You arrive at a casual, Tabelog-listed sushi or seafood restaurant in Inawashiro, a town in the heart of Fukushima Prefecture known for its proximity to Lake Inawashiro and the surrounding Bandai highlands. As you settle in, your guide introduces the session and explains how it will proceed, setting the tone for a relaxed, hands-on encounter with one of Japan’s most recognised culinary traditions.

Your guide demonstrates nigiri techniques directly in front of you, walking through each step before you replicate it yourself. You shape the sushi rice, portion the toppings, and press each piece into form under the guide’s instruction.

Your guide explains the instructions and encourages you to ask questions at any point, so the session moves at a pace that lets you focus on getting the technique right rather than rushing through it.

By the end of the 90 minutes, you have shaped your own nigiri pieces and can taste the results of what you made. Practising sushi-making in a real restaurant setting — rather than a demonstration kitchen — gives the session a grounded, practical quality that stays with you beyond the meal itself.