Looking for an unconventional thing to do in Tokyo? Consider adding a Japanese cooking class in your travel itinerary.
Cooking Sun is a cooking class with branches all around Japan. They have English-proficient instructors so it’s perfect for tourists.
Conveniently located in Shinjuku, Cooking Sun Tokyo costs ¥8,000 to ¥8,500 per person for a 3 hour cooking class.
Our honest review of Cooking Sun Tokyo
We’ve attended their Sushi class in their Cooking Sun Osaka branch — as well as other cooking lessons in Bangkok and Singapore — so we’ll be comparing it with that.
Is it worth your money?
In short, yes.
The bulk of the money goes to the ingredients, especially the three slices of A5 Wagyu beef.
Here’s what we cooked at Cooking Sun Tokyo:
- Accordion Cucumber Salad (蛇腹きゅうりの酢の物)
- Gomamiso-ae Potate – Sesame & Miso Sauce (じゃがいものごま味噌和え)
- Dashimaki Tamago – Rolled Egg (だし巻玉子)
- Kombu & Umeboshi Tsukudani – Served with Rice (昆布と梅干しの佃煮)
- Miso Soup (味噌汁)
- Shinodamaki with Seasonal Vegetables (信田巻き)
- Wagyu Sukiyaki (和牛すき焼き)
- Mini Dorayaki- Japanese dessert (ミニどら焼き)
If you were to eat this entire meal at a restaurant, it might cost around ¥4,000 to ¥5,000. This leaves the remaining ¥4,000 to ¥5,000 for a 3-hour activity, where you get to learn more about Japanese cuisine and cook hands-on.
If you’ve been to cooking classes in Thailand, such as Sompong Thai Cooking School and Grandma’s Home Cooking School, you’ll find this super expensive.
But hey, it’s Tokyo.
Hence, if you’re trying to figure out if you want to spend extra on a cooking class in Tokyo, ask yourself this:
1. Do I want to learn more about Japanese cuisine?
Because if you do, you’ll learn the basics of Japanese cooking like dashi, kombu, bonito and miso.
2. Do I have zero (and I mean completely none) cooking experience?
While you get to slice and cook hands-on, there aren’t a lot of hands-on time compared to the cooking classes in Thailand.
For instance, we didn’t even get to make the dashi and pancake batter (our menu for the day) from scratch.
Our verdict?
So what’s our honest review of Cooking Sun Tokyo?
The instructors, Kaori-san and Yuko-san, were great in terms of communication and friendliness. The ingredients, hence food, was great as well.
However, the issue lies within the programme itself. Compared to Cooking Sun Osaka and other cooking classes we’ve been to, this is the least clean. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still clean. But you don’t have a separate cloth to wipe your hands and your tabletop.
It’s also shocking how tea wasn’t served during the class, especially during our meal. Cooking Sun Osaka was much more thoughtful.
If you’re on a budget and you’re not that big on Japanese cuisine, or cooking in general, you can give this a miss, and check out other attractions in Tokyo.
How to make a reservation for a class at Cooking Sun Tokyo?
Simply head over to Cooking Sun’s official website, choose your desired date and time, and make a reservation online. You do have to pay in advance.
Where to park at Cooking Sun Tokyo?
If you’re self-driving around Tokyo, you can park at this 24-hour parking spot a few minutes away.
It costs ¥300 for 20 minutes from 8am to 8pm, with a cap of ¥2,000 per day.
Location: 18-39 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0016, Japan
Opening hours: 9:30am-4:30pm
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