The local cuisine of Nagoya is unique. In Japan Nagoya’s local food is called “Nagoya Meshi” (名古屋めし).
Learn to cook using the local red Miso paste and make dishes such as red Miso Soup, and Miso Katsu (deep-fried pork cutlet with Miso sauce) with it. Make other Nagoya-style dishes such as Tebasaki (chicken wings), and Tenmusu (mini rice balls with shrimp Tempura) from scratch at a Japanese home.
12,000 yen/person
Private Experience
Kachigawa Station, South Exit (Google Maps)
Kachigawa Station (Google Maps)
Start twice a day at 11:00 and 17:00 (2.5 hours)
English, Japanese
English: Business ★★★☆☆
Japanese: Native ★★★★★
Meet Akiko at Kachigawa Station which is only 15 minutes away from Nagoya. From there she will give you a ride to her home which is only a couple of minutes away.
Start your experience with tea and some snacks, get to know each other and talk about today’s menu by reading through the recipes. Choose your favorite apron from Akiko’s collection and you are ready to start cooking.
You will start by making your own Dashi stock. Nowadays most Japanese people don’t bother making their own and tend to buy instant stock, but at Akiko’s house, you will get the opportunity to prepare the dried fish and boil your own.
The first dish you will make is Miso Soup, a staple in traditional Japanese food, using local miso paste.
Another local Nagoya dish you will make are Tebasaki, twice deep-fried chicken wings. The important part of good Tebasaki is the sauce, and Akiko will teach you her family recipe.
Tenmusu are mini rice balls filled with a shrimp Tempura, which you will also make from scratch. Akiko will introduce you to the finer points of rice ball making so your Onigiri or Tenmusu at home will also be light and fluffy from now on.
Another local specialty of Nagoya is Miso Katsu, a deep-fried pork cutlet with red Miso sauce. Deep-fry your cutlet battered in Panko to golden crispy perfection and let it soak up the Miso sauce just before serving.
Once all your dishes are prepared it is time to eat. Set the table and enjoy your creations. Akiko will introduce you to Japanese table manners while eating, and tell you how to eat the different dishes you have made. Don’t forget to ask all the questions you have about Japanese food and recommendations for Nagoya!
If you can’t eat up everything that’s fine. Just take home the leftovers, and don’t forget your recipes either. They will be helpful whenever you want to cook your favorite dishes from Nagoya at home.
Meet Akiko at Kachigawa Station and go to her home.
Enjoy tea and a snack while being introduced to today’s recipes.
Make Dashi stock from scratch from two types of dried fish.
Finish up the Miso Soup that Akiko has prepared for you.
Deep-fry chicken wings and make Akiko’s family recipe sauce.
Deep-fry shrimp Tempura and form beautiful fluffy rice balls.
Deep-fry a pork cutlet and drown it in a red Miso sauce.
Enjoy eating all the dishes you have prepared today. Get an introduction to Japanese table manners.
Pack up leftovers and don’t forget your recipes. Akiko will accompany you to Kachigawa Station where you will say goodbye.
Akiko’s love and excitement for cooking began as a child growing up in a suburb of Nagoya. By the time she was in high school, she could prepare her own bento box and she still has fond memories of Takoyaki, the crispy Octopus dumplings that were cooked in her home almost every day! She has been cooking for almost 40 years now and it is the one thing that truly keeps her happy.
Akiko is thrilled about the opportunity to share specialties from Nagoya as a lot of people don’t know how to cook Nagoya-style food. Because of this, many Nagoyans themselves eat their local specialties at restaurants.
I really enjoyed the experience. Akiko san is really good and efficient.
We had such an amazing experience! Thank you for teaching us so much about the food, the ingredients and how to prepare it. And we really enjoyed the conversation with you and your family.
