Born and raised in Choshi City in Chiba city, Mayuko was strongly influenced by her mother, who was a professional cooking teacher.

After a chance encounter with a couple who kept returning to Japan because they fell in love with the country and the cuisine, Mayuko was inspired to introduce the flavors and manners of Japanese home cooking to visitors, then she has been managing her cooking classes in TOKYO since 2015.

The cooking classes at Mayuko’s Little Kitchen are held in English and teach how to prepare Japanese everyday meals, the basics of Japanese food, seasonings, and table customs in a warm, friendly atmosphere.

▶ https://www.mayukoslittlekitchen.com/

The lessons are designed to be fun and enjoyable in an at-home atmosphere. She tries to keep the recipes as simple as possible so that you can easily reproduce them at home!

In the mochi making class you can learn how to create several different kinds of mochi from sweet to savory and you can even learn how to make breathtakingly beautiful traditional wagashi sweets.

▶ https://www.simplyoishii.com/in-person-classes.html

Hatsumode is a traditional Japanese event to visit shrines and temples at the beginning of the New Year.

While you can visit any shrine for Hatsumoude, Meiji Shrine sitting in Yoyogi, Shibuya Ward is one of the most popular destinations for many Tokyo citizens. Normally, the shrine has clearly set opening hours, but from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day it stays open all night long to accomodate the yearly flood of people who want to make their first and last wishes of the year.

Many people gather for Hatsumode at Meiji Shrine, but it is worth the experience.

If you do stay in Tokyo during the new year’s, make sure to visit one of the big Shrines, such as Meiji Shrine, to feel the atmosphere of the Tokyo`s New Year.

▶ https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/en/

During your temple or shrine in Japan you will probably recognize the wooden praying plaques called ema. These are traditionally used to write prayers or wishes on, but people also have gotten more creative in recent years by drawing pictures or decorating them to make them stand out more. Most ema are very simple in design, but several shrines have started to create their unique designs which often makes visitors traveling to several different shrines to collect the most unique ones.

From the creative drawings on the ema of the Kanda Shrine in Akihabara, over the Geta※ ema of Koenji Hikawa Shrine to the variety of beckoning cat related ema at the many Tokyo shrines and temples dedicated to cats, there is always much to see and read on these traditional wishing plates. Make a wish and leave your ema at the shrine or take it home with you as keepsake. the choice is yours.

※Geta: is a traditional Japanese footwear

▶ https://en.japantravel.com/tokyo/unique-ema-across-tokyo/68980

Tokyo has various international areas that incorporate foreign cultures.

Located in close proximity to Shinjuku on the JR Yamanote Line, Shin-Okubo is known as Korean Town. Stepping into the lively streets lined with authentic Korean restaurants and import stores while Korean music is blasting from the screens makes you feel like you just left Japan. Shin-Okubo is a place where even Korean people go if they are homesick and want to enjoy the taste and feel of Korea.

One might think that the Korean Town in Shin-Okubo is a result of the Korea boom that has also a hold on Japan for several years. However, this assumption would not be right as Korean Town has a long tradition and developed through Korean immigrants settling in the area a long time ago.

Enjoy authentic Korean food and shop for unique gifts in Shin-Okubo while visiting Tokyo. This unique area in the heart of Tokyo is worth a visit for the fun atmosphere and tasty treats.

▶ https://en.japantravel.com/tokyo/korea-town-shin-okubo-top-10-things-to-do/23011