This experience invites you into the quiet logic of Japanese fermentation—
through rice koji amazake made entirely from scratch, and a thoughtfully composed meal built around it.
Rather than focusing on performance or decorative technique, the session centers on structure and understanding:
how fermentation develops flavor over time, how amazake functions beyond sweetness, and how it can be applied across both savory and sweet dishes.
What unfolds is calm, intentional, and grounded in the way Japanese cuisine integrates fermentation into food culture.
About This Experience
This is a two-part fermentation experience designed to follow the natural rhythm of amazake itself.
In the morning, you begin by preparing rice koji amazake from scratch. Alongside the preparation, you explore the character of koji through tasting and guided explanation—learning how differences in grain, cultivation, and fermentation approach shape aroma, sweetness, and depth. Light preparation for the evening meal is also included, allowing the process to remain unhurried and coherent.
By the evening, the amazake has matured. You return to use it across a full Japanese meal, applying it not only to sweet preparations but also to savory dishes. The resulting table demonstrates how fermentation can quietly connect individual elements into a cohesive whole.
The experience is structured but never rushed, offering clarity without rigidity, and space for reflection alongside hands-on practice.
The Character of the Experience
This is not a performance, and not a technical training course.
The cooking itself is carefully guided and accessible, even for those who do not cook regularly. At the same time, explanations are grounded in structure and reasoning—appealing to guests who enjoy understanding why something works, not only how to do it.
Fermentation here is approached as a quiet structure that supports Japanese cuisine:
one that develops depth through time, attention, and balance, rather than complexity or excess.
Who This Experience Is Suited For
This experience is well suited to those who enjoy thinking about food as much as tasting it.
Guests often include thoughtful travelers drawn to learning in Kyoto, as well as people working around food—such as independent cooks, food producers, and culinary professionals—who value structure, reasoning, and applicability over spectacle.
No special skills are required. Curiosity, attentiveness, and an interest in how fermentation shapes Japanese cuisine are more than enough.
How the Day Unfolds
The experience takes place over two sessions in a single day.
Morning
Preparation, tasting, and understanding form the focus—introducing rice koji, beginning the amazake, and establishing the foundation for the meal to come.
Evening
Cooking and dining take center stage, using the finished amazake across multiple dishes to explore its versatility in both savory and sweet contexts.
Across both sessions, the pace remains calm and deliberate, allowing flavors, questions, and insights to develop naturally.
Guided by
Your host is Marie, a fermentation specialist who has visited over 100 traditional fermentation producers across Japan. In addition to extensive field research, she is a licensed registered dietitian, ensuring that fermentation processes are approached with appropriate hygiene, safety, and care.
Her work focuses on fermentation as a practical structure within Japanese cuisine—one that supports flavor, nourishment, and continuity over time. Rather than presenting fixed answers, she guides participants toward understanding through comparison, structure, and clear, measured explanation.
Practical Information
*Duration: Total 120 minutes (60 min in the morning and 60min in the evening)
*Price: 15,000 Yen per person
*Format: Private session
*Group Size: Up to 4 guests
*Language: English
*Schedule: Reservation confirmed after payment (Reservations can be made up to 2 Days in advance)
1. Tuesdays, 9:00-10:00AM and 5:00-6:00PM
2. Frydays, 9:00-10:00AM and 5:00-6:00PM
*If you wish to reserve a different date and time, please make your reservation at least one week in advance. Please enter your third preferred date and time in the “Other” field.
*Location: Central Kyoto
Room 302, FUSE Shijo, 555-3 Fujimotocho, Aburakoji-dori Shijo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City ★Google map
*Dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice
Join This Experience
This experience is designed for those who value quiet depth over spectacle, and understanding over excess.
If you are seeking an encounter with Japanese fermentation that is thoughtful, structured, and genuinely applicable beyond the session, this is an invitation to spend time with food, fermentation, and attention in the heart of Kyoto.
Spaces are limited. We invite you to join us.