As indicated by many other reviewers, Taro puts on a fun and informative cooking class which covers important fundamentals in Japanese cooking. Because my husband is a retired cattle rancher, we were especially pleased that he spent time explaining the Japanese cattle world and the specifics related to Wagyu and Kobe grades. Best fun of all is eating the amazing... More

We went to the non-Vegetarian (Kobe beef) cooking class and it was one of the highlights of our trip to Kyoto. Taro and his family were so friendly and we enjoyed meeting them in their home. It was great to learn about Japanese cooking and particularly some detail about wagyu and Kobe beef. Then we were able to be involved... More

I arranged the cooking class for my boyfriend as a birthday surprise during our stay in Japan. It was really great experience, although we have never tried anything to cook at home we enjoyed it very much and at least got the insight of japanese kitchen.

Food is a big highlight of my travel experiences so I always ensure that I do cooking class in every country I visit. So far I have done classes in Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and my home country Australia. Taro's cooking class is definitely one of the best I've ever done due to his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of Japanese cooking and... More

You MUST go to this class!! I read the amazing reviews about Taro's cooking class and planned a trip for my husband, aunt, cousin and myself to Kyoto based around attending this class. People thought I was a little crazy to start planning a trip that was 5 hours by car just to go to this class, but now I... More

By the time you've traversed the market, made your way back to the kitchen, cooked dinner, and sat down to eat, you feel like you've really accomplished something. Nevermind about how it was really Taro who did the shopping (you were mostly looking at handmade graters and eating sesame ice cream) and Yoshiko who did the prep work (while you... More

We took Taro's non-vegetarian cooking class and the nishiki market tour. To start with, the *only* way to see Nishiki Market is to go on Taro's tour. It was the second time we'd been there and the first time we walked down the long market wondering what all the different things were but it wasn't very enlightening. With Taro he... More

If you find yourself in Kyoto for any length of time, make sure to spend a few hours with Taro at his Haru Cooking Class and your trip will be so, so much better for it! I recently returned from a trip to Kyoto and Tokyo and had booked Taro's kobe beef class for my second day in Kyoto. I... More

I took Taro's class mid March with him, it was definitely a highlight of Kyoto for me! Taro and his family are such nice people, they answered all my questions about cooking and about anything else too! I would highly recommend taking the class where you cook Kobe beef, it is like eating a whole different animal- it was better... More