take home with us, inspired to fill the bento boxes we had bought in Tokyo once we get home. Highly recommend!
R
ramsayd2024
September 1, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Fun, engaging and well catered for small groups. Our guide was so kind and fun to chat to.
It was just me and my partner signed up so we had a lovely private experience. Our guide was so friendly and fun and made sure that both of us got a chance to try every step of every dish! I know I ll be cooking these a lot when I get home. They also have some cute handmade Japanese aprons you wear, and even had some for sale!
Y
Yayung_W
August 4, 2025 · via Viator
Recommed!
It’s very interesting! The teacher is beautiful and earnest! My daughter and I learned many cooking skills in the class!