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Japanese Cooking Course and Restaurant Internship in Japan

Duration

2 - 12 weeks 

Language requirements

English

Availability

Monthly start date

Age

16+

Price starts with

690 EUR

Type of program

Skill Development Course & Internship

If you are passionate about Japanese food and want deeper insights into the Japanese cuisine, this course is ideal for you! You can also add affordable Japanese language lessons and accommodation. If interested, you can furthermore follow up the cooking lessons with a restaurant internship.
Description

Japanese Cooking Course

Japanese cuisine is characterized by fresh, high-quality ingredients, seasonal and regional flavors, and visually elaborate presentation. It focuses on simple yet elegant preparations that often highlight the natural taste of each ingredient. Traditional dishes such as sushi, sashimi, tempura, and ramen emphasize a balanced interplay of taste, texture, and color. Key elements like umami, the fifth basic taste, play an important role, while fermented foods such as miso and soy sauce are staples of the diet. The cultural respect for nature and seasonal changes is deeply rooted in Japan's culinary traditions.

The Japanese cooking course includes eight lessons, which you can complete within 2-4 weeks. You can specify your availability, and a schedule will be created with detailed dates and lesson content.

Each lesson lasts approximately 1.5 hours, followed by one hour for dining. The instruction language is English and can be either group or individual sessions. Classes take place in the studio kitchen of the cooking instructor in Omiya, a passionate home cook who has been conducting cooking classes for many years. All ingredients are included, and the dishes you prepare can be enjoyed after the lesson.


Contents of the cooking lessons

 Lesson 1: Japanese food basics

The 5 taste concepts (sweetness, saltiness, acidity, bitterness, umami)

The 5 colours: red, green, yellow, white, black

The 5 methods: bake, simmer, fry, steam, raw

Chopstick manners and basics of serving meals

Cooking: Grilled fish, steamed egg custard, Japanese mustard spinach with sesame sauce, pork miso soup, white rice

 Lesson 2: Easy Japanese dining table setup with rice pot cooking

Oyakodon, mizuna and jako salad, instant radish pickles, tofu and shiitake mushroom miso soup

 Lesson 3: Colorful bento with five colors

Fried chicken, boiled hijiki, tamagoyaki, boiled spinach, kinpira burdock root, white rice bento

 Lesson 4: The concept of "Sashisuseso"

Nabe-daki rice, mackerel simmered in miso, meat and potatoes, vinegared seaweed, ginger and cucumber, miso soup

 Lesson 5: The role of seasonings in Japanese food and how to make dashi

Mixed rice or sekihan, boiled in Chikuzen, horse mackerel pickled in Nanban, clear soup

 Lesson 6: Japanese Sweets 1

Mizuyokan

 Lesson 7: Japanese Sweets 2

Kingyoku and Nerikiri

 Lesson 8: Other Japanese dishes

Cutlet curry rice and Japanese potato salad

or

Dumplings and Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen)

 

Note: The exact contents and their order may be subject to slight changes.

 

Internship in a Japanese Restaurant

If you want to delve deeper into Japanese cuisine, we recommend an 8-week restaurant internship following the cooking course.

Your 12-week stay in Japan can look like this:

  1. Cooking Course: You spend the first 4 weeks in Tokyo, participating in the above-described cooking course (8 lessons).
  2. Japanese Language Classes: Simultaneously, you can attend a conversational Japanese course to acquire basic communication skills for working in a Japanese restaurant kitchen. This general language course takes place five days a week, with 4 x 45-minute lessons per day.
  3. Culinary Japanese Language Module: Additionally, you can receive a 45-minute lesson once a week in "Culinary Japanese," learning vocabulary and phrases specific to Japanese cuisine and restaurant work.
  4. Accommodation: During your 4 weeks in Tokyo, you can stay in our affordable share house in Tokyo, choosing from dormitory, double, or single rooms, or with a host family.
  5. Restaurant Internship: For weeks 5-12, you will do a restaurant internship, gaining hands-on experience in a professional setting.


The internship is unpaid, with work hours averaging 30-40 per week. The internships are organized in small towns on Sado Island, in Ise Shima, and in Iwate. Costs include internship placement and accommodation without meals. Accommodations vary by location but are usually single rooms in shared apartments with communal kitchen and sanitary facilities. Travel costs from Tokyo to your internship location and back are not included.


Available restaurants include:

  • Sushi Restaurant
  • Ramen Restaurant
  • Japanese Izakaya
  • Japanese Hotel Restaurant
  • Yakitori Restaurant
  • Japanese-French Fusion Cuisine

Program details

Rates

Who can join

Many participants in this program are graduates or trainees as chefs in their home countries and want to gain culinary expertise in the kitchen of another country. However, we also have ambitious hobby cooks as participants. In general, no prior knowledge is required, and anyone can take part. The level of difficulty can be adjusted to your skill level.

Program start

There are fixed start dates for this program. These are:

  • 2025: January 6, February 3, March 3, March 31, May 7, June 2, June 30, August 4, September 1, October 6, November 4, December 1
  • 2026: January 2, January 30, February 27, March 27, May 8, June 5, July 3, July 31, September 9, October 2, October 30 and November 27

Getting there

If you book accommodation at our sharehouse and you arrive on the Friday before the start of the cooking course at Haneda or Narita between 8 am and 8 pm, we will pick you up from the airport at no additional cost (accompanied by public transportation). If you arrive on other days/times, you can come to the sharehouse on your own.

Visa

Participation is possible through visa exemption (Temporary Visitor Status), which many nationalities get upon entering Japan for 90 days. 180 days, 30 days or 15 days.

  • 90 days: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United States and several others; please see the full list here: https://www.jrailpass.com/faq/temporary-visitor
  • 180 days: Austria, Liechtenstein, Ireland, Switzerland, UK, Germany; 30 days: UAE; 15 days: Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia.

    *Please note that we cannot prepare any supporting documents for a visa application.


Participation is also possible via the Working Holiday Visa and Student Visa.

Accommodation Options

Sharehouses in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Shiohama Sharehouse, Tokyo

Exclusively for World Unite! participants, we operate our own sharehouse accommodation in Tokyo, located near the Kiba subway station. Spread over three floors, the sharehouse features nine dormitory rooms of various sizes, each accommodating 4-8 people, as well as five double rooms. We try to separate the rooms by gender; however, this is not always possible and cannot be guaranteed. There are two common areas with fully equipped kitchens, six showers, four toilets, and two bathrooms. We provide Wi-Fi on all floors at no extra cost. Modern air conditioning units ensure cooling and heating in all rooms. Additionally, for house residents, the City Hub premises of around 100 sqm on the ground floor are available as a communal area from the afternoon onwards, where you can use a foosball table, a big screen, and a music keyboard at no extra cost. The 140 sqm rooftop terrace, with an unobstructed view of Tokyo Skytree, features a covered seating area, hammocks, and greenery. House residents can also use a coin-operated washing machine, a dryer, and a free luggage storage room. Need a bicycle? You can rent one from us at affordable prices.

Warabi Sharehouse, Saitama

The Warabi sharehouse is situated in Saitama prefecture, within the Tokyo metropolitan area, and conveniently just a 15-minute walk from Warabi train station. This sharehouse offers 36 rooms, available for single, double, and 4-share occupancy, each equipped with air conditioning for cooling and heating, as well as a balcony. In the case of accommodation in twin or dorm rooms, we try to separate by gender; however, this is not always possible and cannot be guaranteed.

You'll find a common lounging area with a TV and comfortable sofa, along with a fully equipped communal kitchen for your convenience. Each floor is equipped with toilets and sinks. A shower area separated for males and females with 6 shower booths is available on the ground floor. Wifi is accessible throughout the building, and the sharehouse also offers bicycle parking, 4 coin-operated washing machines, 2 coin-operated dryers, and a small ornamental Japanese garden. For added convenience, a supermarket, several convenience stores, and shopping malls are just a few minutes' walk away. Renting a bike is also possible at a reasonable price.

Our dedicated team members visit the Warabi Sharehouse at least three times a week to provide comprehensive support to our program participants.

Urayasu Sharehouse, Chiba

The Urayasu Sharehouse is located in Chiba Prefecture, within the Tokyo metropolitan area, just a 3-minute walk from the Tokyogakka Mae bus stop (approximately 9 minutes by bus or 25 minutes on foot to Shin-Urayasu Station). It is situated in an attractive residential neighborhood with palm-lined streets. Tokyo Disneyland, scenic parks along the bay, and large shopping malls are within walking distance. The area is of a high standard, featuring hotels such as the Disney Resort Hotels and the Hyatt Regency.

We occupy two floors of the sharehouse building, which includes one 6-person dormitory, two triple rooms, and five twin rooms. The twin rooms can also be booked for single occupancy. Most rooms are furnished in a Western style with beds; however, one twin room is Japanese-style, with futons. Some rooms have balconies. In shared rooms, we try to separate occupants by gender, although this cannot be guaranteed.

Residents also have access to a lounge, a dining area with a shared kitchen, 3 showers, 2 toilets, 2 coin-operated washing machines, an elevator, and a small outdoor area on the ground floor.


Host Families

Staying with a Japanese host family provides you with the ultimate opportunity to fully immerse yourself in everyday Japanese culture. Typically located in the outskirts of Tokyo and neighboring prefectures like Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa, host families choose these areas as central Tokyo apartments seldom offer sufficient space to accommodate foreign guests alongside their own family. Commuting by train to internship placements, jobs, or language schools usually takes no more than an hour, with a monthly commuter ticket costing around 15,000-20,000 yen.

Your host family will serve you two meals (breakfast and dinner) on weekdays and three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) on weekends. You will have the option to sleep on a western-style bed or experience the traditional Japanese futon. Typically, there will be someone in the host family who speaks basic English, and they are well-acquainted with welcoming foreign guests.

Extras

Read more

Book or Send an Inquiry

Selected program price
Choose Base Package
Choose Extension Time and Extras

Restaurant Internship, 8 weeks incl. accommodation

+ 1240.00 €

Japanese conversation course for 4 weeks

+ 480.00 €

Culinary Japanese Language Module for 4 weeks (2x/week)

+ 120.00 €

5 weeks sharehouse dorm room accommodation (shared) in Tokyo without meals

+ 330.00 €

5 weeks sharehouse twin room accommodation (shared) in Tokyo without meals

+ 410.00 €

5 weeks sharehouse single room accommodation in Tokyo without meals

+ 500.00 €

5 weeks host family accommodation in Tokyo with 2 meals/day

+ 870.00 €

Airport pickup in Tokyo (Haneda/Narita, Fridays 8 AM - 8 PM)

+ 60.00 €
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What is included?

VM_WHAT_IS_INCLUDED?
  • Ingredients and utensils for the cooking class 
  • All teaching materials for the language course, if booked
  • Accompaniment to your internship on your first day, if an internship is booked 
  • Access to the Knowledge Base Japan – a mobile-friendly online reference system with practical information about life in Japan
  • Online preparation session
  • Multilingual contact persons on-site (English and Japanese) for any assistance
  • Participation in World Unite! Language Exchange Events, Cultural Events, and Social Meetup Events in Tokyo at no extra cost!
  • CO2 compensation of your long-haul flights: Costs for 10 seedlings of indigenous trees that we plant on the slopes of Kilimanjaro

Not included?

VM_WHAT_IS_NOT_INCLUDED?
  • Airport pick-up (can be booked as an extra)
  • Share house accommodation in Tokyo (can be booked as an extra)
  • Japanese language classes (can be booked as an extra)
  • Culinary Japanese language module (can be booked as an extra)
  • Organization of a restaurant internship with accommodation (if not added as an extra)
  • Travel costs within Japan (Tokyo to internship location and return)
  • Local transportation (between accommodation and cooking school/restaurant)
  • Return transfer to the airport upon departure
  • Meals (except food cooked during the course, or if included in your accommodation package)
  • Flights to/from Japan (self-booked, assistance available)
  • Official visa fees (if applicable)
  • Insurance (travel health, liability, trip cancellation; self-arranged, assistance available)
  • Personal expenses
  • Vaccinations

INSIGHT

5 REASONS why to join
this program
 

Get a good understanding of Japanese cuisine and learn to cook the dishes yourself

 

Affordable language lessons and a special "Culinary Japanese" language module can be added!

 

Get to know Tokyo and Japan in your leisure time

 

Get insight into Japanese culture through the classes

 

Bring Japanese cuisine to your home and cook authentic Japanese food

contact zoe

Questions?

your consultant for this program is

Zoe Steinmeyer

(she/her)

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