Just as you have events and holidays unique to your home country, we have many seasonal events throughout the year, which are strongly associated with special food or dishes that are prepared for that particular day.
This is a monthly course that focuses on cooking special dishes for each month’s Japanese event. Not only you will learn to cook the dishes, but you will also learn about our customs, and the history of our different events which are sure to make your life in Japan a more memorable, fun experience for you (and your family and friends)! You will be just amazed by how our ancestors defined every little detail with such special meaning behind it.
YES! you can start from any time of the year and
YES! you can also select only the months that interests you.
BUT! you’d probably end up taking them all, because there is always so much you can learn!
By the time you finish all 12, not only you will be an total expert on Japanese culture, learning about our different food ingredients will definitely make your trips to local supermarkets a much happier routine for you!
So come and join the fun!
*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.
*Links to all food ingredients and tools needed for each month’s recipes will be offered.
*All classes will take place in my kitchen in HIYOSHI Yokohama. (Please consult for visiting lessons!)
* Some veggies we will use do come from our veggie field! https://wasabiplus.com/veggie-field/
My other classes :
+ All About MISO & MISO-Making From SCRATCH (https://wasabiplus.com/miso-making-from-scratch/)
+ All About TOFU & TOFU-Making From Scratch (Coming Soon!)
+ All About UMAMI & DASHI Soup Stock (Coming Soon!)
+ All About KOJI & Japanese Fermentation (Coming Soon!)
MONTHLY THEME & MENU
+JANUARY COOKING LESSON+
< 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 LESSON+
< 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 LESSON+
< 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 LESSON+
< 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 LESSON+
< 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 LESSON+
< 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 LESSON+
<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 LESSON+
<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 LESSON+
<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
+OCTOBER COOKING LESSON+
<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 LESSON+
<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 LESSON+
<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 briefly 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!