My family and I had a wonderful time with this experience on our recent trip to Kyoto. The first part is a tour of the bustling Nishiki market past stalls carving through whole tunas and selling all kinds fresh seafood and other sundries. Our guide, Eike, recommended the best selections and gave us tons of information on what was happening throughout the tour. We then took a taxi to a tucked away townhouse where Sunny and Mina taught us all about sake and showed us how to cook a delicious and traditional Japanese meal. Sunny explained how a difference in the water source or rice type used can make a massive difference in the taste of sake and shared with us some of her unique selections of sake she had collected over the brewing season. Mina kindly showed us how to correctly roll the omelet for sushi and explained the basics so we could try to roll the maki without destroying it. Overall, it was a lovely experience and a highlight of our trip. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who’d like to experience the market, learn some Japanese home cooking, and taste delicious sakes.
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Lunch
- Restroom on board
- Guide
Excludes
- Snacks
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- Location: In front of the Silver Monument at the North Exit of Daimaru Kyoto Department Store on Nishiki Koji Dori. Instructions: Your guide will be waiting in front of the monument, holding a panel with your name on it.
Return
- The endpoint is a 5-minute walk from Gojo Subway Station. We can assist with arranging a taxi or other transportation if needed.
Itinerary
Nishiki Market, known as "Kyoto's Kitchen," has been a bustling center of local commerce and culinary tradition for over 400 years. This 5-block shopping street is home to more than 100 shops and restaurants, providing a unique opportunity to explore Kyoto's vibrant food culture. As you walk through the market, you'll discover a variety of fresh seafood, seasonal vegetables, pickles, dried foods, and other ingredients essential to traditional Japanese cuisine. Guide will share the market's rich history and its significance in Kyoto's culinary scene. You'll have the chance to taste traditional delicacies, and learn about the ingredients that define Kyoto's unique flavors. Nishiki Market also offers crafts like hand-crafted knives and beautiful ceramics, making it an ideal place to find a souvenir that captures Kyoto's essence. Whether you're a food lover, culture enthusiast, or simply curious, a visit to Nishiki Market offers captivating insight into Kyoto's culinary heritage.
After exploring the Nishiki Market, you'll be welcomed into Kyomachiya, a beautifully restored traditional Kyoto townhouse, reserved exclusively for your group. This elegant and serene setting provides the perfect backdrop for an authentic cultural experience, allowing you to immerse yourself in the refined atmosphere of old Kyoto. Next, guided by a skilled host, you'll embark on a private hands-on Japanese cooking experience, learning to prepare traditional dishes, including rolled sushi. Using fresh ingredients, the session imparts not only techniques but also the cultural significance behind each dish, deepening your understanding of Japanese culinary traditions. After savoring the beautifully presented dishes, your host will guide you through the process of preparing matcha (green tea). Whether you are a seasoned chef or a culinary novice, this experience will leave you with lasting memories and a deeper appreciation for Japan's rich cultural heritage.
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Reviews
Got a great experience in Japanese cooking. It was fun to learn how to cook Japanese food from Japanese people. Highly recommended.
It was absolutely lovely to join! The lady who did the course knows a lot about the culture. Afterwards we can eat it the sushi ourselves. It was really interesting to see the house from the inside
I went on the Nishiki Market Stroll and Kyomachiya Cooking Experience on the 25th of september, towards the end of my summer break. It wasn't the first tour/event I did with Hope Terrace, so I had already met one of the staff, Sunny, but as always they were incredibly nice to talk to, super accommodating and helpful, and very good at explaining things about Japanese culture. The tour started with a leisurely walk through the very traditional Nishiki market, which was very interesting. The staff members explained a lot of interesting things about the market as well as particular stores, and we went into a few to try their goods, such as traditonal kyoto seasoning. At the other end of the market there was also a shrine, where I think the storekeepers would pray for good luck for their business, I also learned how to pray at a Japanese shrine there. After the stroll we went to a renovated traditional house for some sake taste testing and makisushi cooking. The taste testing was very interesting, I had always thought that I didn't really like sake, but the ones I tried were very good and it was interesting to learn about how different qualities of sake, such how much the rice is polished or if the brewery is different, impact the taste profile of it. The makisushi cooking was also a lot of fun, I've tried making it with my little sister before, but it never became as good as this. We didn't do all the parts of the cooking ourselves, mostly just making a side dish out of spinach and sesame, frying tamagoyaki for the makisushi, as well as making the makisushi from the prepared ingredients, which I think was a very good balance for the sake of saving time but also getting to do the interesting parts yourself. Overall I had a great time on the tour, I had a lot of fun, I learned a lot, and I got to eat good food that I took a big part in making (and when I go home I can impress my little sister with my newfound skills).
Even though I am living in Japan, I defended to participate in this tour. It was a great experience. I have been to Nishiki market before for multiple times but I learnt a lot more about history and the tour guides were so great. There explanations were easy to understand, they were also very honest about which shops I should try and which shops I should avoid. The cooking experience itself was so well-organized. I got to experience firsthand for some cooking and sushi making. The instructions were clear, and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed, making it a great activity even for beginners. Overall, I really recommend ✨
We learned a lot about Japanese culture...starting with soup, sushi, egg and spinach omelets with sesame sauce. Everything was perfect and the welcome great. I highly recommend for those who want to stand out 100% in Japanese cuisine❤️
You can really cook your own step by step! It is a very rare experience for me, as I don't cook much.
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