Takikomi Gohan Cooking Class with Master Chef in Yamagata

Standing side-by-side with Chef Kichibei Sawatari, the head chef and owner of Chitosekan, learn how to make a celebratory traditional dish in Japan. Chitosekan is a historic ryotei, an upscale Japanese restaurant that is one of the renowned landmarks of Yamagata city, sharing the same architect as the Bunshokan museum in the heart of the city. During this Japanese cuisine cooking class, Chef Sawatari will teach you how to make takikomi gohan, a festive mixed-rice dish that features high-quality rice and the abundant local vegetables found across Yamagata prefecture. This dish uses rice, dashi (soup stock), and various vegetables and meats together to form a delicious and healthy dish, with varied textures and rich, elegant flavors. And, rather than using the modern rice cooker, Chef Sawatari will show you how to cook the high-grade Yamagata rice by using a ceramic pot. Sawatari is fluent in English and lived in America during his university days, so he is able to teach guests both in English and make suggestions about how to prepare this dish with ingredients available overseas.