Almost 2 years ago, I tried to get listed on TripAdvisor, but they told me that I needed to display the full address to get listed. I wasn't too comfortable on disclosing my home address at the time, so I just left it there.

Yesterday, I happen to stumble across my Cooking Class listed on TripAdvisor which they automatically collected from the internet. I don't know how long it has been there, but I immediately claimed the business. Since the information was not sufficient with only one photo that TripAdvisor chose (for some reason), the listing was buried deep in the neighboring attractions with no customer reviews.

So, I would like to ask those who have been to my cooking class and liked it to write a review so that at least my ranking will be better than the current one way at  the bottom.
Thanks in advance for your support, and a big thank you for those of you who have already wrote a review.
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Trip Advisor Website

Couple weeks ago, I found an interesting course conducted by the Japan Foodstyling Culture Association run by Junko Sensei, who has vast knowledge and experience about the Japanese food culture and tradition.  She feels responsible to pass on  her knowledge to the future so it will not be forgotten. It is true that nowadays, most of the Japanese people are not aware of some of the tradition and history behind our food culture. So I decided to join one of her Entry Classes.

The seminar focused on the history of the tableware and its origins dating back to the Nara Period (8th Century) and how it evolved to the present form. It was interesting to experience the Ozen (individual tables) which were used instead of the conventional tables until recently (20th century). 
She holds classes for foreigners to teach Food Styling and Food culture if anyone is eager to learn (website in Japanese only at the moment)

 Today's class was attended by a couple from USA. They chose the halloween motifs and did a great job. We decided to put a face on the pumpkin using the pumpkin seeds. Cutting across for the mouth was a great idea by my student. 
I was really pleased they enjoyed the class.
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The next wagashi class will be held this Friday afternoon.

The last two weeks of October  is wagashi week! I will be holding 2 classes a week (total of 4 classes), so if you haven't signed up for a class to do autumn wagashi check out the dates and send me a booking request.

Dates & time : Oct. 23rd at 10 am, Oct 27th at 1:30 pm, Oct, 30th at 10:30 am, Oct. 31st at 1:30 pm. Please see the class calendar for the latest schedule.
I made some Halloween nerikiri sweets to join the festivity!

We had a great day today solving puzzles by joining the Tokyo Metro Underground Mysteries 2017. This has just started on Oct. 1st and will go on till Jan 2018. You just need to get the Mystery Solving Kit from the train station (at 2160 yen. This includes all the materials needed to solve the mystery as well as the 24 hour pass on the Metro for one person. We got ours at Shibuya Station, but the English version seems to be available only at Ueno and Shinjuku Station. (Please check the website). You can get extra one day passes on the vending machine. (300 yen for children and 600 yen for adults)

We couldn't solve all the puzzles today, so we will go back tomorrow.  It's a good way to spend the day for families and adults. The puzzle is a mind twister and it's not easy to solve but you can also get hints on the website.

For more details please visit the Official Website

Ginger is a popular ingredient in Japanese cooking and its been used in my class numerous of times. I always tell my students the best way to preserve ginger as it usually dries out pretty fast in the refrigerator.

The trick is to drop it in a jar, cover it with tap water, put the lid on and keep it in the fridge. This way you can keep it fresh for up to 1 month. You will know when it's bad as it will become too soft to use. In time of use, just take it out of the water and use as much as you need and return the rest in the jar. You will need to change the water every time you use it as it gets mucky. 

Gari is the thinly sliced ginger marinated in sweet vinegar accompanying sushi. We eat it to refresh our palate after eating fish, Ginger also has a minor anti-microbial properties which is useful when eating raw seafood. 
I've started adding the gari making in my sushi classes this week as it is now the fresh ginger season. (although you can get it almost year round now). The pink color is natural which comes from the pink tip. (some store bought gari may use artificial food coloring). It is interesting to see the ginger turn pink after marinating it for a while.

Today is Juyoga (15th night) or Tsukimi (Moon Viewing) to honor the autumn moon. The celebration of the full moon typically takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month of the traditional Japanese calendar. 
On this day, we decorate susuki (Japanese Pampas Grass) and eat Tsukimi Dango (Moon viewing dumplings) to celebrate this festival.

As our country has historically been a agricultural society,  this festival was originally celebrated to thank the god  by presenting the first harvest of the season while admiring the full moon. 

You can a easy recipe of my moon viewing dumplings here . 
For more info on the moon viewing day please visit the Wikipedia

It's October already, and the city now is filled with Halloween Decoration. The Halloween has become huge in the recent years and you will see loads of people dressed in costumes in Shibuya on Halloween night I think this has to do with the popularity of SNS here in Japan, where people can easily post what's happening real time. 

For me, it's time to make pumpkin pie. If you hadn't checked out my Tofu Pumpkin Pie recipe, please go to my recipe page, and here you will see a very easy to make healthier option of the traditional American pumpkin pie.