일본 할랄 미식 프로그램

We had a great time exploring the market with Hiro! It was interesting to learn about his "day job" and he took us to several great spots, including the basement of the department store where locals buy their lunches. Only noting that we stopped at one store and were told everything should be fine for our dietary restrictions, but I checked ingredients when I got home and one sauce had beef & pork in it. We should definitely have checked and do not expect Hiro to know every ingredient in all the packaged goods in the market! Just advice to future travelers to translate everything!

It was lovely to be hosted at David’s wasabi farm, I learned a lot, ate delicious wasabi and had a peaceful day. It’s a beautiful place. Thank you!

Shu and his wife were amazing! Their energy and hospitality were next level. I learned so much about different types of ramen that I will utilize in my home batches. He's also a huge baseball fan, so more fun conversations.

We enjoyed our Kyoto food tour with Hiro. In addition to delicious food, Hiro’s local knowledge of Kyoto area, culture, and traditions made our encounter very enriching. But the most memorable experiences were the conversations over dinner. Looking forward to future visits and tours of Kyoto.

I had the most wonderful experience visiting this farm! It was so nice to meet David. It is the perfect way to get away from busy Tokyo life—just a 1-hour and 45-minute local train ride for a short day trip to enjoy the beautiful nature of Okutama. Email communication before the trip was great, and David gave very clear instructions on where to meet. He has a wonderful vibe, and it was so peaceful to spend time out in the beautiful scenery.The highlight was definitely getting to see fresh wasabi being picked right in front of us and tasting it immediately. You can really taste the difference when it is that fresh! The host, David, is living a dream lifestyle and is incredibly welcoming. If you love nature, want to learn more about a real wasabi farm, and enjoy a great short hike, I highly recommend visiting. It is an unforgettable experience!

What a lovely experience making Udon noodles. Chef Chinki was most welcoming and clearly explained every step. She is very passionate about cooking with the best possible fresh ingredients to accompany the udon noodles. Many of them were new to me. Thank you for sharing your skills.

A great session with Takako, learning about Japanese home cooking and the benefits for fermented foods. Tasted koji, kombu, mirin and a variety of soy sauces. Takako then made some healthy and delicious dishes, which was a good change from some heavier restaurant meals. The recipes were also provided! Would definitely recommend.

My 16yo son and I loved this! Learning from a friendly and knowledgeable host who clearly loves what he's doing... chilling by the stream in the middle of the forest... learning about the history of the area and a bunch of plants along the trail... sampling freshly ground wasabi... excellent experience all around. We continued on to walk a couple of trails in Okutama, and this day was one of our favorites in Japan.

We were looking back at our trip to Japan last October, and this tour was one of the highlights! Okutama is a gorgeous village in the hills outside of Tokyo. The train ride there was easy, and breathtakingly beautiful! It passes through forests, tunnels, and over valleys. I think it was about 2 hours from Tokyo Station. We arrived early and explored a bit before we met our guide, David. We were a small group so he drove us to the wasabi farm in the forest, where we sampled a couple varieties of wasabi and treats, and talked. During the tour, we told David we tried to find a historical site with an ancient tree in the village but couldn't find it, that we'd like to do some exploring before we headed back to Tokyo, if he had any recommendations... It turns out he lives in the area and is close to the community. He took us to the tree and told us about the family who has taken care of it for hundreds of years. They still live in the village and also care for the cemetery where there ancestors are buried, right by the tree. David was so kind. Getting to learn about the village and his life in Japan made me pretty emotional. It was just such a beautiful experience! I just wish we'd gotten there earlier to have more time to explore! Thank you so much, David! We hope you, your family, the kids, and the community are doing well! P.S. The restaurant right above the train station in the next town sells the best katsu curry.

A definite highlight of our trip to Japan. From the moment we walked in, Midori-san showed us great hospitality by serving us tea and sweets. She is very friendly and lively, and we felt right at home. She asked about our itinerary and gave us detailed recommendations. This was close to the end of our Japan trip, but I'd strongly recommend booking this near the start so you can benefit most from her suggestions! The cooking class was great and Midori-san was very patient and clear in her instructions. We made vegan onigiri, gyoza and ramen. The onigiri was surprisingly simple to make and we also received printouts of the recipe. After only being back in the US for a few days, I have already made onigiri for lunch. The gyoza and ramen were equally delicious. Make sure to come with an empty stomach! After we finished the food, she even walked us to a nearby supermarket so we could pick up the ingredients to make them at home. Overall, Midori-san went above and beyond to make this a great experience for us. There are of course many things to do in Kyoto, but as a tourist it's rare to be able to have an experience like this where you are welcomed inside a local's home. I strongly recommend this class.

Second time doing the tour, still learning new things each time. Dave is a wonderful guide, would recommend.

One of the highlights of our trip. Midori is very well informed and likes to share knowledge about the food and culture. She gives shopping tips not only for food items but also for other hobby-related stuff like knitting or sawing. She even took us to a local supermarket to show what products are available and where to get them. Because Midori prepared the easy stuff in advance the cooking class was able to cover 3 whole recipes with a lot of background info. We should have done the class in the beginning of our trip because of all the good tips. We wish Midori all the best!