Janie and J. R. Gray

Japan and Asia

Attractions

Small-Group Wagyu Beef and Japanese Cooking Class

Yoyogi Park

Meiji Shrine

Shibuya Crossing

Dining

Small-Group Wagyu Beef and Japanese Cooking Class

18-39 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku City

Lodging

Hilton Tokyo

6-6-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 160-0023-0023

Exercise Counter

Steps

14,331

Distance

10.37 KM

Flights Climbed

3

Small-Group Wagyu Beef and Japanese Cooking Class

Our morning started with a kaiseki ryouri (haute cuisine) cooking class at Cooking Sun in Shinjuku, which required a subway ride and a 10 minute walk. We were told to expect up to eight different dishes featuring Wagyu beef, Japanese vegetables, and traditional seasonings and as we arrived and donned our aprons, we could tell we had some good Japanese food awaiting us.

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Dashi and Miso Soup

First we had to learn how to make dashi, an essential Japanese soup broth using dried kelp and bonito flakes. The dashi would be used in a variety of the dishes today, starting with the miso soup. We were a little worried this was going to be more of a cooking demonstration than a hands-on as the instructor did most of the work making the soup, but then we saw that was because she was making one large pot of soup for all of us.

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Kombu, Umeboshi Tsukudani and Accordion Cucumber Salad

Our next dishes were Kombu and Umeboshi Tsukudani made with boiled kelp and umeboshi (salt preserved plum) and an Accordion Cucumber Salad. We each got to create our own accordion cucumber and boil Gomamiso-ae Potato.

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Boiled Egg with Dashi

We tried our hands and making Japanese omelets next and they came out pretty good. Janie ordered a pan off Amazon so we could make them at home.

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Mini Dorayaki

We followed that up by making dorayaki, a Japanese sweet pancake with white bean paste filling.

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Shinoda-maki with Seasonal Vegetables

Our next dish was Shinoda-maki, where we wrapped ground meat and vegetables in thinly-sliced tofu sheets (abura-age) and lightly fried them.

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Wagyu Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is a traditional Japanese dish simmered in a flavorful sweet soy sauce. We created decorative vegetables and then cooked our wagyu beef and vegetables with the sauce to create a flavorful dish.

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Tasting

It was finally time to taste our food. It was a little disappointing because some of the dishes had gotten cold since we had made them and we wished we had been allowed to eat in between cooking dishes so we did not have to eat it all at once. But it was all very flavorful and we enjoyed our experience.

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Cooking Sun Recipes

Dashi

Dashi is an essential Japanese soup broth. This fundamental broth enriches Japanese cuisine with a deep, flavorful taste.
Ingredients for 1 person
1 liter water
10 grams kombu (dried kelp)
30 grams Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
Directions
Soak kombu in cold water for 30 minutes
Heat the water with the kombu over very low heat until it starts to simmer
Remove the kombu just before the water comes to a boil
Add the bonito flakes then turn off the heat. Let the flakes sink to the bottom, then strain the broth without squeezing them.

Miso Soup

Miso soup is the most common Japanese soup, made simply with dashi and miso. Enjoy it with your favorite ingredients!
Ingredients for 1 person
120 milliliters dashi
1 teaspoon miso
Favorite ingredients as needed
Directions
In a small pot, heat the dashi over medium heat
Add your chosen ingredients and cook until tender
Dissolve miso into dashi. Remove from heat before the soup starts to boil

Kombu and Umeboshi Tsukudani

Tsukudani is a traditional Japanese dish simmered in soy sauce and sugar until richly flavored. It is commonly enjoyed with rice.
Ingredients for 3-4 people
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon sake
1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon vinegar
150 milliliters water
30 grams boiled kelp
10 grams umeboshi (salt preserved plum with salt content of 10 percent)
Toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Shred the boiled kelp into thin strips
In a pot, combine the shredded kelp, umeboshi and all ingredients except sesame seeds
Simmer gently until the kelp is tender and liquid is reduced
While simmering, crush the umeboshi and remove the pit
Once cooked, sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and serve

Accordion Cucumber Salad

This accordion shape helps vegetables absorb more flavor so they can pickled or marinated quickly
Ingredients for 1 person
1/2 cucumber
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 drops sesame oil
Roasted sesame seeds
Directions
Place the cucumber between two chopsticks laid parallel to each other. Slice the cucumber vertically, making sure not to cut all the way to the bottom
Flip the cucumber over and slice it diagonally without cutting all the way through
Sprinkle the cucumber with a little salt and let it sit for a few minutes
Wipe the excess moisture off with paper towels. Cut the cucumber into three pieces
Mix the dressing (minus the sesame seeds) and toss the cucumber in the dressing
Serve topped with roasted sesame seeds

Gomamiso-ae Potato

The sauce goes great with salads, simply steamed vegetables, and even cooked meat or seafood
Ingredients for 1 person
30 grams potato
1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon miso
1 teaspoon mirin
1/2 teaspoon dashi
Shredded red pepper
Directions
Peel the potato and cut it into bite sized pieces. Boil the potato until tender
Grind the sesame seeds in a sesame grinder
Add miso, mirin and dashi to the sesame seeds and mix well to make the sauce
Toss the boiled potato with the sauce until evenly coated
Serve with shredded red pepper on top

Boiled Egg with Dashi

This egg dish is loved by everyone in Japan from children to adults
Ingredients for 1 person
1 egg
1 tablespoon dashi
1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce
Directions
Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk lightly. Add dashi and light soy sauce and mix well to combine
Heat a lightly oiled pan with medium heat. Pour a thin layer of the egg mixture into the pan, just enough to cover the surface. If any bubbles appear, pop them with chopsticks.
When the egg is half-cooked, roll it from the far side of the pan toward you
Push the rolled egg back to the far side. Repeat the process until all the egg mixture is used.
Using a bamboo sushi mat, wrap the cooked egg and gently shape it while it is still warm

Mini Dorayaki

Dorayaki are Japanese pancakes filled with sweet bean paste. They may look like western pancakes but their ingredients and flavors are uniquely Japanese
Ingredients for 2 people
25 grams rice powder
0.5 grams baking soda
5 grams sugar
1 tablespoon mirin
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
25 grams soy milk
Sweet white bean paste or your favorite fillings
Directions
In a bowl, mix rice powder, baking soda and sugar
Add mirin, dark soy sauce and soy milk and stir until the batter is smooth
Heat a lightly oiled pan over low to medium heat. Pour a small amount of the batter (less than 1 tablespoon) into the pan to form small rounds.
Cook until the surface gets dry. Flip and cook the other side until lightly browned
Sandwich the filling between two pancakes. Wrap the dorayaki in plastic wrap while slightly still warm to keep moisture

Shinoda-maki with Seasonal Vegetables

Shinoda refers to abura-age (deep-fried tofu). Shinoda-maki is a dish in which meat, seafood or vegetables are wrapped in abura-age.
Ingredients for 1 person
1/2 abura-age (deep-fried thin tofu)
Seasonal vegetables
30 grams ground chicken, pork or beef
3 centimeters Japanese leek
1 slice carrot
Ginger
Less than 1 teaspoon sake
0.5 grams salt
1/2 teaspoon potato starch
1 tablespoon dashi
Japanese mustard
Directions
Cut along three edges of the abura-age, leaving one side uncut and carefully open it to create a sheet
Boil the seasonal vegetables and cut them to proper size
Finely chop the Japanese leek and carrot and grate some ginger
In a bowl, combine the ground protein with sake, salt and potato starch, vegetables and ginger. Mix and knead well until the mixture becomes sticky
Spread the mixture evenly over the abura-age, leaving two fingers space uncovered at the top
Place the vegetables in a line about one-third from the bottom and roll up tightly.
Heat a pan. Place the roll seam side down for three minutes until lightly browned then turn it over
Add dashi to the pan, cover with a lid and steam for four minutes.
Cut into three pieces and serve with Japanese mustard

Wagyu Sukiyaki

Wagyu is a world-famous food nowadays. "Wa" means Japanese and "Gyu" means beef. One of the best ways to enjoy wagyu is sukiyaki, a traditional Japanese dish simmered in a flavorful sweet soy sauce
Ingredients for 1 person
3 pieces Japanese leek
1 piece shiitake mushroom
1 piece carrot
Shungiku (spring crown daisy)
50 grams sliced wagyu beef
15 milliliters sake
10 milliliters dark soy sauce
25 milliliters dashi
1 teaspoon sugar
Directions
Make a decorative cut on the shiitake mushroom by putting a knife at 45 degrees and making a shallow v-shaped cut in the center. Repear three times to make a star pattern
Cut the carrot and crown daisy to a suitable size
Mix sake, dark soy sauce and dashi in a cup to make seasoning sauce
Heat an oiled pan over medium heat. Grill the Japanese leek until slightly browned
Sprinkle sugar into the pan and continue grilling until the sugar begins to melt
Add the wagyu beef and sear quickly on both sides
Once the beef starts to change, pour in the seasoning sauce. Add the shiitake mushroom, carrot and crown daisy. Cook until the vegetables are tender
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Yoyogi Park

After our cooking class, we were faced with the tough decision of either walking back to the train station and taking the subway to our next destination or walking directly to the park. The walk to the subway was in the wrong direction so we decided to walk but Janie's ankle was really hurting and our planned detour through Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden did not work as the garden gates were closed. We paused for awhile near the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium and found a konbini to get some sodas. We had brought collapsible water bottles planning to fill them as we walked everywhere but quickly learned there are not a lot of public water fountains anywhere in Japan, so we were glad all of our hotels provided free bottled water each day.

The walk turned out well for us as we ended up at Yoyogi Koen, one of Tokyo's largest parks, featuring wide lawns, ponds and forested areas. It is known for its ginkgo tree forest. Before becoming a city park, it served as the Olympic Village for the 1964 Olympics, and as a residential area for US military personnel. We had originally taken this off our list for the day because we were trying to reduce the amount of walking Janie had to do. The park was beautiful and allowed for a slow leisurely stroll.

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Meiji Shrine

We walked through the park to Meiji Jingu, dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The shrine was dedicated to the Emperor and Empress in 1920, eight years after his passing and six years after hers. It was destroyed during the war but rebuilt shortly thereafter.

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Shibuya Crossing

You cannot come to Tokyo without experiencing the famed Shibuya Scramble Crossing so we took the subway to Shibuya station. Due to construction, we couldn't exit directly to the scramble but eventually found it and made our way across. We walked through a few of the streets but didn't feel like shopping. We had the State Guest House and the Metropolitan Government Building on our list of sites for the day but decided to call it an early night instead. J. R. was glad he had cancelled the shabu-shabu dinner he had booked, although a little disappointed we didn't get to try it on our trip, but it would have meant another late night out. We went back to our hotel and began repacking everything to head off to our cruise the next morning.

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