Experience Japanese culture from the kitchen: month by month, season by season.
Whether you are new to Japan or not…
What are some of the things you wish to acquire during your time here?
・The Japanese language?
・Knowledge of Japanese values and the way of thinking, so you can better understand your Japanese colleagues or friends?
・A deeper understanding of Japan’s history, culture, customs, and wabi-sabi (Japanese aesthetic values)?
・Or simply how to cook healthy, everyday Japanese home cooking?
If this sounds like you, this is exactly the class you are looking for.
This is a truly “one-and-only” cooking class where you will not only learn to cook simple, healthy, UMAMI-rich Japanese home dishes — you will also explore Japan’s seasonal events, customs, rituals, and traditional practices through monthly themes. Each lesson is highly informative and story-driven, helping you understand the core values that shape our Japanese life.
You will probably be surprised by how our ancestors defined every seasonal celebration with thoughtful meaning behind each small detail!
What Will You Learn?
Each monthly class is built around a specific Japanese event or seasonal celebration, offering:
- A clear introduction to the month’s cultural theme
- Easy-to-understand explanations of its history, symbolism, customs, and food traditions
- A hands-on cooking session preparing a full home-style set menu in relation to the event/celebration
(rice dish, soup, one main dish, and one to two seasonal sides)
All dishes are packed with UMAMI and reflect what we actually eat at home in daily life. Many are foods you may have eaten before — savory egg custard, rolled omelet, rolled sushi, simmered dishes — and wished you knew how to recreate in your own kitchen.
Because each menu is seasonal and rooted in culture, you will understand not only how to cook the dish but why we eat it.
*You will learn about the event for the following month, so that you can celebrate on the day of the event at home, with families and friends.
You will also receive:
- A full textbook with cultural explanations + recipes
- Ingredient and tool links for the month’s recipes for you to be able to recreate the recipes at home
- Seasonal insights to help you celebrate the event at home with your family and friends
- Guidance on Japanese supermarket ingredients and how to choose them with confidence
How to Start
YES! You can join at any time of the year.
YES! You can attend only the themes that interest you.
BUT! Many end up taking all 12 because there is always so much to learn in each!
By the time you complete the full year, you will be a genuine expert in Japanese home cooking, seasonal traditions, and cultural values. Your supermarket trips will become more enjoyable, and your understanding of Japanese life will feel deeper and more meaningful.
So come and join the fun!
LESSON DETAILS
<DATES>: Refer to the reservation page below
<TIME>: 10 am to 1–2 pm (depending on the month’s menu)
<PLACE>: Wa + Sabi Kitchen Studio (Hiyoshi, Yokohama – details provided after reservation)
<FEE>: ￥10,000 (tax included)
<MAX # of PERSONS>: 5 persons
<THINGS TO BRING>: Hand towel / Apron
<FEE INCLUDES>: A complementary Japanese Wagashi (sweets) and tea, all ingredients, cultural introduction, full cooking lesson, seasonal lunch full of umami, recipe/culture textbook, and a little something for you to bring home to celebrate the event/celebration with your friends and family.
LESSON FLOW
- Cultural Introduction of the Month’s Theme
(history, symbolism, customs, rituals, and seasonal meaning discussed over Japanese sweets and tea)
⇩ - Hands-on Cooking of the Full Monthly Menu
(rice dish, soup, main dish, seasonal sides)
⇩ - Plating, Tasting & Cultural Review
(lunch served with discussion, Q&A and chatting!)
⇩ - Clean Up & Takeaways
(review of ingredient links, tips, and next month’s preview)
Check out other classes/workshops offered at Wa + Sabi here:
https://wasabiplus.com/class_catalogue/
CANCELLATION POLICY
We are fully aware that unexpected inconveniences may arise at the last minute. Because we do understand that things happen, we charge no cancellation fee, but instead, please understand that there is already prep work involved and so a food purchase/prep fee of ￥2,000 will be charged for any cancellations made within 5 days before your booked date.
No charge if you can send someone to take your place on the booked date.
Either way, if you ever have to cancel your booking, don’t forget to request another date for you to come instead, because we would hate for you to miss the fun!
LATEST CLASS SCHEDULE:
ALL MONTHLY THEME & MENU
+JANUARY COOKING CLASS+
< SETSU BUN / Bean Throwing Event >
+ Rolled Sushi
+ Sardine ball miso soup
+ Soy beans and vegetable simmered in DASHI broth and soy sauce
+ Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+FEBRUARY COOKING CLASS+
< HINA MATSURI / Girl’s Day or the Doll Festival >
+ Scattered Sushi
+ Clam soup
+ Sea bream with cherry blossom sauce
+ Canola blossoms marinated with
KOMBU seaweed
+Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+MARCH COOKING CLASS+
< HANAMI / Cherry blossom viewing >
+ Rice with salted cherry blossoms
+ Egg tofu and Bamboo shoot clear soup
+ Deep fried Spanish mackerel
+ UMAMI Rolled omelette
+ Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+APRIL COOKING CLASS+
< KODOMO NO HI / Children’s Day or Boy’s Day >
+ Rice with bamboo shoot
+ MISO soup w/ asparagus and tofu puff
+ Yellowtail teriyaki
+ Hijiki seaweed dressed with creamy tofu
+ Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+MAY COOKING CLASS+
< NAGOSHI no HARAE / Summer Purification Ritual >
+Shredded vegetable and seafood tempura bowl
+ MISO soup with cabbage & tempura bits
+ Seared horse mackerel
+ Sesame tofu
+ Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+JUNE COOKING CLASS+
< TANABATA / The Star Festival >
+ Thin wheat noodles with 2 dipping sauces
+ Simmered winter gourd with shrimp sauce
+ Okra and tomato dressed with sesame sauce
+ Broadbean dressed with cod roe sauce
+ Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+JULY COOKING CLASS+
<OBON / Welcoming of Spirits of Ancestors>
+ Rice with salted edamame
+ Cold MISO soup w/fish and cucumber
+ Summer vegetable tempura
+ Chilled tofu with topping
+ Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+AUGUST COOKING CLASS+
<TSUKIMI / Moon Viewing Festival>
+ Chestnut rice
+ MISO soup with daikon & spinach
+ TOFU and vegetable nuggets
+ Grilled eggplant with MISO glaze
+ Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+SEPTEMBER COOKING CLASS+
<IMONI KAI / Taro Potato Stew Festival>
+ Rice with MAITAKE mushroom
+ MISO soup with taro potatoes and vegetables
+ Salt grilled saury
+ Broccoli dressed with sesame sauce
+Complementary snack, sweet or drink
* Some veggies we will use do come from our veggie field! https://wasabiplus.com/veggie-field/
+OCTOBER COOKING CLASS+
<SHICHIGOSAN / Celebration of Children’s Healthy Growth>
+ Steamed glutenous rice with red beans
+ Clear soup w/autumn veggies
+ Grilled MISO-marinated cod
+ Savory egg custard with vegetables
+Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+NOVEMBER COOKING CLASS+
<TŌJI and ŌMISOKA / Winter Solstice and New Years Eve>
+ New Years Eve SOBA noodles
+ Japanese TOFU hotchpotch
+ Simmered pumpkin and red beans
+ 1 to 2 side dishes
+ Complementary snack, sweet or drink
+DECEMBER COOKING CLASS+
<OSHOGATSU / New Years >
+ Soup with MOCHI rice cakes
+ Japanese meatloaf
+ Shredded DAIKON and vegetables pickles
+ sweet yam puree in celebratory colors
+Complementary snack, sweet or drink
Kaori’s class was a perfect combination of Japanese foods and tradition. Kaori shared with us the bean throwing tradition and through traditions we were driven to the connecting dishes. We could get detailed information about the ingredients and we had a really entertaining time with her.All of dishes were fantastically delicious and beyond cooking we got serving ideas too. Thanks to the hand made recipe book we can prepare everything at home as well for sharing and forwarding the taste of Japanese food and tradition to our friends.
Thank you, Kaori!
Thank you soooooo much for such encouraging words Susanna! I was so happy to share our culture with you two. Hope you were able to enjoy the Setsubun event at home and hope you can join us soon again 🙂
My review comes late, but there is a reason. A cooking class is wonderful because of the new flavours or the new techniques learned there, but it becomes extraordinary when the people attending the class are really able to reproduce on their own what they learned.
My daughter and I attended Kaori’s December class and it was GREAT! And I am not talking here about the food (which was indeed delicious), but about the atmosphere Kaori created for us, the new ingredients that were so professionally explained and the stories about New Year’s traditions that opened Japan a little bit more for us.
The best part? My daughter made one of the dishes herself following the instructions in the booklet we received, I was able to prepare another one, so our New Year’s Eve had a bit of Kaori’s lesson influence. 🙂
Thank you, Kaori! We will come again. 🙂
OOOH Maria! Thank you so much for such a perfect review!!! I’m nothing but overjoyed by the fact that you were able to actually prepare the dishes at home, and you know, that’s the whole purpose of my lessons! And I’m even more overjoyed that even your daughter was able to cook the recipe on her own!!! How wonderful!!!!! Yes, very much looking forward to seeing you two soon again! Arigato!
Kaori doesn’t just teach a cooking lesson, she also shares us many interesting facts about the culture behind the dishes. Everything is based on the current season, very delicious and on top of that done in her lovely home. We will definitely come back for another lesson.
Thank you so much for such encouraging words Saskia! I hope I didn’t tire you out with all the information on the meaning behind each and every little thing! (Well wait until you hear every single meanings of our New Years dishes!) Yes! please do come back again. Look forward to seeing you soon!
Your November cooking lesson was so wonderful, Kaori!!
Had a great time learning about Japanese dishes and the ingredients used. Loved the way you described the importance and the customs related to each dish.
Thank you so much for joining us Sarika! Was a great pleasure to have you 🙂 Hope all we had shared will help you understand a lot of things you may spot during your life in Japan!
THis is so cool!
Thank you!! Hope you’ll join us too!