The Japanese Knife Skills and Sushi Class in Tokyo
The Japan Kappo-do Association's two-hour Tokyo class: watch a sashimi demo, slice fish, learn the whetstone, make tuna zuke-don or sushi. From $125, max 8.
This is the Tokyo class for people who want to use a Japanese knife on fish rather than take one home: two hours, a sashimi demonstration, your own slicing, a whetstone lesson and a lunch you make, from about $125 a person on the booking platform in October 2026. It is rated 5.0 from 5 reviews and capped at 8 people. You do not keep a knife.
What happens in the class
The listing runs it in this order:
- An introduction to Japanese knife culture, why the blades are prized for craftsmanship and sharpness.
- A knife-skills performance: your instructor slices sashimi in front of you.
- Your turn: you slice fresh sashimi yourself, which the listing says is where you feel what a well-sharpened blade does.
- Cooking: tuna zuke-don, a rice bowl of marinated sashimi, or a 10-piece sushi set, with miso soup.
- A whetstone lesson, step by step. The listing notes that on the sushi-set option there is no time for sharpening, so pick the zuke-don if the stone matters to you.
- Lunch, with a tasting of the association’s own sake and green tea.
You wear a Kappo-do costume, get a participation certificate, and have 10% off everything in the 1F shop that day. A shaved-ice add-on is offered on the day for ¥3,300 a person. The fish varies with what is available.
Who runs it
The listing’s operator is the 日本割烹道協会, the Japan Kappo-do Association. The association’s October 2024 press release lists courses in Tokyo on knives, sushi, dashi and sake pairing and names Yusuke Kawamoto as its representative master instructor. “Kappo” (割烹) roughly means “cut and cook”, and today names a counter style of dining where the chef prepares each dish in front of you, so knife work is part of what guests watch.
Why the sashimi knife is sharpened on one side
Most visitors notice that a traditional sashimi knife, the yanagiba, is ground on one side only. Single-bevel knives such as the yanagiba, deba and usuba have one flat (slightly hollow) face and one bevelled face. That lets the maker grind a thinner, more acute edge for clean, low-friction cuts, which is what you want on raw fish. The trade-off is that they are made for one hand, right or left, and tend to steer slightly. Everyday Japanese knives such as the gyuto, santoku and nakiri are usually double-bevel and work for either hand.
How it compares with the other Tokyo classes
| Class | From | Length | Rating (reviews) | You keep a knife? | Food |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knife Skills & Tuna Don/Sushi Workshop | $125 | 2 hours | 5.0 (5) | No | Lunch, miso soup, sake |
| BAC Knife Making Workshop (Sharpening, Engraving) | $150 | 1.5 hours | 4.9 (503) | Yes, engraved | Snacks and tea |
| Traditional Japanese Knife Sharpening Class (Taimatsu) | $177 | 2 hours | 5.0 (1) | Yes, sharpened | None listed |
Prices, ratings and review counts from our October 2026 data check; operators change prices, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.
Knife Skills and Sushi Class
Slice sashimi, make lunch, learn the stone. No knife to carry home.
Check dates →Knife Making Workshop
Sharpen, engrave and hammer on the handle in Asakusa.
See this workshop →Sharpening Class, 2 Hours
Steel types and several grits of stone, knife included.
See this class →What guests say
All five reviews are five stars. One guest wrote that “the lunch was a generous serving of fish, soup, and sake”; another, from Croatia, that “the most interesting was practical part when we cut the tuna for sashimi by ourselfes.” Five reviews is a small sample.
Before you book
Not for children under 12 or anyone with food allergies, since the meal is fish. Wear comfortable clothes you can cook in. Transport to the venue is not included, and free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before.
If the sharpening is what you came for, read knife sharpening classes in Tokyo; for every price side by side, knife making class prices in Tokyo.
Book the Knife Skills and Sushi Class
Two hours with the Japan Kappo-do Association: a sashimi demonstration, slicing practice, a whetstone lesson, then tuna zuke-don or a 10-piece sushi set with miso soup and sake. Up to 8 people, from about $125 on the platform in October 2026.
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