You arrive at a casual sushi restaurant in Hanamaki, a city in Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. Iwate’s proximity to the Pacific coast means seafood plays a central role in local food culture, and this session draws on that tradition. Your guide meets you at the venue and introduces the format before the chef takes the lead.
Standing alongside a local sushi chef, you watch a close-up demonstration of how to properly form nigiri — the hand pressure, the rice preparation, the placement of the topping. Then you replicate each step yourself. Your guide is present throughout to translate instructions, relay your questions to the chef, and help you follow along as the session progresses.
By the end of the session, you have shaped a selection of nigiri pieces with your own hands. The chef gives feedback as you work, so each piece reflects the technique you have practised. You sit down and eat what you have made, finishing the experience with a direct result of the skills you applied during the lesson.