Private Kyoto Sushi Cooking Class & Tea Ceremony with Emika

Mrs. Emika was a wonderful hostess. Although a 10-15 minute walk from the Kasura station, she lives in a very nice neighborhood and we enjoyed walking, with the assistance of google map, through the winding streets of her neighborhood. Emika was warm and inviting. Although she hasn't ever spent any time in a English speaking country, her English is comprehensive and easy to understand (Eigo o Jōzuna desu). She was very good about teaching and explaining Japanese eating culture. She involved all members of our family with the cooking experience and shared the recipes with us so we could replicate them at home. We chose the sushi experience and Emika was well suited as she worked in a sushi restaurant during the pandemic. Ture to the typical Japanese meal, we also made the side dishes like sonomono, broccolini dish and miso. For the miso she used miso paste that her family makes and it had a wonderful nutty flavor as compared to other miso soups. She sourced high quality ingredients for the sashimi portion of the meal. She was also very accommodating for my wife being a vegetarian. The tour of the local supermarket was also interesting and I would highly recommend that you participate in this as well. Her supermarket has a bakery and we stocked up on some Japanese breads and fresh fruits for snacks later in the day. It was an experience that was well worth it and if we are in Kyoto again we would consider taking another class so we could try her okonomikayi or gyoza.