Sushi-Making Class off Dotonbori, with Vegan, Halal and Allergy Menus in Osaka

Osaka calls itself Japan's kitchen and mostly proves it with things cooked on a hot plate — takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu. Sushi is the quieter counterpart, and it is the one dish where watching somebody do it teaches you almost nothing, because everything difficult is happening in their hands.

This hundred-minute class puts you on the other side of that. You learn how sushi rice is seasoned and cooled and, more importantly, how it should feel when you pick it up — warm, barely holding together, ruined by a firm grip. Then you shape nigiri and roll maki yourself, plate it and eat it. Instruction is in English and the room is used to complete beginners.

The dietary options are the part worth knowing about, because they are real rather than improvised. There are separate vegan and vegetarian menus, a halal menu, a gluten-free option, and an allergy menu that leaves out meat, nuts, fruit and dairy. Two firm conditions: request the menu when you book, and understand the operator will not take custom ingredient lists. They cannot switch on the day.

The studio is on the third floor of a building in Higashi-Shinsaibashi, a few minutes' walk from Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi-suji, which makes it easy to fold into an afternoon of shopping and eating. Groups run up to twenty across several tables, and the space is wheelchair accessible.

Everything is included — ingredients, tools, and the meal itself. It is cheaper than the equivalent class in Tokyo and works well as a first activity on an Osaka trip, because you spend the rest of the week noticing what the sushi counters around you are doing.