Vegan Wabi Sabi Bento Box Making with Dessert in Nara

Make a colorful vegan sushi bento in the idyllic Nara countryside!

In this entirely vegan experience, your host will welcome you with local sake and a seasonal fruit drink. Then, assemble an umami-filled bento box, learn a unique way of cooking sushi rice, and make kakinoha-zushi: a traditional style of sushi (local to Nara) where rice is wrapped in persimmon leaf (kakinoha). Following this, discover how to serve food in a bento box and end the experience on a sweet note by making warabi-mochi, a regional dessert.

Cooking and sipping aside, this is no ordinary culinary experience – Yasuyo, your host, is a Nara prefecture local whose family has passed down original recipes through the generations. However, this class is not just about cooking but also about staying positive and how cooking contributes to positive mental health. Yasuyo believes cooking is a chance to reconnect with simple joys often lost in daily life's chaos: connecting with loved ones, the satisfaction of hands-on experiences, the beauty of nature, and gratitude for being alive. Coming together to cook and share a meal is a way to create precious memories and connect with those around us – Food is a language we all share!