Kanazawa: Sushi & Japanese Cooking At A 56-year Cooking School

We had a great time in Kanazawa learning how to cook Japanese food! Small, intimate group, perfect size to learn and be social. The couple who runs the school was a wonderful pair and very patient. There was a language translation system which worked very well. Highly recommend!

What an amazing experience we had learning to cook an authentic Japanese meal with Chef Seiji and Assistant Ikumi. The food was incredibly tasty. The lessons incorporated skills with humor and gently supportive individual instruction. We all agreed it was one of our favorite activities in Kanazawa. Thank you.

Chef Nakata was energetic, engaging, and incredibly informative. There was never a dull moment throughout the class! I learned the fundamentals of Japanese cooking and picked up practical tips and techniques that have definitely improved my cooking skills. The class was enjoyable, hands-on, and full of valuable insights into Japanese cuisine. Chef Nakata made everything easy to understand, making it a wonderful experience for both beginners and anyone looking to enhance their cooking skills. Highly recommended and a must-try for all Japanese food lovers who want to learn how to recreate authentic Japanese dishes in their own kitchens back home. A truly rewarding and delicious experience!

Really good fun, well organised lesson and delightful couple with a great sense of humour who run the school. We learnt new techniques and thoroughly enjoyed the evening! Thank you so much!!

We had an absolutely amazing experience, might be the highlight of our two week trip to Japan. The food was incredible, you got to learn the base of Japanese cooking and to make yourself. The couple teaching were knowledgeable and funny, and made sure to snap great pictures of us all that we got after the class. I can’t recommend this class enough, I will be thinking of the thick, fresh fish we got to make sushi with for a long time!! Also they used live translating equipment that took away the language barrier completely

One of our favourite experiences in Japan. The class was wonderful and it was lovely to cook and taste local foods. Thank you for accommodating gluten free!!!

Nakata is an excellent Chef, teacher and coach. Catherine and I had a great time and learned practical skills that we will take home

What an evening of fun and laughter with serious moments using the Japanese knives, but don't worry you are professional taught how to use them. The evening goes through stages preparing your meal with each step shown by expert master chef. We used premium seasonal fish sourced from the Omicho Market. You will learn how to cut sashimi and shape authentic Nigiri sushi. Beyond sushi, you will prepare Jibuni, a samurai-era local specialty, and Dashi-maki Tamago, the famous fluffy rolled omelette—which was lots of fun. Our master chef is amazing! The way he goes about present so much laughter, fun and learning. After all of this you can enjoy your meal with a saki. The instructions before was 10/10 and you get all the recipes and lots of professional tips.

The experience was amazing! We learned how to create several Japanese dishes and nigiri sushi. Any foodie would love this class. Seiji-san and Ikumi-san were gracious and patient teachers. If the opportunity arises, we would take the class again.

For those looking for a fun and entertaining cooking class look no further than this class at Nakata Cooking School. Seiji is awonderful teacher who along with his spouse Itomi help you learn to prepare several delicious traditional Japanese dishes and the. Eat them. Seiji is knowledgeable, personal and a top chef. Do this for sure.

Amazing couple who care about their craft. Very informative, kind, and friendly. Highly recommend to anyone visiting Kanazawa!

We really enjoyed the cooking class and felt like we learned a lot!

We had a wonderful time. The instructor was very knowledgeable and entertaining. And, the food was great. It is an amazing introduction to Japanese cooking.

I did this experience with my adult son and we had such a wonderful time doing this together. Chef Nakata was entertaining and knowledgeable and the quality of the ingredients we used to cook with was exceptional. A friend recommended it to me and I will be making sure I pass on this secret spot to all my friends.

This class alone would have been worth a trip to Kanazawa for me. It was fun, tasty, beautiful and the time just went flying.

Wonderful experience! Insights on umami and Japanese cuisine. Loved the explanations and my 13 year old daughter loved the food!!! Bought reduced price knives and a beautiful bottle to spray soy sauce. I highly recommend it!!! If nothing of the above is appealing, you'll still have a great dinner!

Amazing experience. Great flavors with top ingredients. The best part, the kindness and service from the chef. Highly recommended!!!

We wanted to thank Chef Suiji once more for an unforgettable night! You truly gave us the best experience in Japan so far! We enjoyed it so, so, so much and we will never forget it.From the very first moment, Chef Suiji welcomed us into his kitchen as friends and made us feel completely at home. He is an incredible entertainer—so funny, engaging, and enthusiastic! It is a fully hands-on experience where he keeps you constantly involved, making you do so many things yourself.What makes it truly special is his deep competence. Chef Suiji doesn't just show you how to cook; he explains the deeper meaning behind every step, the history of the culture, and the secrets of the traditional ingredients. We learned so much, had a blast, and of course, ate A LOT OF AMAZING FOOD! 🤩 Thanks for doing what you do and for spreading your authentic culture and passion. It is incredibly precious for people visiting Japan!!! ありがとうございました! — Christian & Mirko ✨

We had an absolutely wonderful time here. The chef uses a live translation app, which makes communication very easy. Only fresh, high-quality ingredients are used for the dishes you prepare. Best of all, you get to enjoy everything you made afterwards. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a fun and delicious time!

Chef Seiji is the best! Perfect balance of demonstration and hands-on. Food is delicious and I was very full! Also enjoyed learning cultural aspects about Japan. The AI translation was a big help - communication was fine. Highly recommend!

First of all I did not want to attend, but finally gave in and went with wifey. It was awesome… had so much fun and experience was great. Had a great meal after we prepared it ourselves along with some sake of course. Don’t miss out on this one.

This Japanese cooking class was an absolute highlight of my trip to Japan! The hosts Chef Nakata and his wife were incredibly nice and welcoming, and you can expect to have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs in this cooking class. I would 100% recommend this to anyone looking for an enjoyable yet also informative food experience in Kanazawa. The translate tool the chef uses to translate from Japanese to English significantly aids in understanding what you are actually doing, and is also quite funny at times! I am a terrible cook, but I would strongly recommend this for beginner or moderate levels cooks who want to learn some new skills! An extremely personable and friendly experience, I left with a pack of Pokemon cards and burgeoning knife skills so I highly recommend this experience to everyone!

Seiji and Ikum welcomed us into their home and tested us to our favorite night on our trip to Japan. We were traveling as two families of 4 (parents and 2 teenage kids each) and it was the perfect family experience! Their kitchen and class set up were impeccable, their teaching style good for all levels, and the food was outstanding. We cooked, we learned, we laughed. We left full and happy with certificates in Japanese cooking. More importantly, we left with mew friends in Kanazawa. Highly recommended-do not miss this experience!

Seiji and Ikum were incredible teachers and hosts, brining humor, warmth, and a whole array of Japanese cooking techniques. Our time with them was the singular highlight of our time in Japan, and everyone came away with even more connection and appreciation for the care, ingenuity, and flavors of Kanazawa. This is a must-book experience!

We had a great evening making and eating great food. Along with my wife and I there were 2 other couples in the class. Even though this was in a knife shop there was no attempted selling. The Chef spoke pretty good English but used a translation device so everyone, English and French could understand the instructions. Would highly recommend.

This experience was one of our favorite of our whole Japan trip! We learned so much and to top it off got to eat the delicious creations! They also sell high quality Japanese knives at a good value. They took photos of us and shared at the end and were so kind and patient with our novice skills. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone!

Was a great informative night. Lots of fun and enjoyed the learning. Food was delicious and great to be able to take the recipes home.

We highly recommend this class and cooking school. It's a family run school and the pride and quality shows – no corners cut, everything of excellent quality. The instructor had great humor and taught us technique & common ingredients, while moving us through preparing and eating a full meal of delicious Japanese food. 10/10 highly recommend for those who love cooking and great food.

Very unique experience in Kanazawa. Learned Sushi and Sashimi techniques from a master chef. Very hands-on on experience with high quality foods. Eating our own created dishes was extraordinary and delicious. Changed what I knew about Japanese cuisine. Highly recommend.

What a wonderful experience! Learning more about Japanese cooking ingredients and having hands-on time to experiment with preparation and cooking was outstanding. And, having a knowledgeable chef with a great sense of humor was an additional bonus. Thank you Seiichi Nakata-San!

We had a blast while learning to cook Japanese dishes and make sushi. The teacher was a lot of fun. We learned many things about Japanese food and we are well. Don’t hesitate to book this. Highlight of our trip.

Chef Seigi and his lovely wife were wonderful hosts in the most traditional Japanese fashion of graciousness, politeness and kindness. They mixed it with an uber modern AI Japanese to English translator that made the learning seamless. We enjoyed the hands on participation, sharing of recipes, techniques and stories that made it one of the best cooking classes we have attended. The cooking class was exceptional. The a pint of dishes and food we were presented with was a noteworthy bonus. This is a must for any foodie or really anyone who visits Kanazawa.

A really fun, hands-on experience. We cooked a full multi-course meal (and eat it). The instruction was clear and very positive and supportive. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn to cook Japanese food and learn some interesting background to the cuisine.

Class was interactive, very informative, the food we cooked delicious and the host/instructors are very friendly and great teachers. We bought some knives as well for an amazing price.

Our experience was one of the most memorable parts of our first trip to Japan. The food quality was amazing, we learned a lot and had so much fun. Mr. Nakata and his wife were amazing hosts, so kind and friendly. Couldn’t recommend this tour more!

We were there as a family with two sons (age 14 and 19) and had a great time cooking together. We used incredible tools to cut and prepare the different dishes (spinach, a Samurai soup, Miso soup, Eggroll, super tasty sushi) and had a lot of fun with the chef and his charming wife. All dishes were delicious and we learned a lot en passant about Japanese culture. Highly recommendable.

It was super, we learned hiw to cook some super lical doshes wich tasted truly amazing

This was so much fun! Our time was well organized by the chef and his wife. Their use of translation technology made for easy how-to instruction, sharing of Japanese food culture, and answering our questions. Charming hosts and delicious lunch! Fun Japanese experience not to be missed!

A truely authentic, cultural and fun activity. We were made to feel welcome from the very beginning and this couple have dialed in a winning formula. Well worth participating in.

Super super fun experience. Lovely couple, so much passion. Comprehensive short primer to Japanese cuisine!

What a great experience. The chef and his wife are a wonderful, funny team who make the class so enjoyable! We made so many dishes then had a wonderful meal. You won’t get better sushi! So delicious. Very fun evening!

An absolutely excellent cooking experience in Kanazawa. Super friendly welcome and the instruction using AI translation made it an inclusive and naturally interactive experience. Highest hygiene standards; clear but fun instructions; delicious food; and an unforgettable cookery class. Would recommend to everyone and we would do it again if we came back to Kanazawa.

An absolutely fantastic experience in Kanazawa. Great communication and directions to find the cookery school and a truly welcoming introduction. The AI used to translate from Japanese to English allowed the conversation to flow naturally and for it to be an inclusive lesson. Everything was cleaned to the highest standard and the chef was both instructive and funny. Excellent food and would recommend to everyone who comes to Kanazawa. Absolutely worth the cost and would do again if we came back to the area.

The chef was very friendly and entertaining and so there was a very good and supportive atmosphere. Clear instructions were given to prepare 5-6 dishes and these were enjoyed at the end of the class before receiving a certificate. A thoroughly enjoyable evening and highly recommended.

This event was the highlight of our trip to Kanazawa. Entertaining, educational and delicious food! Such an enjoyable evening.

The class was a delightful two hours. The chef was knowledgable and the communication barrier was almost completely eliminated by a tool that was excellently suited to its purpose. The food was fantastic as well.

An excellent experience with Chef Seiji-san, learning a little about Japanese cooking and ingredients. This is a very hands-on experience; in my case we made seasoned vegetables, omelette (rolled in the pan), Jibuni, miso soup and nigiri sushi. Seiji is amusing and caring, which helped us relax, while practicing newly learned skills, such as the correct size and shape for nigiri sushi. He also showed us basic skills such as how to use a chef's knife. The evening included dinner -- we ate everything we had made with an optional glass of sake. Highly recommended.

This was honestly one of the best cooking classes I’ve ever joined. From the moment I met Seiji, he is welcoming, friendly, and incredibly passionate about sharing Japanese food culture. The instructions were clear, detailed, and full of humor, making the experience enjoyable and easy to follow. The real-time AI translation worked surprisingly well, so communication felt smooth and natural throughout the class. Making sushi with such fresh, high-quality fish was a true highlight, and I especially loved trying Jibuni, a local Kanazawa specialty — it was absolutely delicious. I learned so much while laughing the whole time, and the food we created together tasted amazing. I highly recommend this class to anyone visiting Kanazawa who wants a hands-on, authentic, and memorable cultural experience. I would happily join again on my next trip to Kanazawa.

From first meeting Seiji and Azumi they were very acommodating and friendly. We were there half an hour early, but they offered us to wait in the classroom with a warm cup of tea. (in February / approx. 0°C) Before class even started, the conversation with them was fun and we got to learn a lot about cooking and knives even before class. Seiji even introduced his AI translating tool beforehand. Which worked very well and almost translated every sentence he said in real time. When class started he very thoroughly explained every step and ingredient with splashes of humor. Azumi and Seiji were very supportive in our cooking endevours and always had tips ready when needed. Both hosts had a great sense of humor and engaged in jokes with us. When eating the food you could taste the passion they poured into preparation of the dashi and the ingredients themselves. I would 100% recommend their class and will be booking a class again the next time we visit japan. They may be offering a gyoza and ramen course soon.