Have you ever wondered how to make sushi? Of course you have! You’re traveling to Japan, after all. At the Tokyo Sushi Academy, students are taught how to master the art of sushi making, so they can take their knowledge and bring it back to their home countries.
EnableJapan.com was lucky to have the opportunity to sit down and interview Ms. Sachiko Goto, the principal of the Tokyo Sushi Academy. We also had the opportunity to talk to a student at this school, Teddy, who owns Maki & Ramen Sushi Bar in Edinburgh, Scotland. “I want to improve my sushi by learning about authentic sushi to bring back to Scotland,” he told us. To learn more about this unique school, watch our video below!
While most sushi chefs enter the industry by just watching and copying other sushi chefs, students of the Tokyo Sushi Academy will enter the workforce with professional training, guaranteed to give them the upper hand. That is why aspiring sushi professionals come to Tokyo Sushi Academy; what better place to study sushi-making than in the birthplace of sushi? All of Tokyo Sushi Academy’s instructors are Japanese professional sushi chefs. “They were all skilled sushi chefs before, with more than 50 years experience,” says Principal Goto. You can find a list of instructors and their credentials here.
Tokyo Sushi Academy is also the only sushi school in Japan that offers instruction in English. 80% of students are Japanese, and the remaining 20% are from all over the world. But not to worry–students do not need to master Japanese in order to learn here. Interpreters work closely with students to translate the class from Japanese to English, so students are not left behind.
Tokyo Sushi Academy Curriculum
An old Japanese saying is that to master sushi, you need “three years in rice cooking, eight years in sushi-making.” Tokyo Sushi Academy understands that you probably don’t have that kind of time. “It takes a very long time to be a sushi chef, and our school is the first in Japan to teach sushi chef skills and to shorten the training time,” Principal Goto explains. All their courses are intensive, so that students can master the necessary skills in a short period of time.
We asked Principal Goto about a typical day of class for the students. “In the morning, students will come to the classroom and prepare fish,” she says. “One day, salmon, another day, tuna, and another day, scallop or mackerel. Every day they will try different types of fish preparation. After they are prepared, they learn how to slice sashimi into sushi. In the afternoons, they learn roll sushi-making and nigiri sushi-making.”
Does this sound good to you? Well the Tokyo Sushi Academy is always looking for students! Here’s the courses that the school offers–
Sushi Private Lessons for Pros
Sushi Private Lessons for Pros are available for the sushi professional on a tighter schedule, and can be organized to suit the needs of the student. The class content can also be tailored to what you would like to learn. Two days of lessons (3 hours a day) typically costs ¥80,000, but price varies based on the lesson subject matter. For more information on this class, click here.
Sushi Private Lessons for Fun
The Private Lesson for Fun is great 90-minute lesson for the non-professionals who are only in Japan for a short time (such as tourists) and want to learn about sushi preparation. You don’t have to be a chef to take this course; you don’t even have to be good at cooking! Tokyo Sushi Academy can organize the lesson’s time and content to suit your needs, and you will be taught by their experienced sushi chefs. For more information, click here.
Once a student finishes one of the main courses of instruction (with the exception of the Private Lesson for Fun), you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.
The Tokyo Sushi Academy of Singapore
Tokyo Sushi Academy also has a branch in Singapore. To find out more, click here.
Tokyo Sushi Academy Shinjuku Information
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Nearest Station: 1-minute walk from Nishi-Shinjuku Station (plan your route at the link and click on the Google Map below for walking directions)
