"Explore Omicho Market, known as “Kanazawa’s Kitchen.” Learn about local food culture and Japanese cooking techniques, like how to prepare seafood and assemble a balanced Japanese meal."
Markets like Omicho can be intimidating for the average traveler, especially when there’s a language barrier. Guided by a multilingual tour guide, foreign visitors to Japan can feel at ease and get the most out of their trip to Kanazawa, chatting with locals and learning about their trades with their guide’s interpretation.
With some fish shops and greengrocers that have been in business for over 300 years, Omicho Market is a living and evolving monument to Japanese food culture in Kanazawa. The guide, who is a cooking researcher, will explain about the local produce known as Kaga yasai (Kaga vegetables). These 15 vegetables, including lotus root and Gensuke daikon, are cultivated in Kanazawa and have been a part of the traditional regional diet since the olden days.
After a lesson on choosing ingredients at the market, the group will start the cooking class at a traditional Japanese home that has been refurbished with modern equipment. Here, guests will learn how to prepare the seafood and vegetables from the market and make ichijiu-sansai, the traditional Japanese meal layout consisting of one soup and three dishes. Making a broth from katsuobushi shavings, guests will discover where the umami flavor that is ubiquitous in Japanese cuisine comes from. The cooking instructor will also teach about the types of kitchen knives and how to plate and arrange dishes the Japanese way.
For foreign visitors to Japan, this food tour and cooking class is the perfect introduction to Japanese cuisine, while repeat visitors to Japan will also make new discoveries as they learn about the regional cuisine of Kanazawa.
With some fish shops and greengrocers that have been in business for over 300 years, Omicho Market is a living and evolving monument to Japanese food culture in Kanazawa. The guide, who is a cooking researcher, will explain about the local produce known as Kaga yasai (Kaga vegetables). These 15 vegetables, including lotus root and Gensuke daikon, are cultivated in Kanazawa and have been a part of the traditional regional diet since the olden days.
After a lesson on choosing ingredients at the market, the group will start the cooking class at a traditional Japanese home that has been refurbished with modern equipment. Here, guests will learn how to prepare the seafood and vegetables from the market and make ichijiu-sansai, the traditional Japanese meal layout consisting of one soup and three dishes. Making a broth from katsuobushi shavings, guests will discover where the umami flavor that is ubiquitous in Japanese cuisine comes from. The cooking instructor will also teach about the types of kitchen knives and how to plate and arrange dishes the Japanese way.
For foreign visitors to Japan, this food tour and cooking class is the perfect introduction to Japanese cuisine, while repeat visitors to Japan will also make new discoveries as they learn about the regional cuisine of Kanazawa.
Highlights
- Walking tour with an English-speaking guide who knows Omicho Market like the back of her hand
- Hassle-free shopping experience, with assistance from the tour guide
- Fun cooking class in a gorgeous traditional Japanese home
- Use the freshest ingredients of the day to prepare a delicious Japanese meal
- Learn about Japanese ceramics and tableware, and how to plate dishes
Inclusions
- English speaking tour guide and cooking instructor
- Cooking class in a refurbished traditional Japanese home
- All ingredients and tools for cooking the meal
