Which experience should I choose?

Choose by what you want to do, not by level. KIKI KOJI LAB is a two-hour koji tasting. MISO UMAMI LAB is a two-hour workshop where you make miso to take home. UMAMI & KOJI LAB, our signature experience, is about four hours of hands-on work with koji and umami. For serious study, The Fermentation Alchemist Course goes further.

Is the class private, or shared with other guests?

KIKI KOJI LAB and MISO UMAMI LAB are small-group classes of up to four guests, and you may share the class with other guests. Private bookings are also available on request. UMAMI & KOJI LAB is always private to your group (1–4 guests). Solo travellers are welcome.

Do I need any cooking or fermentation experience?

No. All three experiences are designed for visitors with no experience. The Fermentation Alchemist Course starts from its Basic level.

Are the classes in English?

Yes. KIKI KOJI LAB and MISO UMAMI LAB are hosted by Chie in simple English. UMAMI & KOJI LAB has an English-speaking assistant for the whole session. The Fermentation Alchemist Course is taught in Japanese, with English support available for an additional fee.

How far ahead should I book?

At least five days before your preferred date for KIKI KOJI LAB and MISO UMAMI LAB, and four days before for UMAMI & KOJI LAB, because its koji is prepared in advance. There are no fixed timetables: send two or three dates that suit your stay, and we will reply within three working days.

Chef Chie Ando talking with guests over a tray of fresh rice koji during UMAMI & KOJI LAB in Jingumae, Tokyo

Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo · Small-group koji & fermentation school

Learn Koji &Japanese Fermentationin Tokyo

Hands-on koji and fermentation experiences with chef Chie Ando, in her private kitchen in Jingumae. Never more than four guests, with English support.

Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
Small groups · max 4 guests
English support
Taught by Chie Ando

Find your experience Our signature: UMAMI & KOJI LAB

At a glance

&LAB TOKYO is a small cooking school in Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo, where chef Chie Ando teaches koji and Japanese fermentation in her private kitchen. Visitors can choose from three hands-on experiences: KIKI KOJI LAB, a two-hour koji tasting; MISO UMAMI LAB, a two-hour miso-making workshop; and UMAMI & KOJI LAB, our signature experience, a four-hour session on koji and umami. Each needs no experience and ends with the &LAB TOKYO Signature Lunch. KIKI KOJI LAB and MISO UMAMI LAB are small-group classes of up to four guests, which you may share with other travellers; UMAMI & KOJI LAB is always private to your group.

Our signature experience

UMAMI & KOJI LAB

Learn · Make · Understand

Inside koji, from mold to umami.

Go beyond tasting fermented food and step inside the process itself. Work with rice koji by hand, observe koji mold under a microscope, compare different koji, make seasonings, and discover how fermentation becomes umami at the table.

Developed from the koji and umami studies taught in our Fermentation Alchemist Course.

For guests who want more than a taste: cooks, food professionals, and anyone curious about how koji creates umami.

About 4 hours
Private, 1–4 guests
English-speaking assistant throughout
From ¥65,000 per person, tax included

Includes the &LAB TOKYO Signature Lunch

Explore UMAMI & KOJI LAB

Inside UMAMI & KOJI LAB

How the session unfolds

01 · Learn
Learn

What koji is, and why one mold matters so much to Japanese food. We begin with a short film and the textbook open on the table.
02 · Make
Make

Sow koji spores onto steamed rice with your own hands, then make ama-koji and koji seasonings.
03 · Observe & taste
Observe & taste

Koji takes days to grow, so we prepare koji in advance for you to observe and taste. Look at koji mold under a microscope, then taste koji made with different molds side by side and notice how sweetness and umami change.
04 · Eat
Eat

Bring it all to the table with the &LAB TOKYO Signature Lunch, seasoned with what we have worked with.

You take home koji, a soy sauce-making kit and the UMAMI & KOJI LAB textbook in English, so you can continue in your own kitchen.

KIKI KOJI LAB · MISO UMAMI LAB

Two more ways to experience koji in Tokyo

Taste · Compare · Discover

KIKI KOJI LAB

A curated koji tasting experience.

See, smell, touch and taste different kinds of koji, compare them side by side, and find the differences with your own senses. Two hours built around what you discover, not around a lecture. You go home with Japanese dried rice koji and a printed guide in English, ready to use in your own kitchen.

For travellers with a few hours who want a first, sensory meeting with koji.

About 2 hours
Small group, up to 4 guests
Hosted in simple English
¥31,000 per person, tax included
¥28,000 per person for 2 or more guests

Includes the &LAB TOKYO Signature Lunch

View KIKI KOJI LAB

Three kinds of miso, from pale to deep red, in small ceramic dishes

Make · Take home

MISO UMAMI LAB New

A miso-making workshop with rice koji.

Learn what rice koji, soybeans and salt each do, mix them by hand, and pack your own miso to take home with an English label. It keeps maturing in your kitchen after you leave Japan and is ready to eat in a few months. Please check your country's rules on bringing food home.

For travellers who want to make something real and continue it at home.

About 2 hours
Small group, up to 4 guests
Hosted in simple English
¥31,000 per person, tax included
¥28,000 per person for 2 or more guests

This workshop uses soybeans.

Includes the &LAB TOKYO Signature Lunch

View MISO UMAMI LAB

Compare

Choose your experience

Choose by what you want to do, not by level. No experience is needed for any of them.

Comparison of KIKI KOJI LAB, MISO UMAMI LAB and UMAMI & KOJI LAB
	KIKI KOJI LAB	MISO UMAMI LAB	UMAMI & KOJI LAB Our signature experience
Best for	A first, sensory meeting with koji	Making miso and taking it home	An in-depth, hands-on session with koji and umami
You will	See, smell, taste and compare different kinds of koji	Mix and pack your own miso	Sow koji, observe it, taste it and cook with it
Time	About 2 hours	About 2 hours	About 4 hours
Group	Small group, up to 4. May be shared · private on request	Small group, up to 4. May be shared · private on request	Private, 1–4 guests
Language	Hosted by Chie in simple English	Hosted by Chie in simple English	English-speaking assistant throughout
Lunch	Signature Lunch	Signature Lunch	Signature Lunch
Take home	Japanese dried rice koji and a printed guide in English	Your own miso, labelled in English	Koji, a soy sauce-making kit and the textbook in English
Price (tax included)	¥31,000 per person ¥28,000 per person for 2 or more guests	¥31,000 per person ¥28,000 per person for 2 or more guests	From ¥65,000 per person ¥100,000 for 1 guest · ¥80,000 each for 2 · ¥65,000 each for 3–4

KIKI KOJI LAB

Best for: A first, sensory meeting with koji
Time: About 2 hours
Group: Small group, up to 4. May be shared · private on request
Take home: Japanese dried rice koji and a printed guide in English
Price: ¥31,000 per person (tax included); ¥28,000 per person for 2 or more guests

MISO UMAMI LAB

Best for: Making miso and taking it home
Time: About 2 hours
Group: Small group, up to 4. May be shared · private on request
Take home: Your own miso, labelled in English
Price: ¥31,000 per person (tax included); ¥28,000 per person for 2 or more guests

Our signature experience

UMAMI & KOJI LAB

Best for: An in-depth, hands-on session with koji and umami
Time: About 4 hours
Group: Private, 1–4 guests
Take home: Koji, a soy sauce-making kit and the textbook in English
Price: From ¥65,000 per person (tax included)

All three: Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo · Small groups · max 4 guests · No experience needed · Includes the &LAB TOKYO Signature Lunch · Prices include tax · Dates arranged around your stay. Book at least 5 days ahead (UMAMI & KOJI LAB: 4 days).

Seasonal vegetable sushi made with koji and fermented seasonings

Part of every experience

The &LAB TOKYO Signature Lunch

Seasonal vegetable sushi and small dishes, prepared with koji and fermented seasonings. At the end of the experience, we gather around the table and taste how fermentation becomes part of everyday food.

In KIKI KOJI LAB the koji you tasted becomes food.
In MISO UMAMI LAB miso and koji find their place on the Japanese table.
In UMAMI & KOJI LAB the umami and fermentation you studied come together on the plate.

Please tell us about any food allergies or dietary requirements when you book. Our kitchen uses a wide range of ingredients, including soy, nuts, sesame and fermented seasonings. Although nuts may not be used in your class menu, they are handled in the same kitchen.

Go deeper

The Fermentation Alchemist Course

UMAMI & KOJI LAB opens one door. The Fermentation Alchemist Course is the full study behind it. Across the Basic and Advance levels, you grow your own koji over several days and turn it into miso, learning the principles step by step.

Basic
Advance
Master
Hakko Souka®

Taught in Japanese. You can join in simple English, and English support is available for an additional fee. In Tokyo or online. Basic from ¥42,500 (plus tax).

View the course

Who teaches

A small kitchen in Jingumae, and Chie Ando

&LAB TOKYO is not a tour company or a restaurant. It is a working cooking and fermentation school in Chie Ando's private kitchen in Jingumae, Tokyo. Chef and author Chie Ando teaches every class herself. Classes are small, never more than four guests.

Chie grew up in her family's traditional ryokan kitchen on Shikanoshima, Fukuoka, and founded &LAB TOKYO in December 2016. She is one of the chefs officially recognised by ELLE gourmet Japan. She teaches in simple English, with English-speaking support when the class calls for it.

The kitchen is in Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo, about five minutes on foot from Gaienmae Station (Ginza Line), in the Omotesando–Aoyama area. The exact address is sent when your booking is confirmed.

About Chie Ando

Beyond fermentation

Living Food

&LAB TOKYO also teaches raw food, raw sweets and raw chocolate. Chie brings raw food and Japanese fermentation together in an approach she calls Living Food. Most of these courses are taught in Japanese.

What is Living Food? · What are raw sweets?

Journal

From India to Tokyo

A Flavorist from India Came to Study Koji in Tokyo

A flavorist and biotechnologist from India came to &LAB TOKYO in Jingumae, Tokyo, to explore Japanese koji through science, taste and hands-on fermentation at UMAMI & KOJI LAB. Read the story →

All journal entries

Questions

Before you book

Which experience should I choose?: Choose by what you want to do, not by level. KIKI KOJI LAB is a two-hour koji tasting. MISO UMAMI LAB is a two-hour workshop where you make miso to take home. UMAMI & KOJI LAB, our signature experience, is about four hours of hands-on work with koji and umami. For serious study, The Fermentation Alchemist Course goes further.
Is the class private, or shared with other guests?: KIKI KOJI LAB and MISO UMAMI LAB are small-group classes of up to four guests, and you may share the class with other guests. Private bookings are also available on request. UMAMI & KOJI LAB is always private to your group (1–4 guests). Solo travellers are welcome.
Do I need any cooking or fermentation experience?: No. All three experiences are designed for visitors with no experience. The Fermentation Alchemist Course starts from its Basic level.
Are the classes in English?: Yes. KIKI KOJI LAB and MISO UMAMI LAB are hosted by Chie in simple English. UMAMI & KOJI LAB has an English-speaking assistant for the whole session. The Fermentation Alchemist Course is taught in Japanese, with English support available for an additional fee.
Where are the classes held?: In Chie Ando's private kitchen in Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo, about five minutes on foot from Gaienmae Station (Ginza Line), in the Omotesando–Aoyama area. The exact address is sent with your booking confirmation.
Is lunch included?: Yes. KIKI KOJI LAB, MISO UMAMI LAB and UMAMI & KOJI LAB all include the &LAB TOKYO Signature Lunch: seasonal vegetable sushi and small dishes made with koji and fermented seasonings.
What if I have food allergies or dietary requirements?: Please tell us about any food allergies or dietary requirements when you book. Our kitchen uses a wide range of ingredients, including soy, nuts, sesame and fermented seasonings. Although nuts may not be used in your class menu, they are handled in the same kitchen. MISO UMAMI LAB uses soybeans.
How far ahead should I book?: At least five days before your preferred date for KIKI KOJI LAB and MISO UMAMI LAB, and four days before for UMAMI & KOJI LAB, because its koji is prepared in advance. There are no fixed timetables: send two or three dates that suit your stay, and we will reply within three working days.