Meet
Midori
Midori has spent over 30 years cooking and researching Japanese cuisine, making her a true expert in Japanese home cooking. She grew up in Akashi City, where she learned traditional Japanese recipes from her grandmother, and has carried these skills into her professional career.
In 1995, Midori began sharing her culinary expertise by teaching cooking classes in Kyoto. After gaining years of experience, she returned to Kyoto and opened her charming cooking studio near the Gion district. Here, she teaches international travelers how to prepare authentic Japanese home-cooked meals.
Midori believes that sharing her passion for food is one of the best ways to connect with people and experience their culture, creating memorable culinary experiences for all her guests.
What to expect
Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.
In-home meal:
(1-8 guests)
Midori will welcome you with smoked tea, a classic Japanese tea, and wagashi, traditional Japanese confections typically enjoyed with tea. She will introduce you to essential Japanese ingredients used in home cooking, including soy sauce, mirin, sake, and miso, and explain how they bring flavor to each dish. Feel free to ask questions and learn about the techniques behind these authentic Japanese recipes.
After the introduction, you will sit down and enjoy a traditional Japanese home-style meal, which may include dishes such as miso soup, okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake), takoyaki (octopus balls), gyoza (dumplings), teriyaki chicken, and onigiri (rice balls). This meal is a delicious opportunity to experience the flavors of Japanese home cooking and learn directly from a skilled Kyoto chef.
Cooking experience:
(1-8 guests)
Join Midori in her cozy cooking studio in Kyoto for an authentic Japanese cooking class. Choose from one of her carefully curated set menus, featuring simple, delicious Japanese recipes you can easily recreate at home. Midori guides you through a mix of hands-on cooking and live demonstrations, using seasonal, traditional Japanese ingredients to prepare classic Japanese dishes.
The cooking portion lasts about 1.5 hours, after which you will sit down together to enjoy the meal you helped prepare. Midori can accommodate vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and lactose-free diets, so please let her know of any dietary restrictions when booking.
During your meal, you’ll enjoy a relaxed, intimate experience, chatting with Midori about Kyoto’s best restaurants, local food culture, and souvenir shopping. Perfect for couples, families, and travelers interested in Japanese culinary culture, this experience feels like cooking with a friend while immersing yourself in the flavors of Japan.
Notes:
1. A friendly cat lives in the home, but it stays upstairs during the class and does not enter the kitchen or dining area.
2. Midori can accommodate halal, kosher, vegetarian, and vegan diets upon request. Please inform her of any allergies or dietary restrictions when booking your Kyoto cooking class online. She also offers set menus, so don’t forget to mention your menu preference at the time of booking.
3. This experience is perfect for families with children.
4. Midori offers seasonal Japanese menus that may include Gyū Don (beef bowl), Sauce Katsudon (pork or chicken cutlets), Rei Men (cold noodles), and more. If there is a specific Japanese dish you’d like to learn, please let her know when booking.
Languages spoken:
English, Japanese
Sample menu
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.
The experience with Midori was very good, as she is very experienced running her own cooking school not only in Kyoto but other parts of South East Asia. She is very professional, and very serious about the way she is running her kitchen and class. Please feel free to ask more about ingredients you don’t know, as she will be delighted to explain in detail about all ingredients used in Japanese cooking. I asked her about Japanese silky tofu and she showed me a very quick and simple recipe to accommodate it as a snack! My favourite dish was chicken teriyaki - it was very very good!
Sophie, Traveling Spoon Ambassador
Traveler reviews
The cooking class with Midori was fantastic! She welcomed us into her home, first chatting about our trip, giving us tons of local tips, sharing restaurants to try and places to visit! Then we started preparing dinner with her. She explained the recipes step by step, including what ingredients to buy, which pans to use...everything! After preparing the three dishes we had chosen, we sat down at the table with her and enjoyed dinner together. Between chatting and laughing, it was a pleasant evening.
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Francesca
August 13, 2025
We had an amazing cooking experience with Midori! She was incredibly kind, welcoming, and helpful throughout the entire class. Her instructions were easy to follow, and the dishes we made turned out delicious! What made the experience even more special was Midori’s thoughtfulness—she went above and beyond by offering us tips and ideas for other things to see and do while in Kyoto. Her local insights were so helpful and really enriched our trip. This was truly one of the highlights of our time in Japan. Highly recommend!
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Deb
June 11, 2025
My husband and I are on our honeymoon and we both love to cook. We both enjoyed Mindori’s class. She answered all of our questions and even made recommendations on things to do in Kyoto and other cities. She also helped us with making dinner reservations. Her location is also easily accessible by train and she let us record the lessons for future use.
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Alissa
June 09, 2025
My clients loved their experience with Midori in Japan! I have yet to do one of your experiences, but I am dying to! I love the idea. - FORA travel advisor
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Julie
May 08, 2025
Fantastic. Very nice lady and extremely friendly.
Expert cooking advice.
Food was great. Very helpful with other tourist information
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Geoff
April 29, 2025
Really enjoyed the cooking lesson with Midori-san, I chose Okonomiaki from the options offered, as this was something I had attempted at home from a recipe.
The difference between following a recipe and being shown how to make it by an expert is incredible! I left feeling confident I could cook it again, and with a copy of the recipe with some handy substitution tips and feeling very full with delicious Okonomiaki !
She was also very helpful with many ideas about places to see around the area (I went onto the nearby railway museum after the lesson!).
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Bernard
April 25, 2025
This was the most wonderful experience we had in Kyoto! Midori-San communicated with us after we booked and shared several options for what we could choose to cook. On the day of, from the moment we arrived at her charming studio we felt like we were family visiting a close relative. Midori was so welcoming and kind, and we ended up staying and chatting with her for a long while. She had fabulous recommendations for restaurants, shops, and experiences to make our trip perfect. She even spent a good deal of effort helping me track down my Japanese host family from high school. Not to mention the delicious cooking!!! We loved our evening with our new “Kyoto Mama” and would highly recommend as a must-do experience for anyone visiting Kyoto. ❤️
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Amanda
April 08, 2025
Our experience with Midori was wonderful! She's super sweet and we loved being in a local
home enjoying delicious Japanese food! Thank you, Midori~
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Relax03
April 06, 2025
Our experience with Midori was wonderful! She's super sweet and we loved being in a local
home enjoying delicious Japanese food! Thank you, Midori~
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Rella
April 06, 2025
The morning spent with Midori in her home was very enjoyable and informative. I learned a great deal about Japanese cooking techniques and the use of different ingredients. Midori has good communication and teaching skills and together we prepared a delicious lunch. She has a good choice of menus catering for all dietary requirements. I highly recommend this experience.
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Mark
April 02, 2025
I really enjoyed the cooking class. We made chicken ramen and gyoza. Midori is a great
chef and a pleasant conversationalist. I highly recommend.
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Denise
March 29, 2025
My husband I spent our honeymoon in Japan and thought it would be fun to book a cooking class. I found Midori through TikTok and am so glad that I did. The class was at 5:30pm and it was only my husband and I, it felt so intimate!
Midori taught us how to make onigiri, gyoza, and shoyu ramen, all from scratch. The food was AMAZING and authentic, and so was the conversation. We got to leave with recipes of all the food we made so we can attempt to recreate them at home. Midori gave us a list of local recommendations from food to desserts, and even a place to buy chefs knives. She made us feel at home the moment we arrived. She even offered to be a resource throughout our trip in Japan.
If you’re thinking about booking a class with Midori, DO IT! You won’t regret. Thank you Midori, we’ll see you again soon!
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Ashley
March 28, 2025
Midori was so welcoming and kind to us during our visit. Her warmth made the experience so much fun and we learned a lot about Japanese cooking. All of the dishes we created were delicious. Midori speaks beautiful English and talked us through some of the other plans for our trip and even was able to make a few calls for us to help us overcome a language barrier. Thank you to Midori for a wonderful memory!
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Mara T
June 18, 2019
Perfect way to spend the afternoon exploring Nishiki Market and evening cooking Japanese style homemade meals.This was such a wonderful and genuine cultural experience. Midori-San is very welcoming and enthusiastic in sharing about the local Kyoto food and lifestyle. I learned how to cook gyoza, takoyaki, and okonomiyaki from scratch. I especially enjoyed listening to MIdori-san's culinary journey as chef between Japan and Southeast Asia. Her story was very inspirational. She also took the time to help me plan and arrange the remainder of my trip's meals and activities. I can't wait to revisit Japan and Midori-san's cooking studio!
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jmewan
April 26, 2019
What a wonderful afternoon. Not only was the cooking experience enjoyable it was great to be able to spend time with an English speaker to understand local culture and customs ( Midori does not speak good English but her friend who was with us all day was an excellent linguist). Being vegetarian in Japan is not easy but our recoiled reflected our dietary needs and we given useful tips on what to do in restaurants...
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Harvey
April 17, 2019
Midori was an amazing host - very inviting and incredibly helpful. She gave us lots of tips and secrets to Japanese cooking. She also gave us lots of advice about Kyoto helping us make the most of our time. We have taken away lots of treasured memories (as well as some great recipes)! It was a fantastic evening for the whole family.
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lexags
November 13, 2017
Midori was an amazing host - very inviting and incredibly helpful. She gave us lots of tips and secrets to Japanese cooking. She also gave us lots of advice about Kyoto helping us make the most of our time. We have taken away lots of treasured memories (as well as some great recipes)!
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Alexa
November 05, 2017
midori was an amazing host! we had to change the date that was fixed due to some health issues with our baby, and midori was very flexible and understanding. she even called to check on the baby and she gave us a feeling of a local mother taking care of us. the class was very clear and easy, the dishes were very tasty. after the class midori took us to nishiki market for a tour that was interesting and tasty. we surley recomend this expirience!
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Elad Pesoa
October 24, 2017
Was very good
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Etty
April 23, 2017
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