Learn to Bake in Tokyo!

Raspberry Fromage

How about learning how to bake? Well, I recently thought about that. I thought I need to learn some new skills while I am enjoying my life in Tokyo. I am not really very good with domestic tasks, i.e. tasks at home, so I thought I might as well try my hands on something I view as a challenge. I decided to take baking classes at ABC Cooking Studio with a friend. We only took three classes to test the waters before fully committing to the whole course. 

We first took a free trial class where we made Ham and Cheese Bread and Chocolate Chip Rolls. This trial class was free for us because of a campaign for the opening of this particular branch. But on regular days, I think a trial class only costs Y500. At the trial class, you would be asked to "share the experience" with someone, meaning, you have to share cooking utensils and alternate with another person in doing the exercises since only one set of utensils and ingredients are set before you. But no worries, because the amount of ingredients you have will be enough for two persons! You can take home at least four pieces of yummy bread after! While waiting for the bread to cook, the staff would offer you their packages. This studio also offers dessert making classes and traditional Japanese cooking classes. Take your time thinking about which package to choose. Do not feel pressured with the staff who would constantly keep on coming back to ask you if you had already made your decision. If you are really not up for it and would really just want to try the trial, I think it fine. Just clearly and politely tell the staff about your decision.

After enrolling to the class, you can choose the schedule of your classes. Usually, there is a set period for you to complete your classes. For our three classes, I think we had three months to schedule and finish the three classes. They have time slots for each branch and you can choose the most convenient for you. You can reschedule your class if something has came up but you should double check the rules they have for rescheduling - the change should be done before 11am of the day prior to your chosen schedule. 

Each class lasts for two hours. You will have a lot of down time in the middle of the class because you have to wait for the dough to rise or wait while the oven preheats. You can drink some beverages for free while waiting. I recommend taking a class with a friend. It is more fun when you have someone to laugh with during crazy kitchen moments and you will have someone to ask when you do not understand the teacher's instructions. The teachers are very nice and they would try to help you as much as they can. Knowing that my friend and I do not speak Japanese fluently, our teacher used very simple Japanese to communicate with us. She would also reiterate instructions when we appeared clueless or demonstrate a technique for us to understand. Not all teachers though are like that, I must say. Some of them tend to hurry in the lesson because several classes are scheduled one after the other so there should be no time for over time! If you already find a teacher with whom you have a good rapport, you can schedule your class with that teacher for the rest of your classes. 

Taking classes at ABC Cooking Studio is a cheap and fun way to develop new skills!

DISCLAIMER: This is not a sponsored post. I was not commissioned to write reviews or post any promotional content for the studio. I am merely sharing my experiences as a happy camper.