Japanese Cooking Class with Local Family in Takayama Old Town

This cooking class was one of the most enjoyable experiences of our entire trip to Japan. It combined everything we were looking for - great food, culture, fun, and a chance to spend time with local people. The experience took place in our hosts’ home, and they even gave us a tour, which made the evening feel especially personal and authentic. From the beginning, we felt completely comfortable and welcomed - more like guests in someone’s home than tourists taking a class. We learned not only how to prepare the dishes, but also about the ingredients, traditions, and everyday life in the Hida region. There was lots of conversation and laughter, and we had an absolute blast cooking and then sitting down to enjoy what we had made. If you’re looking for an experience that goes beyond sightseeing and gives you a genuine connection to the food, culture, and people of Takayama, I highly recommend this cooking experience!

A must do experience with friends and family! I book this event for my family ( wife, 3 children) and one of our family friend and they all enjoyed this experience. We felt so welcomed as they let us cook and eat inside their beautiful home. They were patient with helping my youngest daughter (12 yrs old) to learn and help with the cooking. Lots of food with fresh and great quality ingredients. Delicious and this was one of the best cooking experience we had so far and we feel honored to even experience this with this amazing family. If you’re in Takayama JUST BOOK THIS !! You won’t regret it!

We had the most wonderful experience. First we had a tour in the city, getting to know it's history and background information with Tomoa. Followed by our cooking lessons from Bob and friends, with a tour through the house and it's history. It was a once in a lifetime, and kindly recommended to follow too.

Taking a cooking class with a local family in Takayama was an incredible and equational experience. Bob and Hida were very welcoming and warm. We absolutely loved their home and we were learning tasty recipes. We made Miso soup from scratch and vegetable and shrimp tempura then Bob helped us making Hida steak. we also made Japanese omelet which looks hard at first but after we tried was not as hard. They were all very delicious. The cooking class were definitely one of our most memorable activity in Japan.

Under Bob’s guidance we made lunch. Not only learning to cook Japanese dishes was a lot of fun, but also the stories about Japanese food and customs were very interesting.

Our workshop with Bob and Hisa was fantastic. What lovely people who welcome you into their home. We baked omelets, made tempura and baked hida beef. Top experience.

We had a lovely cooking experience with Bob-san, who introduced us to the secrets of Japanese cuisine, including some tips and tricks ! We started with a quick walk through the morning market and were welcomed by Bob-san in his beautiful house. What followed was an interactive cooking experience, an (almost) self- made lunch and a visit of Bob’s and Hida’s house and the annex former small hospital. All in all an amazing experience if you look for a warm and personalised event in Takayama. @ Bob-san and Husa-san : thanks a lot for your hospitality and kindness !

Had a great morning. Hisa picked us up at our hotel and together we walked through the morning market. Nice to see! Then we went to her house where her husband Bob was waiting for us. Together with him we prepared several dishes that we could later eat. It was well cared for, the atmosphere was friendly and pleasant and the food delicious. Highly recommended.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Bob, Hisa l, Emika, and Tomoa - they welcomed us into their incredible (200+ year old!!) home and taught us to cook a feast! Tempura, a layer omelette, Hida beef…it was all delicious and so tasty but the real experience was getting to know all of them and sharing my parents 70th birthday celebration together. If you make it to Takayama I cannot recommend this experience enough - it will stay with my family forever and we are so grateful

Dear Bob, Hisa and Tomoa, We had such a great time with you!! I was absolutely amazing to be so welcome in your beautiful home. We had an excellent guided tour of Hisa. We bought great tea and Matcha for our daughter. The cooking lessons from you were so nice!! We experienced such a warm welcome by you and your family. We had a great day! Thanks for the recipes. We gonna try and make it ourselves back home. Each time we will cook these recipes it will remember us about you and your family and the lovely afternoon in Takayama 🔪🥢🍚🍛🇯🇵🙏🏻