Best Market and Cooking Class Tours in Japan — Our Top 5

1.Tsukiji Market Walking Tour & Sushi Cooking Class

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

Meet your English-speaking guide at Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple for about 70 minutes among seafood stalls and food shops. Then head to ABC Cooking Studio to make Temari sushi, rolled sushi, tamagoyaki, and miso soup. Guides such as Aki, Akiko, and Takeshita have been praised for making the market easy to understand.

“Wish we had more time in Tsukiji Market before going to the cooking class. But the class and instructor was great!”

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2.Nishiki Market Food Tour with Cooking Class

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

Meet your English-speaking guide at Nishiki Market’s western entrance for a private food walk, tastings, and shopping guidance. Then take the included taxi to a cooking studio and prepare your choice of kaisen-don, ten-don, or oyako-don. Guides such as Chie, Momo, and Mio are praised for clear instruction and personal touches.

“Start to finish, we loved this experience! We appreciated our hosts pointing out shops and foods in the market so we knew what to come back to later. In a market that big, it’s helpful to know where to focus our time. The cooking school was so cozy and welcoming. We started preparing the dishes shortly after arriving. In our group we made all three dish options - tempura, sashimi, and chicken and egg. All were delicious, and the methods of cooking were engaging and keep everybody interested, even the kids! Thanks for creating a family-friendly experience. We’re excited to make some of these dishes at home!”

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3.Cooking Class & Sake Tasting with Local Market Visit

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

Meet your English-speaking guide near Minami Morimachi Station, shop for ingredients at a local supermarket, then cook niku-sui, okonomiyaki, and gyoza at MagicalTrip’s studio. Guides such as Chie, Eri, Emi, Akko, and Ayu keep the four-hour class relaxed, practical, and social, with three canned drinks, tea, lunch, recipes, and photos included.

“We had an amazing experience. Chie was fantastic! We would love to have more time with her. She was wonderful!”

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4.Private Market Tour and Cooking Class with Kanae, a Sapporo Local

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 29 reviews · from $82Best value

Meet Kanae at Maruyama Koen Station for a market visit, fresh-ingredient shopping, and a home cooking class in Sapporo. She drives up to four people to her home, where you prepare a seasonal Japanese meal together. Lunch, recipes, and one or two local alcoholic drinks are included.

“Loved our cooking class with Kanae in her beautiful home surrounded by mountains and falling snow. We were collected at the meeting point by Kanae and then driven first the local fish and food markets where we purchased our supplies for Read more”

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

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

Meet Akiko near JR Kasugai Station, shop where local families buy Japanese ingredients, then cook in her home kitchen. You’ll prepare Nagoya favorites such as red miso stew, shrimp tempura rice balls, Nagoya-style fried chicken, miso pork cutlet sandwiches, and dashi stock. The private experience lasts about three and a half hours and includes the meal and local alcohol.

“Akiko and her helpers were knowledgeable fun. We enjoyed the supermarket tour and the food we made was delicious. She even provided copies of the recipes. This was a highlight of our trip to Japan.”

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