Premium Sushi Class with Master Washoku Chef in Yamagata

This cooking class is a premium experience with the renowned head chef of Okimizuki! Chef Suda is one of Yamagata Prefecture’s top chefs, a master of washoku who won 4th place in the Japan National Skills Grand Prix in 2017 and 2019. His mission is to revitalize international tourism across the Shōnai region of Japan. Take advantage of such an exclusive experience and gain valuable skills for the refined art of sushi.

The location itself is gorgeous, located at Chef’s Suda’s own coastal restaurant inside Tsuruoka City’s Kamo Aquarium. Thanks to the abundance of freshwater trickling down the local mountains, the Shōnai region offers lush rice fields and high-grade Tsuyahime Rice for this cooking class. The seafood is no less excellent, with fresh fish caught the night before the class, hence the type of fish varies depending on the season.

This class is a start-to-finish sushi cooking experience with quality ingredients and an experienced teacher. First, relax and enjoy the skillful demonstration given by Chef Suda, who will show how to gracefully and efficiently prepare fish and different cutting techniques. Next, it’s your turn! The chef will help you during the first steps, staying by your side as you learn how to handle his professional knives (some which are worth over 2500 USD), a surreal occasion for kitchen knife enthusiasts. You’ll be taught three of the main methods for preparing nigiri sushi and how to make rolled sushi, before moving to the cooking station for the final stage. Armed with weight scales and pre-cut ingredients, including your self-made sashimi, you’ll lay out a beautiful full sushi course under the chef’s guidance.

On top of this in-depth experience, you can sit down and relish your results, eating with the chef and other participants. You’ll be amazed at your own sushi skills, laugh your mistakes off, and share thoughts with your new friends as you savor the delicious taste of fresh sushi.