Sustainable Shojin Ryori Buddhist Cuisine Cooking Class

If you’re interested in conscious travel and sustainability, you’re a vegetarian, or you simply love plant-based foods and natural beauty, this is the experience for you! First, your English speaking local guide will bring you to the banks of Lake Izunuma-Uchinuma, two connected lakes that offer a stunning view of deep green, pink-dotted stretches of lotus flowers. There, you can choose to hop aboard a boat to enjoy an up-close view (for an extra fee of 700 yen). Then, your local expert, Sato-san, will introduce you to specialty Miyagi products, sharing insights into the regional cuisine and how it is embedded into the local lifestyle and culture. Discover the range of charitable and fun initiatives developed by residents to preserve their culinary heritage while you enjoy the fresh air. Peaceful landscapes unwind before your eyes as you take a refreshing walk… bet your belly is growling! Roll up your sleeves and take part in one of those sustainable initiatives designed to boost local cuisine. In this cooking class, you’ll learn how to cook Shojin Ryori, Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. The menu includes specialty dishes that are characteristic of the Obon summer season. This is the time of the year when ancestors were thought to visit their living relatives, and typical Obon dishes are therefore imbued with cultural significance. In keeping with sustainability principles, we will use only local ingredients that are considered unfit for sale (but are still perfectly tasty), contributing to the reduction of food waste. Give a new life to the delicious “ugly ducklings” of the veggie patch and relish the lip-smacking homemade result. Before you leave, check out the town’s market and buy local ingredients so you can recreate the regional dishes featured in this cooking class! Menu: -“Hatto” (Northern Miyagi's rice-flour dumplings) -“Ofu” (local dish made of wheat gluten) -“Nimono” (boiled dish) -Vegetarian “chirashi-sushi” (with pickled vegetables) -Dessert