Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are our FAQs so that you won’t be misguided in order to attend to our cooking class! Most of your answers will be in here! If there are questions that we could not answer below, please provide your contact information (email address) and question on our Contact Us page and we’d be more than happy to support.
I have allergies to certain ingredients. Will you manage to change ingredients or menu?
Yes. If you have any food allergies, or vegetarians/vegans, please be sure to let us know in advance and we will do our best to accommodate you with alternative ingredients. Us Samurai Cook staff members are experienced in handling requests from vegan and vegetarian guests.
What does the price in the web include?
The prices in the web include the cooking class, utensils, ingredients, recipes, apron rental fee, after lesson tea and cake, and souvenirs for take home. Taxes are included. Services may vary in each class depending on the group size.
What is the class size?
Our classroom can be filled up to 13 people. Whenever we have the reservation with more than 14 people, we ask them to divide into 2 groups in different time slots. If not, we will have to rearrange our schedule or change the system of our cooking class that will suit for big group lesson. Of course, we will design the classes tailored to your requests as much as possible.
I cannot eat porks and other foods those are not Halal, can you do something?
That’s OK. If you have religious conditions like halal, we will avoid those ingredients too if you notify us in advance. If you strongly wish to have ingredients with halal (halal beef and pork), we may manage to get the ingredients from certain halal related food company and halal friendly ingredients. (It will cost extra, and need 1 month in advance)
So who runs the class?
Our class will be hosted by trained, professional cooking teachers who know and love about Japanese cooking. The number of staff members will vary depending on how many people participates in our class.
What’s the difference between basic class and private class?
Unless you have explicitly requested and paid for a private class, the class might be shared with other participants, which we call a basic class. In basic class, class environment is lively and upbeat, and most of our guests enjoy sharing the class with other guests. People tend to enjoy mingling with other guests and get together to complete the meal.
However, if for whatever reason you prefer to book out the class just for you and your group privately, we do prepare the so called private class. Please contact us for more details.
What payment methods are accepted?
Unless otherwise specified, payment will be settled in advance. If booking via our website, we accept VISA, MASTER, AMERICAN EXPRESS and PayPal to make a booking online.
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In cases where we have agreed to accept payment onsite on the lesson day, we also take Japanese yen at shop, but not any foreign currencies. Travelers checks are also unavailable. We accept cash (JPY only) and VISA, MASTER, AMERICAN EXPRESS credit cards.
Um, I’m no expert in cooking. Rather a beginner and never touched a knife or fire. Is that okay?
Yeah, our cooking classes are open to everyone, and is welcome regardless of your level of experience, whether you are a complete beginner or an expert chef. For most lessons, yes, you will need to handle a knife and fire and if you do not feel confident to carry out any of the instructions, please do not hesitate to tell us so we can assist you. And I promise you, we’ll have a lot of fun cooking and hearing about Japanese culture.
Can I bring a friend to observe the lesson and take pictures?
We do not allow for free observations except any special cases or pre-approved with media. Therefore any accompanying individuals would need to book the lesson as well. If they are not planning to participate in the class, please inform us in advance so we can prevent food loss of unused ingredients.
What do I need to bring in the class?
Nothing! We will provide everything for you with all groceries, ingredients, cooking utensils, aprons and recipes for you to use. Just bring your happy faces and energy enthusiasm looking forward to cook out!
Will I get to eat? Can I take home food?
Yes, of course you’ll be able to crave into your self-made dishes! However, with the exceptions of our approval, unfortunately we are not able to send food home with you. We ask that you please enjoy the food here at the classroom.
Can I just show up on the class day? Can I just show upon the class at the last minute with no booking?
As a general rule, advance reservations must be made via the web or through an agent or hotel concierge. If you show up unexpectedly without a reservation just before the class time, you will not be able to attend the class on the day and we will not be able to accommodate you.
Therefore, we ask that reservations for cooking classes be made at least one day in advance. (Some classes may require reservations several days in advance.) We appreciate your understanding.
However, you are welcome to visit us in person to check on last-minute reservations. We will do our best to accommodate last minute reservations other than the class on the day.
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ļ¼Last minute phone calls before the class cannot be accepted due to our class preparation. Thanks for your understanding.
ļ¼Please be fully aware that too last-minute booking inquiries are likely to cause those who have already booked a cooking class to wait longer than necessary on the day.
Can I bring my own foods and drinks?
As a general rule, we do not permit beverages or food purchased outside to be brought in. We do make room for exceptions for special occasions, so please contact us in advance with any requests. There will be a surcharge for each approved bottle.
That's just unfortunate... Some of my guests do that every so often.
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I'm so sorry to tell you that if you made a reservation for the wrong date, we regret to inform you that it is not possible to change your reservation to another date. Since we have already prepared all of the food material and pre-preparation for the customer who booked our class even though no show then.
Specifically, for example if customer made a reservation for July 2nd (JPT) at 11:00AM though, the customer come to our shop the next day at 11:00AM (JPT), we will not be able to change your schedule. This case is No Show.
Or if the customer suddenly come on the 1st (JPT) the day before and ask us I have to leave Japan today though, we will not be able to change your re-schedule. we have to consider the other guest’s convenience as well and this case will be unexpected incident for us on the day. So we can not make it as you expect.
Therefore, we ask that you confirm the date and time of your reservation well in advance and confirm the date and time in the confirmation e-mail. If you find a date and time that is not in accordance with your plan, please contact us immediately.
However, we cannot make any guarantees to change your booking regarding bookings of last-minute or on the day. Also If you want to cancel our class in the last minutes, based on cancellation policy we will charge cancellation fee. Please refer our cancellation policy.
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As a host, we have a responsibility to ensure that we do not cause any inconvenience to the operation of the restaurant or disadvantage to other guests.If this is the case now, we will check the evidence and confirm the fact that we have disadvantaged the customer. If we are unable to do so, under no circumstances will we accept a refund or reschedule. Thank you for your understanding.
You can book your place on the internet. (Please use our website booking form. → https://samuraicook.com )
Can our children join the cooking class?
Of course. We welcome families with children, and look forward to helping you create memorable moments together! We offer free for children under the 6 years old.
We welcome accompanying children of all ages! As per our terms and conditions, please note that those under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian, and We ask that children are closely supervised at all times. At our discretion, we may choose to ask the parents or guardians to handle certain parts of the cooking process that involve sharp knives or fire.
Please inform us while booking of the ages of your children. Because children under the 3 years old can come to class free of charge, but please note when booking, children 3 and older must be booked as adults. Therefore please note that no children’s discounts are available at our shop.
Can we do private classes?ćHow do I order a private class?
Yes, you can! Please contact us for a tailor-made private cooking class by email to ”samurai.cookers@gmail.com“. We’ll design a private classes tailored to your needs and tastes so you can enjoy a fantastic tailor-made cooking class. You will be required at least 66000 JPY per person for this class. Also, we will ask you another fee when you request high class ingredients or they are rarely offered in markets.
Approximate class duration times are listed on the booking pages of the respective classes, but you can generally expect most of our class durations to range between two to three depending on the class. Please note that these are estimates which include the time you will take to enjoy your meal. Actual class durations may vary depending on a number of factors, including the number of people booked for a certain day and the experience levels of the participants. Seldom, but occasionally, class times may lag slightly longer than planned.
Therefore we will not be able to help you if you ask us to finish early, especially if you have an impending flight to catch or a time for your next activity… We recommend that you plan your schedule well in advance after our service.
Your understanding in advance is appreciated.