Top Oita Prefecture Cooking Classes

'Dango noodle soup' is made by kneading wheat or rice flour with water, letting it rest for a while, then stretching and shaping the dough by hand before adding it to the broth. It's a hearty, wholesome dish made with local, seasonal vegetables such as 'taro' potato and burdock, and is seasoned with either miso or soy sauce. This is the only cooking class available in Beppu hosted within a century-old Japanese house - a truly 'local' experience!

Engage with the culinary traditions of Oita Prefecture in this hands-on cooking class where you’ll learn to prepare beloved local dishes. Guided by a seasoned local host and supported by an English assistant, you’ll create regional specialties like Toriten (Chicken Tempura), Dango-jiru (Miso Soup with Wheat Dumplings), and Yase-uma (Sweet Kinako Dumplings) in a cozy, homestyle setting. This small-group experience allows for personal interaction and a deep dive into Oita’s rich culinary heritage, ensuring you leave with not only cooking skills but also a digital recipe card to recreate these flavors at home.

Seen those viral 'mochi-tsuki' videos online? In this activity, you'll gain far more than just insight, but get hands-on experience of how Japanese 'mochi' (rice cake) is traditionally made in Japanese households. Making mochi from scratch, you'll start by steaming mochi rice, before pounding it with mallets (the fun part!) until the structure breaks down into that oh-so-sticky texture, and then shaping it into little mochi balls - et voila! You'll then be able to tuck in to your creations with traditional red bean paste or any flavour of your choice. A quintessentially Japanese winter activity that isn't one to miss.