AKEMI's SUSHiKiTCHEN — Sushi-Making Class

What You’ll Experience

AKEMI’s SUSHiKiTCHEN is a private sushi-making class run by instructor Akemi Castellano in her home kitchen between Shinjuku and Shibuya. Sessions are intentionally small — two to five guests per class — so each person gets direct guidance through every step rather than watching from the back of a room.

Over the course of two and a half hours you make four styles of sushi: inari, rolled (maki), battleship (gunkan), and hand-pressed nigiri. Before the shaping begins you also help prepare the seasoned rice, which is the foundation most demonstrations skip past. The session closes with everyone eating the sushi they made, plated together at the table.

Akemi spent time in England and runs the class fluently in English. Pickup is arranged at either Sasazuka or Shimokitazawa Station, so guests don’t have to navigate the residential streets on their own. Booking and confirmation go through the venue’s English page, with a generous free-cancellation window up to 24 hours before the start.

Who Is This For

• Travelers who want a genuinely hands-on sushi experience rather than a demonstration with a single piece to shape
• Couples and small groups of friends looking for an intimate, conversation-friendly afternoon or evening
• Solo travelers comfortable joining a small mixed group in a private home
• Anyone who finds restaurant counters intimidating and prefers a relaxed kitchen setting

Practical Details

Duration	About 2 hours 30 minutes
Price	From ¥16,000 per person
English	Native English instruction; booking handled in English
Getting there	Pickup at Sasazuka Station (Keio Line) or Shimokitazawa Station (Inokashira Line)
Booking	Reserve via the official English page; free cancellation up to 24 hours before
What you get	Hands-on instruction for four sushi styles plus the meal you made

Hareto’s Take

Most sushi-making activities in Tokyo are either restaurant-counter classes priced as a meal-plus-demonstration or large group workshops in commercial kitchens. AKEMI’s is neither. It is a private home, a small group, and an instructor who has built the curriculum around the four foundational styles rather than just nigiri. The Hareto Score of 84 reflects strong consistency across reviews on instruction quality, pacing, and the genuine warmth of the host. If you want to actually leave Tokyo knowing how to shape sushi rather than just having watched someone else do it, this is the class we recommend.