Kyoto: Sushi Making Class with Chef & Hands-On Lunch

4.98

(268 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I thought I knew sushi before this Kyoto class, but honestly, I was just guessing at half of it. The chef—he introduced himself as Saito-san—had this calm way of showing us how to coax the rice into shape. It’s harder than it looks. My first attempt sort of fell apart in my hands and everyone laughed, including me. There was this faint scent of vinegar in the air, sharp but kind of comforting, and Saito-san kept telling stories about his old teacher in Osaka. I liked that part more than I expected.

We learned why the rice matters so much (it really does), and how to press nigiri without squishing it flat—which I failed at twice before getting close. The chef showed us how to slice fish with a single motion; he made it look easy, but my salmon ended up a little lopsided. No one minded though. There were people from Australia and Singapore at our table, and we all compared our weirdest-shaped rolls. At one point I tried to say “arigato gozaimasu” properly and Saito-san grinned—I probably butchered it.

Eating what we made felt different than just ordering sushi somewhere else in Kyoto. Maybe because I’d struggled with sticky rice on my fingers for an hour? Or maybe because Saito-san watched us try each piece like a proud uncle. The light coming through the window hit the plates just right—I still think about that view sometimes when I eat sushi back home.