Hey!
I moved to Tokyo a couple of months ago. My cooking skills are pretty basic when it comes to Japanese dishes, which is a shame because I really enjoy cooking. I’d like to learn the basics, like which sauces and spices to combine or which vegetables work for specific dishes. Even how to make a proper oden or miso soup.
The issue is my Japanese is still limited (less than N5) but I’m working on it and I’m up for attending a class or event that’s only in Japanese. I just don’t want to be a burden on the organizers if I’m slower to catch up.
From my research it looks like there are mainly two options here: classes at the ward/community centers and ABC Cooking Studio.
Has anyone attended one of these before? Thanks!
by Tolkaft
9 comments
had a friend who did abc cooking but they were local i honestly feel fluency is important. also they try to upsell you on packages like 10 classes for xxxx. but more are cheaper. honestly miso soup is easy. they have them premade mix with water via ratio and add ingredients . good luck
Sometimes I see AirBnB Experiences for cooking classes in English. Otherwise I recommend YouTube for techniques and JustOneCookbook for easy to understand Japanese recipes. Getting better just takes practice and experience, even if you do it alone.
In the old days we had something called cookbooks. I think they still exist. Nowadays there’s something called YouTube. Take a class if you like but either of the first two options will get you going.
There is an app called Cookpad which contains recipes and short videos of Japanese cooking Japanese food. They are all in Japanese, but it will be good practice to learn both the language and cooking 🙂
I learned the basics through YouTube channels by REAL Japanese cooks.
Probably not the answer you’re looking for, but watching/following YouTube cooking videos is great for learning.
Cooking with the Dog will sort you out pretty quick, and will learn a lot!
Just sharing the experience I’ve had with ABC cooking, though it was not in Japan. If you’re in Tokyo, there’s a slightly better chance if finding someone who can manage some English. I do ABC cooking in another country and honestly 10 lessons will give you a decent repertoire of dishes that use local ingredients. As someone who also left home only knowing how to cook mostly instant stuff, they also teach you how to prep ingredients (like squid), food hygiene, keeping your workstation clean and putting together a three course meal in the allotted time, so if you’ve never done anything more complicated than boiling an egg, these are the actual benefits that aren’t obvious. I preferred actually practicing on ingredients without having to buy and waste them, especially fish, since I never cooked seafood before.
As part of the membership perks (I’m not certain if this is open to Japan ABC given that other countries can’t offer Japanese instructions) you get a free lesson you can book in one of the overseas ABC cooking locations. I’ve done a lesson in Hong Kong and Bangkok ABC. This is probably more fun for people who do like cooking.
Get some soy sauce, mirin, dashi, sugar, and salt. Maybe some vinegar as well. Watch YouTube. Then you can make the majority of Japanese foods.
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