Omicho Market Tour and Cooking Class in Kanazawa’s Kitchen

Overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of Japanese fish markets, the unfamiliar seafood, and seemingly endless kitchen tool choices? While Omicho Market can be intimidating territory for even the most seasoned travelers, this tour with a multilingual guide removes the language barrier. The experienced tour guide is familiar with every corner of Omicho Market, so guests can feel at ease with her by their side. She can give advice about the best shops for kitchenware, seafood, and souvenirs, and show you how to select ingredients for the cooking class to follow. A piece of living history, Omicho Market features seafood and produce shops that have been in business for over 300 years. It is a monument to Kanazawa’s unique food culture, a place where visitors can learn about the bountiful sea and land of the region. The guide, a knowledgable cooking researcher, can introduce the variety of ingredients available, like the 15 Kaga vegetables which are famous in the area and have been a part of the regional diet for centuries. Once the class has chosen the ingredients for the day, the group will continue the Japanese cuisine lesson at a traditional Japanese home. The house features classic architecture but with state-of-the-art equipment and tools. With the cooking teacher’s instructions, guests will prepare the seafood and veggies they picked from Omicho Market, and learn to make ichijiu-sansai (which translates to “one soup, three dishes”), the quintessential Japanese meal layout. They will make a delicious umami dashi broth from bonito fish flakes, which forms the base of many Japanese dishes. The cooking instructor will also explain the different types of Japanese kitchen knives, and how to plate dishes using Japanese techniques. Think you’re already familiar with Japanese cuisine? Even after multiple visits to Japan, you can discover more about the array of regional Japanese food, like the cuisine of Kanazawa, during this Omicho Market food tour and cooking class.