Two traditions,
taught together.
&LAB TOKYO teaches Japanese koji fermentation and raw living food in the same kitchen. Almost nobody does both. Putting them next to each other is the reason this school exists.
Why fermentation and raw food belong in one room
Raw food is defined by a temperature: nothing goes above roughly 48°C. Koji fermentation is defined by a living organism doing slow work at low temperature. Look at them from a distance and they seem unrelated — one is a Californian idea from the 1970s, the other is centuries of Japanese household practice. Look closely and they share the same constraint, and the same answer to it.
What comes out of putting them together is not a compromise. Koji gives sweetness a depth that maple syrup on its own cannot reach. Raw preparation gives fermented seasonings a place in dishes where they would normally be cooked away. We teach both because the interesting part is where they meet.
We do not teach either of them as a diet, and we do not make claims about what they will do for your body. We teach how they are made.
Chie Ando
Chie Ando is a chef and author based in Tokyo, certified by ELLE gourmet. Born in Fukuoka in 1973, she grew up in a family that ran a traditional Japanese restaurant. She began studying raw food and fermentation seriously in her late thirties, founded &LAB TOKYO in 2015, and moved the school to Tokyo in 2021.
She has written the textbooks used in every course here — on raw food, raw sweets, raw chocolate and Japanese fermentation. Her book &RAW LIVING Step 1 reached number one in its category on Amazon Japan and was supervised by Dr Kazuhiro Yoshida, MD, who holds a doctorate in medicine from Kyoto University.
She holds the trademarks for Hakko Souka®, Raw Patissier®, Raw Chocolatier® and Raw Chocolate Meister®, and she is the representative of the Raw Chocolatier Association and the Hakko Souka Association — both voluntary bodies rather than incorporated organisations.
She teaches every class herself. That is the reason group sizes are small.
Media and appearances
- 2025 — TV Asahi Good! Morning; CBS42 and FOX WFXR News (USA); recipes for ELLE gourmet
- 2024 — Veggy magazine vol. 96; nominated for the Japan Vegan Award; Sapporo Beer event
- 2023 — ELLE gourmet, several features; judge at the Suizenji-nori recipe competition; cacao farm research in Malaysia
- 2022 — Raw Chocolatier® registered as a trademark
- Ambassador for Kuvings, MATEUS, Veggy and GABAN
Practical facts
| Where | Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Walking distance from Gaienmae, Omotesando, Sendagaya and Kokuritsu-Kyogijo stations. The exact address is sent after booking. |
|---|---|
| Group size | One to four people |
| Food | Plant-based. Tell us about allergies and preferences when you write. |
| Language | Lessons are taught in Japanese and can be joined in simple English. KIKI KOJI LAB is hosted by Chie in simple English with an English guide; UMAMI & KOJI LAB includes English-speaking support staff. |
| Online | All of our lessons can be taken online, from anywhere. Joining in simple English costs nothing extra; fuller language support can be arranged for an additional fee. Video-only lessons in English are in preparation. |