Summer Courses in Japan

Japanese Culinary and Cultural experience in beautiful Atami city!

Summer in Japan – JCI Summer Courses offer a unique chance to enjoy the best parts of Japan. You can learn popular Japanese cuisine such as "Ramen", "Yakitori", "Sushi", and home cooking, directly from culinary professionals at Japan Culinary Institute, while enjoying the beaches, hot springs, and temples in Atami, and experiencing Japanese culture first-hand in Tokyo as well !
Each of the four lessons is taught in a week by a very high-level culinary master and teaches highly specialized expertise in the pursuit of cooking. If you would like to learn all the four lessons, we offer 4-week course. In addition, we offer 2-week course (choice of 2 lessons) and 1 week course (choice of 1 lesson) as well. Depending on your schedule and interests, you would be able to make your summer plan in Japan.

The main school is in Atami, a quaint city about 40 minutes from Tokyo (Shinagawa) by shinkansen (bullet train). It is a popular escape for people living in big cities, to feel nature and enjoy a peaceful time. During the day, you can enjoy beaches, shopping, and visiting historical spots in the area, or you can visit Mt.Fuji, beautiful Lake Ashinoko, the famous castle in Odawara, Firework Festivals, etc. on weekends. Some courses are organized at popular Japanese restaurants in Tokyo as well.

The culinary lessons are offered with a FREE English interpreter, so do not worry even if you don’t speak any Japanese. The lessons will be organized from Monday ~Thursday, basically 9:00~14:00 twice a week and 9:00~14:00 & 14:00~15:00 twice a week, including 1 hour break each day. On Fridays, we will take turns hosting study dinners at traditional restaurants that will help you study Japanese food, smolfield trips with a Japanese food theme, field trips to factories for ingredients needed for Japanese food and sake breweries, and a practical one-day internship at a Japanese restaurant. Depending on the course period, 5:30~8:30 a.m.: We will meet at the Atami fish port to see the fish landed that day and learn how to cook and eat the most delicious sashimi and fish.

* If there is a national holiday during the course period, the schedule will be adjusted accordingly.

Basic Washoku technique and Home Cooking

As a part of the important basic Washoku technique, you will learn how to make DASHI, soup stock, using the traditional method (with bonito, konbu, niboshi) at first. You will learn the traditional & home-style dishes, using various ingredients. You will enjoy the taste of Japanese home cooking easy to arrange for your tastes.

Sushi and Fish Dishes

Authentic Sushi chefs train themselves for years to master the art of sushi, but remember, sushi was originally born as fast food. You will learn how to cut and clean fishes first, which is important technique to learn as the basic of Sushi. You will be able to create hand-made sushi for your home party and serve Japanese fish menu for special dinner.

Ramen & Other Japanese noodles

Ramen has become one of the most popular Japanese foods in recent years. Its carefully prepared soup and sauces, combined with various types of noodles, create harmony in a bowl. You will learn the basic type of Ramen so that you can enjoy hand-made ramen.

In addition to Ramen, the other Japanese noodles, such as Soba and Udon, will be taught as well.

Yakitori and Chicken dishes

Yakitori is a type of Japanese cuisine, BBQ style dishes with mainly chicken and vegetables grilled on wooden skewers over a charcoal grill. It is a popular and common food enjoyed widely in Japan. In addition to Yakitori, you will be able to learn some Japanese style chicken dishes as well.

Special: Kaiseki Summer Course (2 Weeks, 3 Weeks, 5 Weeks)

This course teaches students, who already have a basic Japanese cuisine experience, the concept of Kaiseki cuisine and its technique for 2 Weeks, 3 Weeks and 5 Weeks.

Kaiseki cuisine refers to the dishes served for entertaining guests in the event of a tea ceremony. It is characterized by extreme sophistication of the taste and the appearance, carefully selected ingredients, and the chef's meticulous attention to the arrangement of the vessels and space. The world of kaiseki is a very deep world involving the concept of wabi-sabi (sorrowful loneliness) and the yin- yang five elements, but we aim to master it in two weeks. Students will learn the basic structure of Kaiseki, and learn the basic menu.