English-Speaking / Short Cooking Courses in Japan

Japan Culinary Institute, Shizuoka Prefecture:
Our mission is to bring authentic Washoku to people all over the world by realizing a high-level education on Japanese food culture as a whole. Located in Atami, Shizuoka prefecture (a seaside city just one hour southwest of Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train), we offer short, intensive cooking courses for all who want to learn authentic Japanese cuisine, both for professional purposes and personal fulfillment, from the level of beginner, to brushing up their skills, to opening their own restaurants.

Traditional Japanese Cuisine (Washoku) Training Courses: 
Taught in English for Professional & Amateur Cooks.

Courses for Professional Chef:
For those aspiring to become professionals in Japanese cuisine, to learn and acquire the knowledge and the art of Japanese cuisine at the highest level, we offer chef training courses as follows. Each course is taught by professionals at the highest level in the specific field, combining technical knowledge and hands-on training.

At the end of the course, students can start working independently. Various visits and field studies will allow students to acquire deeper understanding of ingredients and materials that they use in the kitchen. In additions, as understanding of Japanese culture is indispensable for understanding Japanese cuisine, our courses include cultural experience such as tea ceremony.

There are Chef Traing Course, a complete training in Japanese cuisine for 8 weeks, and subject-based courses such as Sushi, Ramen (Japanese noodle), Sweets, Sake, Yakitori (Japanese style chicken barbeque), Fast Food, Home Cooking, Gyoza, etc. to focus on a specific field of Japanese cuisine. 

All of these courses put emphasis on healthy menu including menu with special care (vegetarian, halal, medical diet, etc.), as well as optical beauty by color coordination and use of tableware, all realized in a fun and enjoyable atmosphere.

Courses Offered: Chef Training Course, Sushi Training Course, Yakitori Course, Ramen Course, Japanese Sweets Course, Green Tea Course, Japanese Sake Course, Fast Food Course, Home cooking for professionals, Gyoza Course, Visit to green tea farm, sake factory, fish market, etc.

Courses for Amateur Cooks:
For those who just can't stop loving Japanese cuisine, and wish to learn how to prepare those delicious foods like in their favorite local Japanese restaurant, or even better!

Atami is an ideal place to learn cooking at the same time enjoying living in a beautiful country rich in history and culture. Cooking is fun and exciting, and it is all about caring for others and enjoying life with those who you care for. It is sharing the appreciation for the nature and the change of season, which is the base for Japanese cuisine.

Therefore, our courses for amateur focus on enjoyable cooking, using seasonal ingredients, while learning about Japanese culture, and exploring various aspects of Japan. You will learn what ordinary Japanese people are eating daily.

If you have an image that Japanese cuisine is something old-fashioned or found only in expensive restaurants, it will be an opportunity to change the image of Japanese cuisine completely, as Japanese cuisine are at its heart simple and open for assimilating various influences too, without changing its core values.

Japanese Culture:
Japanese Culture and Japanese Cuisine are inseparable: it is not overstating that there is no authentic Japanese cuisine without understanding its culture. Therefore, we emphasize the importance and encourage all students to learn and experience Japanese culture first hand.

In Japan Culinary Institute, we offer various cultural experiences to have fun and get a deeper understanding of Japanese culture while learning culinary culture. You will have a chance to experience: tea ceremony, calligraphy with brushes and ink, flower arrangement, Japanese traditional musical instrument, traditional dance, learning how to wear kimono (traditional wardrobe), watching traditional play, ceramic plate making, meditation in the temple, cleaning temples, etc.

These experiences will be not only fun but it will teach you many things about the culture and you may discover new aspect of yourself, too.