RTW Trip Day #6: Homecoming TAKA Cooking, Calligraphy and Origami Class and the Bullet Train to Kyoto

Welcome to our Round‑the‑World Family Sabbatical diary! We’re a Calgary‑based family travelling for 100 days, documenting each step so other families can get an honest, real‑life look at long‑term travel with kids - the highs, the chaos, and everything in between.

This is Day 6 of our journey, where we wrapped up our time in Tokyo with an incredible cooking, calligraphy and origami class called 'Homecoming TAKA', before catching the famous Shinkansen to Kyoto.

You can browse the full 100‑day contents list here, but for now, join us as we learn to fold cranes, dance on udon dough, master sushi with a blowtorch, and settle into our first Kyoto guesthouse.

Day 6 Highlights at a Glance

• Hands‑on family cooking class at Homecoming Taka (udon, sushi, tempura)

• Learning to make origami cranes, write our name in Japanese calligraphy

• A traditional matcha tea ceremony at Taka and Keiko's home

• Riding the shinkansen to Kyoto

• Arriving in Kyoto and checking into Ben’s Guesthouse

For our last day in Tokyo we spent the morning at a cooking, calligraphy and origami class called Homecoming Taka. It was the perfect way to end our time in Tokyo, and although we were sad to leave, it's exciting having now arrived in Kyoto. How many temples will we see in 5 days?!?!

Homecoming TAKA Cooking, Calligraphy and Origami Class

We booked this experience almost 9 months ago after reading the glowing Tripadvisor reviews, and after spending the morning with Taka-San and Keiko-San in their home, it’s clear why everyone speaks so highly of it.

We have written a comprehensive blog post about our visit here

Origami

We started the class by being welcomed by Taka and Keiko with a welcome drink, and Taka explained the itinerary for the day.

Our first activity was learning how to make a paper origami crane, which is a symbol of peace in Japan. Keiko was a wonderful instructor, and she guided us patiently through each fold, and even the girls were able to follow along easily.

Taka gave the girls some origami paper, which was just one of many gifts we were given throughout the day!

Learning to Make Origami

Family Cooking Class: Sushi Making, Udon Noodles & Tempura

Homecoming TAKA sushi making

After finishing our origami, it was time to start cooking. We began by making udon noodles, starting with the dough. Instead of kneading it by hand, we had to put it in a plastic bag and “dance” on it to the beat of YMCA. The kids thought it was absolutely hilarious.

Rolling out the udon noodle dough

Next, we made salmon and red snapper sushi, along with some cucumber maki. We also prepared seared beef sushi, which Taka explained is actually quite common in Japan, despite the common belief that sushi is only made with fish. Jess even got to try cooking the meat herself using a blowtorch, which she absolutely loved it.

Using a blowtorch to cook the wagyu beef sushi

Finally, we made some vegetable tempura. Keiko had already prepared the vegetables, but they showed us how to make the light batter and get the consistency just right.

It was a great mix of vegetables including mushrooms, squash, asparagus, red pepper and zucchini, which was a nice change as we have found it can be quite hard to come across many vegetables in Japan.

The Homecoming TAKA sushi experience

We then sat down at the family table and ate together, and the kids got to learn all about their family and we shared what life is like in Canada. They even offered us free beer and sake and the girls orange juice and apple juice. Taka gave me the rest of the sake bottle to take home with me!

We were offered Japanese confectionary as part of the meal

After lunch we were introduced to a traditional matcha tea ceremony, along with being offered some sweet Japanese confectionery. Taka showed the girls exactly how they should drink from the mug, wipe where they drank from, say something positive and then bow.

Calligraphy

Learning Japanese calligraphy

Last but not least, we tried calligraphy and learned how to write our names in traditional Japanese script. Keiko also wrote each of our names on a piece of paper for us to take home as a keepsake. We are planning to frame it when we get home as it is beautiful.

The wonderful Taka and Keiko welcomed us into their home

After the experience Taka walked us back to the station and even let us borrow some umbrellas as it started to throw it down with rain!

I might write more about this in a separate post as it was such a great experience. If you are in Tokyo I couldn't recommend this anymore, it was perfect.

Read more about our experience at Homecoming TAKA in this blog post.

Find reviews and book your visit here.

The Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Kyoto

Catching the Shinkansen to Kyoto

Catching the bullet train (called the Shinkansen) was something I’d really been looking forward to as it’s such an iconic part of Japan. It perfectly sums up how advanced the country is compared to the UK, where we’re used to slow trains and constant maintenance delays.

Simple, efficient and fast - exactly what you’d expect from Japan.

We had hoped to get a view of mount Fuji from the side of the train that we booked, but unfortunately the rain was pretty bad and all we could see was clouds.

Ben's Guesthouse in Kyoto

We got our first taxi of the trip to Ben’s Guesthouse. Since we were arriving after hours, we’d been given instructions on how to get our key from a locker, but when we opened it, there was no key! Cue the panic. Just as we were frantically searching Booking.com for a last-minute place to stay, someone turned up and let us in.

It’s a nice change from a hotel room as it's located on a quiet residential street, and we had cooking and washing facilities. There was a bit of a musty smell but it wasn't too bad. We did have a drying room which was a first! The girls enjoyed sitting down at the traditional table and chairs in the main room.

Ben's Guesthouse in Kyoto

We had dinner at a small gyoza restaurant near the guesthouse, which was simple and a lovely way to end the day. The owner even brought out some traditional Japanese games for the girls to play with while they waited for their food.

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This journal entry is part of our 100‑day Round‑the‑World family sabbatical, where we’re sharing the real, everyday moments of long‑term travel with kids - the fun, the frustrations, and everything in between.

If you’d like to follow along from the beginning, jump ahead to another destination, or explore our full itinerary, the links are below.

Read Our Full Itinerary

Daily Diary Contents Page

Previous Day #5: Senso-ji & Ueno

Next Day #7: Arashiyama: Temples, Bamboo Forest and the Monkey Park