Japanese Cooking Class with Local Family in Takayama Old Town
Description
[PRIVATE TOUR] If you're seeking an authentic connection with a local family, this is for you! We are a warm, fun-loving family of four, deeply rooted in Takayama. Here, you won’t just learn to cook Japanese food—you’ll experience how locals live and savor life together. Our 200-year-old wooden townhouse stands on Old Town’s main street, yet stepping inside feels like entering a quiet world where time slows down. Its small quirks remind us of its beauty and history. We’ll welcome you with Japanese tea and snacks before guiding you in preparing a traditional meal in our kitchen. As we cook side by side, we’ll share stories of life in Takayama and living in harmony with nature and the seasons. Hisa and Bob pour their hearts into every class. This is more than a cooking lesson—it’s a moment of connection, culture, and feeling at home far from home. Feel free to write us your request on food or any restrictions, we are happy to accommodate as much as possible!
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Reviews(58)
Taking a cooking class with a local family in Takayama was an incredible and equational experience. Bob and Hida were very welcoming and warm. We absolutely loved their home and we were learning tasty recipes. We made Miso soup from scratch and vegetable and shrimp tempura then Bob helped us making Hida steak. we also made Japanese omelet which looks hard at first but after we tried was not as hard. They were all very delicious. The cooking class were definitely one of our most memorable activity in Japan.
Under Bob’s guidance we made lunch. Not only learning to cook Japanese dishes was a lot of fun, but also the stories about Japanese food and customs were very interesting.
Our workshop with Bob and Hisa was fantastic. What lovely people who welcome you into their home. We baked omelets, made tempura and baked hida beef. Top experience.
We had a lovely cooking experience with Bob-san, who introduced us to the secrets of Japanese cuisine, including some tips and tricks ! We started with a quick walk through the morning market and were welcomed by Bob-san in his beautiful house. What followed was an interactive cooking experience, an (almost) self- made lunch and a visit of Bob’s and Hida’s house and the annex former small hospital. All in all an amazing experience if you look for a warm and personalised event in Takayama. @ Bob-san and Husa-san : thanks a lot for your hospitality and kindness !
Had a great morning. Hisa picked us up at our hotel and together we walked through the morning market. Nice to see! Then we went to her house where her husband Bob was waiting for us. Together with him we prepared several dishes that we could later eat. It was well cared for, the atmosphere was friendly and pleasant and the food delicious. Highly recommended.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about Bob, Hisa l, Emika, and Tomoa - they welcomed us into their incredible (200+ year old!!) home and taught us to cook a feast! Tempura, a layer omelette, Hida beef…it was all delicious and so tasty but the real experience was getting to know all of them and sharing my parents 70th birthday celebration together. If you make it to Takayama I cannot recommend this experience enough - it will stay with my family forever and we are so grateful
Dear Bob, Hisa and Tomoa, We had such a great time with you!! I was absolutely amazing to be so welcome in your beautiful home. We had an excellent guided tour of Hisa. We bought great tea and Matcha for our daughter. The cooking lessons from you were so nice!! We experienced such a warm welcome by you and your family. We had a great day! Thanks for the recipes. We gonna try and make it ourselves back home. Each time we will cook these recipes it will remember us about you and your family and the lovely afternoon in Takayama 🔪🥢🍚🍛🇯🇵🙏🏻
It was very special to have the cooking class at Hida and Bob’s home. Very relaxing athmosfere and they learn us a lot about Japanse cooking. It tasted very wel and we make a mix of Japanse dishes. After cooking we were sitting in there special diningroom. It looks we were friends forever and we talk about a lot of interested activities. The next day it was very nice that we had also the Sake tasting tour with Hida and her daughter Tomoa. Also very interesting, we learn a lot about how to make Sake. And we visit 3 brewery’s . Al very tastfull and we get a lot of diverent sorts of Sake. At the end of the tour we had 2 cups to drink Sake at home. A nice souvenir.
We have had such a wonderful cooking experience with Bob-san and Hisa-san! All ingredients and techniques were explained in great detail, after which it was up to us to help cook every dish! We have learned so much in a few hours, thanks to these excellent hosts! Highly recommended!
We had a very nice time cooking with Bob and his family! We learned how to cook delicious food. I'm a vegetarian and the recipes were altered so that I could eat them as well. At the end we had a really nice conversation while enjoying our food. I would very much recommend to experience this cooking class while you're in Japan!
