The 12 Market Tour Cooking Classes in Japan That Earn Their Price

1.Tsukiji Fish Market Guided Tour and Sushi Making with Pro Chef

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 775 reviews · from $104Our pick

Start at Tsukiji Honganji Temple, walk through Tsukiji’s outer and wholesale areas with a local guide, then learn five nigiri styles and one roll from a professional sushi chef. Expect about four hours, stairs, a group setting, and no guaranteed accommodation for dietary restrictions.

“Korean was our tourguide, friendly and spoke English well. Started with a visit to the Buddhist temple, then to the market. We stopped at different food vendors and Ko offered good info on the different types of food. Then visited a shrine. I personally found being with group limiting as there are so many different things to sample, the group is limiting. The sushi lesson was informative and fun. Picked up some good info and enjoyed it. Bring your own water to drink as they only provide cold green tea, which is good, but I would have had water too.”

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2.Tokyo: Tsukiji Fish Market Sushi Making Class with Pro Chef

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 506 reviews · 90 minutes - 4 hours · from $63Best value

In a traditional building above Tsukiji Outer Market, an English-speaking host such as Yuko, AJ, or Satoko helps you follow a professional chef through fish preparation, four nigiri, and one maki roll. You eat your sushi with the chef’s own pieces, dashi soup, and green tea.

“Shoko was great! She knew the market well and was able to give a lot of history. Also took us into some of the nearby shrines and gave religious history as well.”

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3.Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market Tour and Sushi Making Lesson

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 390 reviews · from $99

Meet guides such as Akiko, Lucy, or Yoko at Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple, explore the Outer Market, then ride to ABC Cooking Studio for hands-on sushi, tamagoyaki, and miso soup. The three-hour tour suits first-time cooks, families with children age nine and up, and anyone wanting help navigating Tsukiji in English.

“This tour was awesome! Great sights in the outer market and surrounding areas. Was nice to stop and enjoy the local fare too. Our tour leader was knowledgeable and fun. The cooking lesson at the end was also delightful and informative, plus delicious once all was done!”

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4.Tokyo Washoku 4-hour Cooking Class: From Market to Table

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 253 reviews · from $79

Meet near Iriya Station at 10 a.m. and shop for ingredients with a local cooking guide such as April, Yuri, Alice, or Mihori. Then prepare makisushi, miso soup, dashimaki tamago, and nasu dengaku in a dedicated studio, with recipes to take home.

“Alice was a great host. I thoroughly enjoyed her cheerful demeanor and the stories she shared with me while we cooked and ate.”

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5.Tokyo: Tsukiji Market Walking Tour & Sushi Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 122 reviews · 3 hours · from $96

Meet at Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple for a guided walk through the Outer Market, then cook temari sushi, maki sushi, tamagoyaki, and miso soup at ABC Cooking Studio. English-speaking guides, small groups of up to six, lunch, recipes, and a digital certificate are included.

“This was a fabulous experience, and Alika was a wonderful teacher! In addition to learning a few basic skills, it made us all much more appreciative of the art of Japanese cooking and meal prep.”

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6.Tokyo: Sushi Making with Pro Chef & Tsukiji Fish Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 49 reviews · 4 hours · from $101

Meet at Tsukiji Honganji Temple for a guided walk through Tsukiji Fish Market, then learn to make nigiri and maki with a professional chef. You get lunch, an English-speaking guide, and a small group capped at eight. Guides may include Tadashi, Yusei, Kate, or Yuko.

“Kate, Yuko, and Matsayo were very kind, professional and entertaining! Thoroughly enjoyed our experience at the market and learning how to make Sushi!”

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7.Nishiki Market Food Tour with Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 42 reviews · 2h 30m · from $109

Start at Nishiki Market’s western entrance with an English-speaking local guide such as Chie or Momo. Spend about an hour tasting and learning, then take the included taxi to a cooking studio to prepare kaisen-don, ten-don, or oyako-don with market ingredients.

“Chia was a great guide and very knowledgeable about all the food at the market, we had a wonderful experience.”

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8.Osaka: Cooking Class & Sake Tasting with Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 31 reviews · 4 hours · from $90

Meet an English-speaking guide such as Chie, Eri, or Akko near Minami Morimachi, shop for ingredients, then prepare niku-sui, okonomiyaki, and gyoza. You will eat what you cook, taste three canned drinks, receive recipes and photos, and learn practical Osaka food traditions.

“Linda was superb. She went to the trouble of decorating the room with Christmas decorations and was extremely attentive throughout our time with her. She went out of her way to take us to buy some sake too!”

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9.Tokyo: Tsukiji Market Guided Tour & Sushi-Making Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 11 reviews · 3h 45m · from $177

Spend 225 minutes with an English-speaking licensed guide at Tsukiji Outer Market, then travel by public transport to a modern kitchen near Tokyo Tower. Learn to make nigiri, hosomaki, and gunkanmaki, with ingredients, instruction, and a sushi souvenir kit included.

“Fun & insightful, guides were great, and master sushi chef very fun”

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10.Nagoya Super Market Tour & Home Cooking Class with a Local, Akiko

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $119

Meet local host Akiko near Nagoya, tour a neighborhood supermarket, choose Japanese ingredients, then cook and share a Nagoya-style meal in her home. Make dashi, red miso dishes, shrimp tempura rice balls, or Nagoya fried chicken. The private experience lasts about 3.5 hours.

“We made Nagoya style wings, fried pork, and stuffed tempura rice balls. She was absolutely wonderful in teaching us how to cook! She also let us take home the recipes so we can make them at home. The local market review helped us learn more about local grocery stores. The experience we well worth the money!!”

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11.Kanazawa: Sushi Making Experience at Oumicho Market

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 2 hours · from $70

Meet at Sushi Enome inside Oumicho Market for a two-hour private lesson in Japanese sushi-making. A professional chef shows you how to prepare five nigiri, two gunkan-maki, and one roll using fresh Kanazawa seafood. Instruction is in Japanese, with translation support possible, and you eat everything you make.

“This was a fantastic experience with two very patient chefs. We truly enjoyed our time with them and the delicious sushi we got. Get to the market early as the place can be a tiny bit tricky to find! Highly recommend for anyone looking a to learn how to make sushi”

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12.Naha Makishi Public Market : Sushi making experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews · 2h 30m · from $161

Start on Makishi Public Market’s third floor with a guided fish-market tour, then learn to shape eight pieces of sushi from an instructor. English or Chinese interpretation is provided. The 150-minute class includes soup, gari, green tea, and a tenugui towel, while beer and sake cost extra.

“The price is way too high for what is covered in the workshop. The Instructor was super friendly and did a great job explaining, but the price just isnt appropriate.”

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