Sushi Class in Tokyo Over New Year

New Year is the biggest holiday of the Japanese calendar, and it changes how Tokyo works for a few days. Many businesses close or shorten their hours, families travel, and temples and shrines fill with people making their first visit of the year. If you are in Tokyo between late December and early January and want to take a sushi class, the main question is simple: which days actually have sessions?

This guide sets out what our booking calendar showed for the 2026–2027 holiday when we wrote it, how the New Year crowds around Senso-ji affect getting to Asakusa, and how to book without risking a wasted day.

What our calendar showed for this New Year

When we checked our booking calendar on 26 October 2026, the signature sushi and matcha class was scheduled as follows:

• 28 to 30 December: regular sessions, at 10:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 18:00 (with an extra 14:00 session on the 28th).
• 31 December: a single morning session at 10:00.
• 1 to 3 January: no sessions.
• 4 January: regular sessions resume.

The vegan menu is booked into the same signature sessions, so it follows the same schedule. Schedules can change, and individual sessions can sell out, so treat this list as a planning guide rather than a guarantee. The class page always shows the live sessions for your dates.

If you were hoping to make sushi on New Year's Day itself, plan for 31 December or 4 January instead. For private formats, such as our family private class, contact us with your date and party size and wait for a reply before you build plans around it.

Why 31 December is a good day for a class

The morning session on 31 December finishes around 11:30. That leaves the afternoon and evening free for New Year's Eve, while giving you a full meal of sushi you made yourself at lunchtime.

The class takes about 90 minutes. You learn to prepare sushi rice, shape nigiri and roll maki in English, eat everything you make, toast with sake (water or green tea is available instead) and finish by whisking matcha. Please arrive 10 minutes before the start.

When we checked on 26 October, only one session was listed for 31 December, so there were fewer time options than on regular days. If this is your preferred date, check the current availability before booking.

Hatsumode crowds in Asakusa

Hatsumode is the first visit of the year to a shrine or temple, and it typically takes place on the first, second or third day of January. Senso-ji, a few minutes' walk from our studio, is one of the most popular places in Tokyo for it.

In practice, this means the streets around Senso-ji are at their busiest from New Year's Eve through 3 January, with queues to reach the main hall. Since there are no class sessions on 1 to 3 January, that peak will not clash with your class. If you plan to visit Senso-ji yourself, our guide to combining Senso-ji and a sushi class on the same day covers timings on a normal day; over New Year, expect slower movement and allow extra time.

On 31 December and 4 January, allow a little more time than usual to walk from the station. The studio is two minutes from Exit 7 of the Ginza Line's Asakusa Station and 30 seconds from the North Exit of the Tobu Asakusa Station. Our directions from Asakusa Station show each route.

Book early, and know the cancellation rule

Holiday dates are the dates many visitors want, so the usual advice to book early applies more strongly. Our guide to booking in advance or on the day explains the trade-offs in general; around New Year, the fixed travel dates of most visitors and the reduced number of sessions both point towards booking ahead.

Booking early does not lock you in. You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before your class starts, and you can reschedule free of charge with the same notice. Within 24 hours, the full fee applies, and no-shows are not refunded. Our guide to cancelling or rescheduling explains what to send us.

Planning the rest of the holiday

Many restaurants and shops in Tokyo close for at least part of 1 to 3 January, so check opening days for anything else you plan, including meals. The class is a full meal, so it can stand in for lunch or dinner on the day you take it.

If you arrive or leave around New Year with luggage, we have storage space at the studio, so you can bring suitcases to the class. Our guide to taking a sushi class before your flight helps if your departure falls on one of these days.

Dress warmly for the walk; inside the studio you will be working with your hands at a counter, so a layer you can take off is practical.

Your New Year checklist

• Pick your date from 28 to 31 December or from 4 January onward.
• If you want 31 December, remember there is only the 10:00 session.
• Allow extra time to walk through Asakusa around the holiday.
• Add any dietary needs when booking.

Then check live sessions and the current price on the signature class page and book the session that fits your holiday.