How to Plan Meals Around a Sushi Class

Food travellers in Tokyo often plan their days around meals. A sushi class adds a slightly awkward question to that plan: if you are going to eat the sushi you make, does it count as lunch or dinner? Should you eat beforehand? Is it wise to book a restaurant straight afterwards?

There is no single right answer, because appetite and travel styles differ. What helps is understanding what the class involves and then leaving yourself some room around it. This guide uses our signature sushi and matcha class in Asakusa as the example: a 90-minute, beginner-friendly session taught in English, in which you make nigiri and maki, join a sake toast and whisk your own matcha.

What you eat and drink during the class

During the session, you taste the nigiri and maki you have made. There is a sake toast, with water or green tea available if you do not drink alcohol, and the class finishes with the matcha you whisk yourself.

How full that leaves you is harder to predict. It depends on your appetite, what you ate earlier and how you usually feel after a sushi meal. Some people will be happy to skip their next meal; others will want something more a little later. For that reason, it is safer to think of the class as a food experience that will affect your appetite, rather than as a fixed replacement for a particular meal.

Start with the class time, not the meal

Before you plan any meals, look at the date you want on the class page and note the start time shown for it. Sessions can differ by date, so a plan built around an assumed time can fall apart.

Then map out the block:

• your travel to Asakusa, plus a margin;
• arrival 10 minutes before the start;
• the 90-minute class;
• time to leave and move on.

Once you can see that block, it becomes much clearer where meals fit. Our guide to how long a sushi class takes and how to plan your day goes through this timing in more detail.

If your class is earlier in the day

When the class falls in the morning, the main question is breakfast.

• Eat lightly beforehand. A small breakfast keeps you comfortable without leaving you too full to enjoy what you make.
• Keep lunch open. Decide after the class how hungry you are. You might want a light lunch, a snack, or nothing for a while.
• Use the rest of the day freely. An earlier class leaves the afternoon for sightseeing and a later meal of your choice.

If your class is around the middle of the day

A class near lunchtime can become part of your midday eating, or sit alongside it.

• Avoid a large late breakfast. It can leave little appetite when the tasting begins.
• Carry a small snack if you tend to get hungry. Travel delays can push your meal back further than you planned.
• Treat afternoon plans as flexible. If you feel satisfied after the class, you can walk around Asakusa before thinking about food again.

If your class is later in the day

When the class is later, the main question is dinner.

• Do not book a large, fixed-time dinner immediately afterwards. You may not have the appetite for it, and any delay leaves you rushing.
• Choose a flexible option. A place where you can order a little or a lot, or a reservation later in the evening, is easier to adjust.
• Eat a normal lunch. Skipping meals all day to "save room" can leave you uncomfortable before the class even starts.

Sightseeing around the class

Asakusa makes it easy to combine a class with walking around the area before or after. A few points keep the food side comfortable:

• Be careful with snacking just before the class. It is tempting to try things on the way, but a lot of snacks right before the session will affect how much you enjoy the sushi.
• Save food stops for afterwards if you are unsure. You will know better then how much you want.
• Give fixed-time attractions a buffer. Leave room between the class and anything with a set entry time.

For ideas on combining a sushi class with other experiences in the same area, see our article on spending a half day with sushi and matcha in Asakusa. Use it for inspiration, and check the class page for current timings.

Non-drinkers and dietary needs

If you do not drink alcohol, you do not need to change your plans. Water or green tea is available during the sake toast, so you can take part without drinking.

If you have dietary requirements, contact us before booking. This also matters for meal planning: knowing in advance what you will be able to eat in the class helps you decide how much to eat before and after.

Common planning mistakes

• Counting the class as a guaranteed full meal. It might be enough for you, or it might not. Keep a simple backup.
• Arriving very full. A big meal right before the class takes away some of the enjoyment.
• Stacking food activities back to back. A restaurant booking, food tour or large tasting straight after the class is often too much.
• Forgetting the start time can change by date. Always confirm it for your booking.

A simple way to plan

Before you book, write down the class start time for your date, the meal just before it and the meal just after it. Mark the meal before as "light" and the meal after as "flexible". That small rule covers most travellers without trying to control every detail of the day.

When you are ready, open the signature sushi and matcha class page to check the dates and start times currently offered for your party, then build your meals around the time you choose.