Shaping sushi, not preparing it
Several guests describe the same thing in their reviews: the rice is cooked and seasoned, the fish already sliced, and the lesson is about shaping and rolling. Cooking Sun says on its listing that the fish is pre-sliced and that cutting raw fish is not taught. One reviewer of the Tsukiji class called it a “sushi assembly” class and found it reasonable for what it is. Another, at SUSHI GARYU, measured the hands-on part at 20 to 25 minutes within an hour at the table. If learning a technique matters more to you than the meal, the three-hour Cooking Sun class and the Tsukiji class with a sushi master give you the most time at the board.
Class size and pace
Sushi Making Japan in Asakusa teaches large classes, one reviewer counted three hosts in the room, and some guests felt rushed through the 100 minutes. Cooking Sun caps its sushi class at nine people. At SUSHI GARYU the class takes place in a working restaurant, so you may share a table with other customers; one guest who booked at the last minute had the class to herself.
Diet requests go per person
Sushi Making Japan prepares vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free menus, but only for the guests you mark when booking. One reviewer found both adults set to vegetarian when only one of them was. Check the booking confirmation for every name. SUSHI GARYU wants diet requests one day ahead, Sushi Matcha by e-mail before the class, and Japan Wonder Travel welcomes vegetarian and gluten-free guests but not vegans.
Drinks, sake and the age rule
At SUSHI GARYU drinks come from a separate menu at extra cost. Sushi Matcha opens a sake cask at the start and pours sake for the whole class; non-drinkers get water or green tea. In Japan you may drink alcohol from 20, and the Sushi Matcha listing does not say how it handles younger guests, so ask before you book with teenagers. The Tsukiji class has an afternoon option that replaces the sushi master with a sashimi and sake pairing.
Finding the classroom
The Asakusa classes are close to the station: Sushi Making Japan at Kaminarimon 2-17-9, three minutes on foot, and Sushi Matcha under the railway tracks behind a green noren curtain. The Japan Wonder Travel classroom is on the third floor of an old building in Tsukiji, reached only by stairs, and one guest could not find the group in the market crowd. Cooking Sun’s studio sits on the second floor of a residential building in Shinanomachi and is easy to walk past, so save the directions before you set off. For classes with children, the rules on age and child tickets are on our page on food tours and classes with kids.
