Private Japanese Sample Food Making and Asakusa History Tour | 3 hours

7 Reviews | Tokyo
From $170.81 per person Lowest Price Guarantee
Select Date and Travelers
You can select up to 15 travelers in total.
Adult (7-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 15
2
Non Refundable All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Private + Tokyo 4-hour Tour
2 Adults x $915.21
$1,830.42
Approx Total
$1,830.42
Private + Tokyo 6-hour Tour
2 Adults x $1,074.24
$2,148.48
Approx Total
$2,148.48
Private Tour
2 Adults x $324.54
$649.08
Approx Total
$649.08
Private Tour: The private tour is for your group. The workshop is not private (others can participate), but the tour before is private.

Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: Japanese, English
  • Insight into the History and Craft of Sampuru Food Displays
  • English-Speaking Guide
  • Hands-on Japanese Sample Food Making Workshop
  • Walking Tour of Kappabashi Street and Visit to Sensoji Temple
  • Photo Opportunities
  • Take-Home Sample Sampuru made in class
  • Meals, food and drinks
  • Other fees not included in the tour

Overview

The Japanese Sample (Sampuru) Food Making Experience and Asakusa History Tour includes a class that explores the Japanese craft of making fake food for restaurant displays in Japan and walking tour of Kappabashi and Asakusa Sensoji Temple to learn about the history of the area. In the 3-hour tour, learn about the history and traditional craft of Sampuru food with an English-speaking guide and translator before going to Kappabashi and Sensoji Temple. Before the workshop, see different types of Sampuru models and learn how this craft was started and what the significance of sampuru food displays are in Japan. After the explanations, join a workshop with a small group where you can get a hands-on experience in making tempura sampuru foods, which you can take home as a souvenir. This is a great experience for anyone, including young children (age 7 and up).

Meeting points

APA Hotel Asakusa Tawaramachi Station Mae, 1-chōme-2-3 Nishiasakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0035, Japan

Open in Google Maps

The directions will be provided after booking.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

  • Kappabashi Street (Kappabashi Dogugai) (Pass By)

    3 Chome-18-2 Matsugaya, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0036, Japan

  • Senso-ji Temple

    Visiting Sensoji Temple (also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple), which is Tokyo's most popular and oldest temple.

    30 minutes

  • Nakamise Shopping Street (Kaminarimon) (Pass By)

    Bustling shopping street connecting the main gate of Sensoji Temple & the main hall.

  • Asakusa (Pass By)

    1 Chome-1-3 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Videos of Japan's “fake food” techniques have been a viral sensation for years. Many people are amazed with the intricacies of this elaborate yet delicate craft of making fake food by hand and showcasing them as displays in front of restaurants. The sample fake food look just like real food and are almost indistinguishable, which is a lot of fun for people to guess which food is real or not.Almost every restaurant will have these glistening, perfectly-plated fake food models that are tempting you from their windows. The fake foods are made of plastic or wax, and to this day each one is crafted by hand, and can take anywhere from a few hours to entire entrees that can take up to a week. Because of the detail in each food sample, artisans say it takes up to 10 years to perfect the craft and the imitations can cost up to 10 times the real food they represent (sometimes up to $500 USD or 55,000 JPY).It's said that fake food production began in the 1930s with Takizo Iwasaki, an artisan from Gujo Hachiman. Story goes, he made an omelet out of wax that was so realistic his wife couldn't tell it apart from the real thing. He would go on to start one of the biggest plastic food manufacturers in Japan that now controls an estimated 60% of the fake food market. By the 1950s, fake food had caught a wave of popularity.
  • In the 3-hour Japanese Sample Food Making Experience and Asakusa History Tour, learn about the history and traditional craft of Sampuru food with an English-speaking guide and translator before going to Kappabashi and Sensoji Temple. Before the workshop, see different types of Sampuru models and learn how this craft was started and what the significance of sampuru food displays are in Japan. After the explanations, join a workshop with a small group where you can get a hands-on experience in making tempura sampuru foods, which you can take home as a souvenir. This is a great experience for anyone, including young children (age 7 and up).
  • Availability: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 10:00 AM to 12 PM (except some holidays). Meeting time is 9:45 AM.
  • Additional tour around Tokyo: 4 hour or 6 hour add-on available at checkout (the tour can be before or after the Japanese Sample Food Making Experience). This is a private tour around Tokyo with English-speaking (or other) tour guide. This includes public transportation for you and the tour guide, but all optional activity costs for the guests and for the tour guide are not included.
  • Add-on Lunch at oldest tempura restaurant in Japan.
  • Only people who are 7 years old or above may participate. All children from age 7 to 14 must be accompanied by a guardian (age 20 or older) at all times.
  • How to Prepare
  • Attire: The tour operates in all weather conditions (except when there is a typhoon or other extreme situations). Please dress appropriately for all weather conditions. In such case, please note that the tour may change slightly to accommodate for the weather.
  • Other: Since guests are to put their hands into wax to make food samples, we recommend that guests do not have nail art or polish on their hands (please note that the wax may remove some nail art or polish from the guests’ hands during the sample food making process).
  • Moderate Cancellation Policy:
  • 100% refund for cancellations made up to 4 days before the start time of the experience. Cancellations made after that time period will receive no refund
  • Why am I charged a service fee if I make a cancellation after you started planning the trip?
  • Organizing and planning a trip or event requires a lot of time and if we have made reservations on your behalf, it may be very challenging to cancel some booking requests. Once we receive your booking and will start arranging your tour guide, buying tickets, making reservations at venues for your tour, etc.
  • If you cancel the tour any time after we have sent you event details, the service fee of 15% of your total tour cost will be nonrefundable
  • What if I’m late?
  • We ask that all guests arrive at the location at least 10 minutes before the designated meet-up time. Since this is a group tour, we may not be able to wait for you if you are late. The tour will begin without the late guests and you can meet the rest of the group at the next location. Guests are provided with the tour guides’ phone number before the tour and you can call the tour guide if you need to meet the group in the next location.

Non Refundable

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews

5.0

7 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    7
  • 4 stars
    0
  • 3 stars
    0
  • 2 stars
    0
  • 1 star
    0

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 7 reviews with 5 stars

Best Food Making Experience in Asakusa and tour of Kappabashi Street

Published on Jun, 2024

The itinerary of the tour itself was fantastic with Mami, our tour guide! Mami elevated our experience. She was friendly and overall such a wonderful person to spend the day with! For the time we were together, she wanted to show us the best places. We walked through Kappabashi Street and Mami showed us the best stores to buy the kitchen appliances we were looking for. She was knowledgeable and guided us through the history of the town while also making room to accommodate our interests. We were so thankful to find the items we were looking for as well as being delighted when we found items we never expected! The actual food making experience was so fun! The instructors were so pleasant to work with and were great mentors to help us create our food pieces. We were so excited to be given a choice on what to make from their selection. From the selection available, we made 3 pieces each. The first batch consisted of shrimp tempura, lotus root, and lettuce. The second batch was a shrimp tempura, kabocha, and lettuce. The instructors were very patient and made you feel confident while making your piece. Mami was a saving grace playing the translator while the instructions were given in Japanese. We are so happy to bring home our finished pieces to put on display. The tour ended at Asakusa shrine where we bid our farewells. We couldn't ask for a better experience and it was all worth it because of Mami! We can't wait to sign up for another experience in the future and hope to see her again!

Best Food Making Experience in Asakusa and tour of Kappabashi Street

Published on Jun, 2024

The itinerary of the tour itself was fantastic with Mami, our tour guide! Mami elevated our experience. She was friendly and overall such a wonderful person to spend the day with! For the time we were together, she wanted to show us the best places. We walked through Kappabashi Street and Mami showed us the best stores to buy the kitchen appliances we were looking for. She was knowledgeable and guided us through the history of the town while also making room to accommodate our interests. We were so thankful to find the items we were looking for as well as being delighted when we found items we never expected! The actual food making experience was so fun! The instructors were so pleasant to work with and were great mentors to help us create our food pieces. We were so excited to be given a choice on what to make from their selection. From the selection available, we made 3 pieces each. The first batch consisted of shrimp tempura, lotus root, and lettuce. The second batch was a shrimp tempura, kabocha, and lettuce. The instructors were very patient and made you feel confident while making your piece. Mami was a saving grace playing the translator while the instructions were given in Japanese. We are so happy to bring home our finished pieces to put on display. The tour ended at Asakusa shrine where we bid our farewells. We couldn't ask for a better experience and it was all worth it because of Mami! We can't wait to sign up for another experience in the future and hope to see her again!

Won’t forget this anytime soon!

Published on May, 2024

Making the sample food and learning about the history of Kappadori will not be an experience we soon forget. Mami was kind and knowledgeable and helped us get the tax-free refund and directed us to our next stop.

Won’t forget this anytime soon!

Published on May, 2024

Making the sample food and learning about the history of Kappadori will not be an experience we soon forget. Mami was kind and knowledgeable and helped us get the tax-free refund and directed us to our next stop.

Fantastic way to spend an afternoon!

Published on Apr, 2024

Hitomi, the tour guide, was so friendly and told us so many memorable things about the area and about food sample making history. Making the food was so surprisingly easy and fun.

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