A great way to immerse yourself in the Japanese culture is to learn how to make proper Japanese meals. Sounds simple right? Not always. Finding the right recipes, cooking techniques and ingredients in a supermarket can be quite difficult. But thanks to Miyuki Suyari, everything is made easy – she offers traditional Japanese cooking lessons in her newly-created Japanese class: Simply Oishii.
Miyuki Suyari - The Chef
Miyuki is a self-taught cook who teaches Western meals to Japanese people and Japanese cooking to tourists or foreigners in English! She discovered her love of cooking when she was a little child and has been cooking ever since. She now can't wait to transfer her knowledge to you. Believe me, her warmth and kindness is obvious from the moment you meet her.
Not only can Miyuki teach you about famous meals like sushi or gyoza, she also offers lessons about Japanese homemade cooking, izakaya-style food including yakitori, tofu-based meals and more. Since she lived in the United Kingdom as well as the United States and traveled all over the world, her English is fluent.
The Lesson – My Experience
I had the chance to take a tofu-themed class with her and I definitely recommend the experience.
First, before the lesson, she takes the time to bring you to the supermarket and explain all the ingredients you are going to use as well as seasonal Japanese vegetables that we might be scared to use without knowing what they are. This comes in very useful if you plan to cook by yourself in Japan.
Then comes the lesson itself where she Miyuki-san has pre-prepared everything to get started, including cutting key ingredients to make sure no time is wasted. She also prepares materials with all the recipes and various descriptions. For example, mine had all the types of tofu, their uses and how to cook them.
For the cooking itself, she really makes you try Japanese techniques and with her beside you everything becomes much simpler, such as rolling Japanese omelet, which I never was able to do correctly before.
Finally, after the lesson, we ate what we prepared together over conversation about anything and everything. I really enjoyed spending time with Miyuki and I can't wait to use my new knowledge at home!
Taking a cooking lesson is definitely better than simply following a recipe because your teacher can give your various ideas, tricks and techniques to make your cooking even better.
General Information
Each class lasts 2 hours and you can book between 10am-3pm by sending her an e-mail with your preferred time – she will quickly answer you.
If you are a tourist and don't have too much time, she might be able to pick you up at your hotel by car depending on the location.
Lastly, don't forget to bring a container to take home any completed dishes that you may not have eaten during the session.
Price: ￥8,000 for private lessons and ￥5,000 per person for groups of 2 to 4 people (Lessons are for women, couples and families only).
Directions: Near Fudomae station (Miyuki will give you the exact address once the booking is complete).
