Kyoto is a great place to take a Japanese cooking class: It’s filled with traditional markets, including the famous Nishiki Market, and there are several good cooking schools. Here are our three favorite cooking classes in Kyoto.
Donburi Cooking Course and Nishiki Market Private Tour
This is our favorite cooking class in Kyoto for three reasons: It includes a tour of Nishiki Market (Kyoto’s best traditional food market), you’ll learn how to make a dish that you can easily make back home, and it’s fully private.
Before the class the guide will escort you to Nishiki Market, where you can buy the ingredients for the class. You’ll then return to the cooking school and you’ll learn how to prepare a donburi, which is a rice bowl topped by ingredients like meat, fish, eggs or vegetables.
This is Japanese comfort food and it’s something you can make back home with ingredients available at most supermarkets. It’s a dish that you can tailor to almost anyone: vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free people and carnivores. You can book this class via Klook.
Kyoto Pub Food Making Workshop
You’ve probably heard of an izakaya. These are casual Japanese restaurants that serve a variety of traditional dishes to accompany beer and sake. In this class, you’ll learn several classic izakaya dishes including fried chicken with salted plums and shiso leaf, and pumpkin soup with white miso.
The dishes can be adapted for vegetarians and the teacher can tell you options to replace ingredients that you cannot find back home. For those looking to learn several dishes and Japanese cooking techniques at one go, this is a great group class. This class is also bookable via Klook.
Kyoto Bento Making Workshop
We like this group class because you’ll learn a wide variety of Japanese dishes, including sushi, tempura and teriyaki, and you’ll learn how to put them together into an attractive set meal, or bento.
Because it’s a group class, it’s a great way to meet other travelers, and the price is much lower than a private lesson. Most of the dishes in this class can serve as stand-alone meals and you can prepare them with ingredients available at good supermarkets back home. Your friends and family will appreciate the results of your cooking studies in Kyoto! You can book this class via Klook.
Kyoto Vacation Checklist
- For all the essentials in a brief overview, see my First Time In Kyoto guide
- Check Kyoto accommodation availability on Booking.com and Agoda.com - often you can book with no upfront payment and free cancellation
- You can buy shinkansen (bullet train) tickets online from Klook - popular routes include Tokyo to Kyoto, Kyoto to Osaka and Kyoto to Tokyo
- Need tips on where to stay? See my one page guide Where To Stay In Kyoto
- See my comprehensive Packing List For Japan
- You can buy an eSim to activate in Japan or buy a data-only SIM card online for collection when you arrive at Tokyo's Narita or Haneda Airports or Kansai International Airport. You can also rent an unlimited data pocket wifi router
- Compare Japan flight prices and timings to find the best deals
- If you're making frequent train journeys during your visit, you might save money with Japan Rail Pass – see if it's worth it for you
- A prepaid Welcome Suica card makes travelling around Kyoto easy – here's how
- World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world
- Do you want help planning your trip? Chris Rowthorn and his team of Japan experts at Japan Travel Consulting can help
