Private Half-Day Japanese Home Fermentation Experience in Nakatsu, Northern Kyushu
Come spend half a day with certified Gut Health Coach Haruka in her Japanese home and discover the role fermented foods play in everyday Japanese home cooking.
Looking for a cooking or fermentation class in Kyushu? You're in the right place.
✨ Private experience — one group per day, offered only twice a week ✨
Health-conscious travelers staying in Beppu or Yufuin, as well as those planning to visit Hiroshima, who are looking for a more personal and meaningful experience than a typical cooking class.
Visitors exploring Kyushu who are interested in Japanese fermented foods and home cooking, with easy express train access from Fukuoka Airport—no rental car required.
Where Are We Located?
Located in Northern Kyushu, Nakatsu is a convenient destination for travelers exploring the region.
Still largely undiscovered by international tourists, Nakatsu offers a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere, with traditional confectionery shops, shrines, temples, and Nakatsu Castle all within walking distance of the station. Some visitors even describe it as a "little Kyoto" of Kyushu.
Click the button below to learn how to get here from Fukuoka International Airport, Beppu Station, and Hiroshima Station. ✨
What You'll Take Home From This Experience
Most cooking classes end with a recipe. My goal is for you to leave with practical skills, fresh ideas, and a new perspective on home cooking and fermentation.
Here's what you can take home from our time together:
Feel inspired to cook more meals from scratch.
Discover that healthy home cooking can be simple, enjoyable, and sustainable.
Gain confidence using fermented ingredients in your own kitchen.
Bring new flavors and ideas into your everyday meals.
Experience a more mindful and intentional approach to food and eating.
Make daily cooking easier and reduce your reliance on processed foods by incorporating fermented foods and homemade condiments.
Return home with knowledge and habits that extend far beyond a single recipe.
✨Kind Words from My Clients✨
How to Book Your Japanese Home Fermentation Experience
Step 1: Submit your booking request using the form below.
Step 2: I'll get back to you by email with payment instructions. Please complete your payment to confirm your booking.
Step 3: Once your payment has been received, I'll send you a booking confirmation along with reminder emails before your experience.
Experience Pricing
Solo Experience: $299 USD
2 Guests: $399 USD ($199 per person)
3 Guests: $480 USD ($160 per person)
*Includes pick-up from Nakatsu Station, all ingredients for the cooking session, an interactive coaching session with Haruka, and a visit to a local tea shop.
Vegan-Friendly Seasonal Menu (June–August)
3-Mushroom Stir-Fry with Soy Sauce Koji
A seasonal stir-fry of three locally grown mushrooms and fresh asparagus, gently seasoned with shoyu-koji, a traditional Japanese fermented soy sauce and rice seasoning, and served with organic black rice from Aso, Kumamoto.
Crisp Summer Cucumbers with Miso Dressing
We will crush cucumbers and prepare a flavorful homemade fermented dressing using white ground sesame, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, and miso.
Dairy-free fermented rice ice cream with cacao nibs
I will prepare this ice cream in advance. It is made with amazake (fermented rice syrup), soy milk, banana, and organic lemon juice, then topped with cacao nibs—creating a refreshing, dairy-free summer treat that everyone can enjoy.
Which Tea Shop Are We Visiting?
We will be visiting a traditional tea shop called Niwa Chaho, which has been serving the Nakatsu community since 1893. They specialize in Japanese green tea, matcha tools, and high-quality matcha powder. This is also where I personally source the matcha used during our experience.
You’ll have the chance to ask questions about matcha and Japanese green tea culture while exploring the shop. We’ll spend around 20 minutes there, and if you’d like, you can also enjoy their café next door, known for matcha drinks and parfaits. The nostalgic area is lovely to stroll through and within walking distance of Nakatsu Station after the experience ends.
How to Plan Your Trip to Northern Kyushu
Where Is This Private Fermentation Experience Hosted?
Our “temple of fermentation” (our fermentation studio) is just a 5-minute drive from Nakatsu Station, where I will pick you up.
We're easily accessible by express train from Fukuoka International Airport, Beppu Station, and even Hiroshima Station.
What should I bring to this private experience?
You don’t need to bring much—aprons and notepads are optional.
What Does the Itinerary Look Like?
10:30 AM – Meet at Nakatsu Station
10:40–11:00 AM — Welcome Matcha Ceremony
11:00–11:30 AM — Interactive Japanese Fermentation Session
11:30 AM–1:00 PM — Cooking Session
Before 2:00 PM — Tea Shop Visit & End of Experience
Can you recommend us places to stay in Nakatsu or Beppu?
I’ve put together my guide on where to stay & explore in Nakatsu and Beppu. Click the button below to see what works for you! Click here for more info!
Pick-up Point at Nakatsu Station 🚉
There are two exits at Nakatsu Station: the South Gate and the North Gate.
I will be waiting for you at the South Gate at 10:30 AM.
You will see a supermarket called “SunLive” and a FamilyMart near the South Gate!
Who’s Your Host?
Gut health and fermented foods have become increasingly popular in recent years, but in Japan, fermented foods are woven into everyday meals so naturally that many people hardly think about them.
As a certified Gut Health Coach, I've learned that lasting change doesn't come from strict rules or drastic diets. It happens when we discover simple habits that fit naturally into our daily lives and feel inspired to put them into practice.
My hope is that by experiencing how fermented foods are used in everyday home cooking in Japan, you'll return home with fresh ideas, practical skills, and the confidence to incorporate more of them into your own kitchen.
Curious about how locals shop, cook, and eat with the seasons in Northern Kyushu?
My Seasonal Table Experience is a private market-to-table cooking experience inspired entirely by what's fresh that day✨
Your Questions Answered: Japanese Home Fermentation Experience FAQs
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Ingredients
Local shiitake mushrooms
Local king oyster mushrooms
Local maitake mushrooms
Local asparagus
Olive oil
Organic soy sauce (contains wheat)
Organic black rice
Cucumber
Organic white ground sesame seeds
Miso (contains barley)
Mirin
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil
Cacao nibs
Organic lemon juice
Banana
Organic soy milk
House-made fermented rice syrup
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Due to the ingredients used, this seasonal menu may not be suitable for guests with gluten (including coeliac disease), rice, or soy allergies.
Our fermentation studio is part of our home, which we share with two cats and one dog. If you have severe pet allergies, this experience may not be suitable. That said, we’re happy to keep our cats and puppy upstairs during your visit if that helps.
While we keep our home and work cooking equipment separate, our menu changes seasonally and we cannot guarantee that ingredients are completely free from cross-contamination. If you have severe food allergies, we kindly ask you to consider this before booking.
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Your safety is our top priority. We monitor weather conditions closely and make a final decision 24–48 hours before each experience.
✅ Heavy Rain Advisory (no risk of landslides/flooding): Experience continues as scheduled (no credit)
✅ Heavy Rain Warning (risk of landslides/flooding): May be canceled → Future Credit issued
✅ Storm / Strong Wind (15–25 m/s): May be canceled → Future Credit issued
✅ Special Warning (25+ m/s or severe damage expected): Canceled → Future Credit issued
Future Credits are valid for 18 months, transferable, and non-refundable. Credits are issued based on the final 24–48 hour assessment, as weather conditions can change.
We are not responsible for accommodation, transportation, or other personal expenses if an experience is canceled due to weather. Delays or cancellations due to personal reasons are not eligible for credit.
Thank you for your understanding and flexibility.
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As our experiences involve advance preparation and limited availability, this policy helps us manage bookings while allowing you to retain the value of your booking in case of unexpected changes in plans or illness.
Guest-Initiated Cancellations (including illness):
✅ Notify us 7+ days in advance → 100% credit (valid 18 months)
✅ Notify 2–6 days in advance → 50% credit
✅ Same-day notifications → no credit (preparation already begun)
✅ Rescheduling: Contact us at least 7 days in advance.
✅ Flight or Transportation Issues: If travel is disrupted due to extreme weather or unforeseen circumstances, future credit valid for 18 months may be issued (proof may be required).
✅ Organizer-Initiated Cancellations
If we must cancel the fermentation experience due to unforeseen circumstances on our end (such as our own emergency or illness), guests will receive a full refund of the experience fee or may choose to reschedule to another available date.
Please note that we are not responsible for transportation, accommodation, or other related costs incurred as a result of the cancellation.
Click here to check my full policy. -
Yes! You are welcome to join with your child(ren) as long as you can keep a close eye on them, especially when using knives and the gas stove.
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From solo to a maximum of 3 guests.
Why 3 people? Because that’s the maximum number of guests that comfortably fits in my car for transportation during the fermentation experience! 🚗 -
Unfortunately, no. Our business is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
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Please reach out via email or Instagram using the same method you initially used to contact me as soon as possible (my email is gutchefjapan@gmail.com).
I will pick you up at Nakatsu Station at your arrival time. Please note that if you arrive late, we may not be able to extend the experience duration, so kindly plan your trip ahead and aim to arrive on time.