Traditional Buddhist Cooking
(Vegan Plate)
The minimum booking is 2
In Japan, we have traditional plant-based cuisine called Shojin ryori, which is developed in Buddhist temples for centuries. Based on the Buddhist precept of not killing living things, shojin ryori is completely vegan. Healthy and well-balanced cuisine featuring seasonal vegetables, soybeans(including tofu), nuts, seaweeds, or other unique plant-based ingredients. We will be sharing the philosophy, ingredients, preparation method and recipes of shojin-ryori in this session and make a variety of dishes inspired by classic cooking with a modern twist. People all around the world have taken an interest in this cuisine, both for its health benefits and the taste. I'm sure even non-vegetarian will satisfy with this meal.
I'm Yukari living in Kyoto, working as a food writer for over 10 years. Through my work, I truly realized good aspects of Japanese cuisine such as abundant fresh seasonal ingredients, beautiful presentation, well-balanced menus, and a wide variety of regional food behind its culture for more than a thousand years. Not only writing a cover story about food but also love cooking so I started offering a cooking class for foreigners an understanding of Japanese food lot more than Sushi and Ramen. I hope participants to enjoy Japanese home-style cooking you will never have in restaurants.
After lunch, you can go to sightseeing Shisendo, Manshuin, Ginkakuji, Nanzenji near my flat. I can advise you about nice spots for sightseeing or restaurants in Kyoto.
The closest station
Chayama Station
How to get to the station?
From Kawaramachi Station: 15mins
Exact location provided after booking.
Athena, United States of America
★★★★★We had a wonderful evening with Yukari. She explained the concepts behind the Buddhist cooking and was very clear in the cooking instructions and allowed us to do all the food preparation and everything was delicious and she is a delightful hostess and teacher!
May 2025
Ajla, Netherlands
★★★★★We had a wonderful workshop and truly enjoyed every moment of it. We learned so much and were amazed by all the unique flavors and textures. Yukari explained everything very clearly and shared a lot about the origins and history of the food we were preparing. It was not only fun but also incredibly educational. We highly recommend this experience to anyone interested in vegan food and culture!
May 2025
Guillaume, France
★★★★★We had a really great family experience with Yukari in her cooking course ! Yukari was super nice and explained very well. The traditional vegetarian meal was super good and we had a lot of fun !
Apr 2025
Cody, United States of America
★★★★★Our experience with Yukari was absolutely wonderful. We are so grateful that she invited us into her home and shared her knowledge and experience with us. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Thank you so much, Yukari!
Feb 2025
Timon, Germany
★★★★★Yukari was a very nice host, very cute and comforting. We learned a lot about japanese buddhism food. It was very tasty and we liked it a lot. We would totally recommend it ☺️
Nov 2024
Chiara, Italy
★★★★★Thank you yukari so much! I learnt a lot and you have a special way to make people feel home teaching your art
Nov 2024
Lucy, Australia
★★★★★Our group loved our cooking class so much tonight. Our vegan friend said it was the best meal she ate in Kyoto. We felt so honoured to learn more about local ingredients, culture and have some suggestions for how we can cook them when we return home. Yukari is so kind and knowledgeable. We would recommend a reservation for her class. Thank you for teaching us Yukari, it was the highlight of our trip!
Oct 2024
Lucy, Australia
★★★★★Our group loved our cooking class so much tonight. Our vegan friend said it was the best meal she ate in Kyoto. We felt so honoured to learn more about local ingredients, culture and have some suggestions for how we can cook them when we return home. Yukari is so kind and knowledgeable. We would recommend a reservation for her class. Thank you for teaching us Yukari, it was the highlight of our trip!
Oct 2024
Renee, United States of America
★★★★★Wonderful! Yukari made us feel very welcome as if we were friends meeting for lunch. I learned a lot and everything was delicious!
Sep 2024
Yu Jing, Singapore
★★★★★Yukari Sensei's Shoji Ryori cooking class was a genuine highlight of my trip. Her warm welcome and passion for Japanese cuisine set the perfect tone for the experience. Throughout the class, Yukari Sensei's emphasis on the rule of 5: 5 colors, 5 cooking methods, and 5 flavors, provided a solid foundation for understanding Shoji Ryori. I appreciated Yukari Sensei's attention to detail as she guided us through each ingredient and cooking technique. Learning 7 dishes was a fulfilling experience, and each one was bursting with flavour. What made the class even more special was Yukari Sensei's personal touch. She shared insights into nearby attractions and even her own published magazine writings. Overall, attending Yukari Sensei's class was not just about cooking; it was about connecting with Japanese culture and bringing home valuable skills to share with loved ones. I highly recommend her class to anyone looking for an authentic and enriching culinary experience!
Jun 2024
Yu Jing, Singapore
★★★★★Yukari Sensei's Shoji Ryori cooking class was a genuine highlight of my trip. Her warm welcome and passion for Japanese cuisine set the perfect tone for the experience. Throughout the class, Yukari Sensei's emphasis on the rule of 5: 5 colors, 5 cooking methods, and 5 flavors, provided a solid foundation for understanding Shoji Ryori. I appreciated Yukari Sensei's attention to detail as she guided us through each ingredient and cooking technique. Learning 7 dishes was a fulfilling experience, and each one was bursting with flavour. What made the class even more special was Yukari Sensei's personal touch. She shared insights into nearby attractions and even her own published magazine writings. Overall, attending Yukari Sensei's class was not just about cooking; it was about connecting with Japanese culture and bringing home valuable skills to share with loved ones. I highly recommend her class to anyone looking for an authentic and enriching culinary experience!
Jun 2024
Tom, United States of America
★★★★★This was a great class! Yukari did a great job explaining the cuisine we were making and the philosophy behind it, and the food was some of the best we had on our trip. Would definitely try another of Yukari’s classes in the future!
May 2024
Dan, United Kingdom
★★★★★Yukari explained beautifully the background to the dish we were cooking (her vegan shojin-ryori inspired selection) and the ingredients we were using, and guided us making some really delicious food. The experience felt very special as a result. My only slight criticism would be that, with there being 4 guests in total preparing the food and with Yukari often wanting to demonstrate, the cooking process didn't always feel that participative. It wasn't that clear on booking that there might be more people in the same session, but that wasn't a problem for us - we enjoyed the extra company. Overall, my partner and I had a very good time.
Mar 2024
Response from Yukari
Hi, Dan. Thank you for coming to my class and I truly appreciate taking your time to leave a review. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed cooking and thank you for your valuable opinion. I will make use of it in my future endeavors.
Yukari
Oliver, Germany
★★★★★We had a great dinner together with Yukari and enjoyed the cooking class. Thank you very much!
Mar 2024
anthony , United States of America
★★★★★Yukari was informative, gracious, knowledgable and overall was an experience that left me inspired.
Feb 2024
Monique van Tulder, Australia
★★★★★I loved every moment in Yukari’s Shojin Ryori cooking class. She is knowledgeable (a Food Writer for magazines) - her home is cosy, her style professional and warm. I learnt a lot and look forward to recreating the menu at home. I highly recommend her class and will book sgsin when I return to Kyoto. X
Feb 2024
Monique van Tulder, Australia
★★★★★I loved every moment in Yukari’s Shojin Ryori cooking class. She is knowledgeable (a Food Writer for magazines) - her home is cosy, her style professional and warm. I learnt a lot and look forward to recreating the menu at home. I highly recommend her class and will book sgsin when I return to Kyoto. X
Feb 2024
Response from Yukari
Monique, thank you for coming to my lesson and I truly appreciate taking your time to leave a review. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed cooking.You were so expressive and such a fun person. I really enjoyed chatting over.
Hope to see you again,
Yukari
Lisa, Germany
★★★★★We had a great time with Yukari. She was very hospitable, very well prepared and did a great job guiding us through the dishes. Definitely one of the best experiences during our trip to Japan. And of course the food was delicious!
Jan 2024
Response from Yukari
Lisa.
Thank you for coming to my class and I truly appreciate taking your time to leave a review. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed cooking. I also enjoyed your company.
All the best
Yukari
Tina, Germany
★★★★★I loved the Shojin Ryori cooking experience with Yukari. Everything was mindfully prepared and I learned a lot. She is a wonderful host!
Nov 2023
Tina, Germany
★★★★★I loved the Shojin Ryori cooking experience with Yukari. Everything was mindfully prepared and I learned a lot. She is a wonderful host!
Nov 2023
Response from Yukari
Thank you for coming to my class and I truly appreciate taking your time to leave a review. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed cooking.
All the best,
Yukari
Tina, Germany
★★★★★I loved the Shojin Ryori cooking experience with Yukari. Everything was mindfully prepared and I learned a lot. She is a wonderful host!
Nov 2023
Claudia , Netherlands
★★★★★Thank you, we enjoyed an original and tasty evening!
Sep 2023
Claudia , Netherlands
★★★★★Thank you, we enjoyed an original and tasty evening!
Sep 2023
Claudia , Netherlands
★★★★★Thank you, we enjoyed an original and tasty evening!
Sep 2023
MAHE Johann, France
★★★★★The cooking class was amazing ! Yukari explained us a lot about vegan traditional japanese cuisine. She also made a lot of efforts to make it as gluten free as possible so very nice attention ! The food was so good for sure we'll try to replicate at home ! Best
Sep 2023
MAHE Johann, France
★★★★★Thank you so much Yukari ! It was amazing ! Best, Johann
Sep 2023
Johanna,
★★★★★Family and I had an amazing time at Yukari's Shojin-Ryori class. She also made a special presentation for us about "fermentation" which we greatly appreciate. She's also very knowledgable in cooking and Japanese cuisine. Highly recommended to take her class!
Jul 2023
Luca, Germany
★★★★★The cooking class was wonderful! I learned more about Japanese cuisine and Shojin Ryouri, and even got to work with ingredients I hadn't known of before. The recipe steps were simple and the end result nutritious and delicious. To anyone with an interest in veganism/vegetarianism or even just cooking in general I would highly recommend Yukari's class!
May 2023
Aneesh, United States of America
★★★★★We loved cooking with Yukari. The menu was delicious and showed us all of the variety of things we could do with a few simple ingredients. She also provided a nice overview of the temple cuisine and was knowledgeable to answer all of our questions in great English! Would highly recommend her for any cooking experience she offers!
Apr 2023
Jeffrey, United States of America
★★★★★This was such a lovely experience! Yukari was incredibly welcoming and knowledgeable, and we cooked an amazing meal together. The ingredients and techniques were really exciting to learn about. Loved it!
Apr 2023
Zak, United States of America
★★★★★We were so impressed by your wonderful kitchen setup and the exquisite foods you provided! This was one of my favorite parts of our journey to Japan. To me it was very special to get to watch and learn Japanese cooking from a local. For years I have been intrigued with Japanese cooking and Yukari really delivered! I will undoubtedly by sharing the skills I gained with my friends and family back in the United States, as so many United Staters don’t have an intimate knowledge about Japanese cuisine!
Apr 2023
Response from Yukari
Thank you for coming to my class and I truly appreciate taking your time to leave a review. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed cooking.
Hope to see you again,
Yukari
Bradford, United States of America
★★★★★We had a wonderful cooking experience with Yukari as she expertly taught us how to cook delicious Shojin-Ryori (Vegan) food in her home. I would highly recommend this experience. Thank You so much!
Mar 2023
Response from Yukari
Thank you for coming to my class and I truly appreciate taking your time to leave a review. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed cooking.
Wish you all the best,
Yukari
Clarence, Singapore
★★★★★Arigato Yukari! It was a very enjoyable experience and I feel really empowered to cook. Thank you for also showing us the richness of Kyoto's food scene. Thanks!
Jan 2020
Response from Yukari
Thank you for leaving a review. I'm happy to hear that, it was fun for me to cook having nice conversations with you. Looking forward to seeing you again!
Lilia, Israel
★★★★★Yukari I enjoyed a lot and learned so many new things - thank you so much!
Nov 2019
Response from Yukari
Dear Lilia
Thank you for leaving your review, I'm happy that you enjoyed the lesson. I 'll prepare new recipes so hope you to come back!
Yukari
Patrizia, United Kingdom
★★★★★Yukari was an extraordinary host and so was her assistant. She was very knowledgeable and happy to answer all our questions about Japanese culinary cuisine. We had a wonderful experience and I highly recommend Yukari.
Aug 2019
Response from Yukari
Thank you for visiting our cooking class, I’m very pleased to hear that. We really had a great time talking with you, James and Kiara through cooking. I hope you enjoy Japanese vegetarian food back in London and if you come up with some questions about cooking, please contact me anytime.
Good luck!
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Response from Yukari
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Yes, Traditional Buddhist Cooking with plant-based ingredients has a vegetarian option.
Up to 5 people can join Yukari's cooking class.
Yes, Traditional Buddhist Cooking with plant-based ingredients has a vegan option.
It costs 10000 per person.
Duration of this cooking class is 2.5 hours.
You will receive the confirmation within 24 hours.
We accepts these cards on airKitchen.
Cancellations up to 48 hours prior to the class begins will be fully refunded by the airKitchen cancellation policy.
