Make Nigiri and Sushi Rolls with an Expert Chef and Enjoy a Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Toyosu Market

Growing Up in Ibaraki with Dreams of Making Sushi

Ryota Inose hails from a family of restaurateurs. As a child growing up north of Tokyo in Ibaraki Prefecture, he watched his father run a local ramen restaurant, even helping out from time to time. But it was an early encounter with an entirely different type of Japanese cuisine that would change Inose’s life, setting him on a path that would eventually lead to a stylish new sushi restaurant in Ginza bearing his name.

It happened when he was still in elementary school during a meal with his family at a sushi restaurant. Seated at the counter, he was greatly impressed as the chef expertly sliced and shaped the ingredients before shaping them into delicious pieces of sushi—right before the customers’ eyes. It was this childhood memory that motivated Inose to put in the years of training necessary to become a skilled sushi chef before finally opening Ginza Inose as his own restaurant in 2026. Remembering how inspired he was in his youth, he now hopes to find ways to help others – including children – experience the joys of making sushi too.

Explore the Source of Tokyo’s Sushi with a Tour of Toyosu Market

Your morning begins with a private guided tour of Toyosu Market, the largest wholesale fish market in the world. Follow your guide Kazuhiko Tajima as he takes you deep into the wholesale section of the market (normally off limits to visitors). Amidst the lively banter of dealers and purchasers, you will pass by countless varieties of fish, shellfish, and other marine delicacies. Many of these may be entirely unfamiliar to you, so feel free to ask Tajima lots of questions. 

Shops specializing in high-end tuna are particularly intriguing. Often run by the same family for multiple generations, these wholesalers divide large pieces of tuna into smaller portions that are delivered to trusted customers. At Ishiji, run by a third-generation owner from the Shinoda family, you can watch the dealers slice expertly through deep-red cuts of tuna with knives so long and sharp that they resemble swords from a bygone era.

Many chefs and restaurateurs visit Toyosu Market on a regular basis. Some, like Ryota Inose, come every morning. As a highly-acclaimed chef himself, Tajima explains that the reasons for this are twofold. In order to provide the best-quality ingredients in their restaurants, chefs understand the value of speaking to experts in the market who understand their fish better than anyone. Establishing close professional relationships with dealers is also crucial to ensure quality, variety, and consistency.

Learn How to Make Nigiri and Maki Sushi at the Restaurant Counter

A short taxi ride from Toyosu Market will carry you to Ginza Inose, the sushi restaurant run by head chef Ryota Inose. Make yourself at home within its stylish interior, taking a seat at the counter for a memorable sushi-making experience. Chef Inose will begin with a demonstration on how to make shari, sushi rice, demonstrating how the rice is mixed with vinegar in a large shallow wooden tub and then cooled for a time before it is ready to be used.

You will then learn how to make nigiri, the most classic style of sushi, where slices of fish or other ingredients are pressed onto a bed of rice. Watch Inose carefully as he takes you through the steps: wetting the hands, shaping the rice, placing the slice of fish on top, and gently pressing the whole thing together. Don’t worry if it doesn’t go to plan the first time. The process seems simple, but it takes lots of practice to create mouth-watering works of culinary art. 

*If you feel comfortable using a knife, Inose can also teach you the correct technique for slicing fish into appropriately thin slices. For safety reasons, the chef may choose to restrict knife usage by children.

After making (and eating) several nigiri, you will then have the chance to try your hand at maki sushi rolls. Follow Inose’s lead as you start by spreading rice across a rectangular piece of dried nori seaweed, then lay the ingredients across the center of the rice. Using a special bamboo mat called a makisu, you will transform these beginnings into a long maki roll with the ingredients in the center, which can then be sliced into easily edible portions. Be sure to savor every bite. 

Experience the Incomparable Flavors of Sushi Made Just for You

After all the fun of learning to make sushi, you may want to try a few pieces made by the chef himself. Among his nigiri specialties are favorites like akami (lean red tuna), otoro (fatty tuna), and chutoro (medium-fatty tuna), as well as salmon, kohada (spotted sardine), and hirame (flounder). Popular maki rolls include salmon, tuna, and kappa (cucumber).

Before you choose, take some time to speak with Inose to receive his recommendations, which often vary based on the time of year and the items available in the market. Once you have made your choice, sit back and watch the master at work. There is no appetizer quite like watching sushi prepared with expert precision, right before your eyes. 

*For all dishes ordered from the chef, additional fees apply. Please pay on site.

A Journey to the Heart of Japan’s Culinary Tradition

Much has been said and written about Japan’s vaunted food supply chain and indeed there is much to be praised in terms of efficiency, variety, and quality. And yet what stands at the heart of the success of the country’s deep culinary tradition is not the system itself but rather the network of strong relationships forged between those who rear, catch, and transport the food, and those who serve it up to eager customers.

Through this exclusive family-friendly Wabunka tour of Toyosu Market and sushi-making experience at Ginza Inose, you will encounter just a few of these talented, passionate people. By spending time with Tajima, Inose, and the dealers at the market, and trying your hand at sushi-making, you will begin to understand why they place so much value on food and why everything they produce tastes so good.