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Learn and Enjoy the Arts and Culture of Japan from Home (Part 2)

Stay productive at home and discover things that perk your interests.  Check out more of what you can learn from home with Airbnb Experiences. Their online classes are affordable and are a great way to learn new things. You can even do a group booking to make an enjoyable virtual get-together with family and friends and let your minds travel to Japan and learn more about their arts and culture!

Kyaraben monster

Kyaraben monster design.

Learn to make kyaraben 

Bento (Japanese boxed lunch) are single portion meals that can either be prepared at home, as takeout from restaurants, or prepacked at convenience stores. It’s an economical, healthful, and delicious meal-in-one that is readily available almost anywhere around Japan. Kyaraben or “character bento” are elaborately created bento meals that use edible ingredients to look like popular characters in Japanese anime, manga, or video games. But you can also use your imagination to make anything you fancy. Making kyaraben was a way to whet the appetites of children and make them excited to eat their meal. Since then, creating kyaraben has become an art form in Japan.

Airbnb Online Experiences: Japanese Cute Cartoon Bento Making is an online class that helps you design your own characters and turn those designs into something edible. You will learn to carve fresh, seasonal ingredients into cartoon faces. You will be given tips to make food art exciting and fun for child and adult alike.

Sake being poured

Traditional Japanese warm sake.

Learn to be a Sake Master

Sake is an important part of Japanese culture—it is a celebratory drink in almost every defining moment of a person’s life. Sake, or rice wine, is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice.  Sake has also influenced Japan’s culinary history, is an important Japanese heritage, and an integral part in truly getting to know the country and its people. Today, sake is renowned all around the world and sake breweries can be found in China, South America, Southeast Asia, North America, and Australia. Some breweries prefer using the older methods of producing sake to retain the taste and flavor of traditional sake.

Izakaya is a Japanese bar similar to a pub. It’s a place to get a drink and some food in an informal setting. A great place to unwind after a long day, izakaya and sake go together like bread and jam.

Airbnb Online Experiences: Izakaya & Sake Culture with a Sommelier is hosted by Yuma, a certified sake sommelier and a restaurant owner in Tokyo. He is the founder of Ninja Food Tours, a gourmet food tour company featured in CNN. Yuma has delved in sake-making and has been running his izakaya restaurant the past 3 years. The class includes a tour of his izakaya restaurant. He also talks about the Japanese izakaya culture, what drinks are served in izakaya restaurants, the basics of sake, and sake food pairings.

Tea for brewing

Tea for brewing.

Learn to Brew Japanese Tea by a Tea Master

Tea is the probably the most popular beverage in Japan and is an important aspect of Japanese culture. Chanoyu is also known as the Way of the Tea. The manner in which the event is performed is called otemae.  The tea ceremony is highly influenced by the principles of Zen Buddhism. Different types of tea are available but green tea remains to be the most common type of tea in the country. Green tea is also the central element of the tea ceremony.

Airbnb Online Experiences: Tips to Brew Delicious Japanese Tea by Tea Master is a class that teaches you that how you brew tea impacts the actual taste. Here the hosts share their knowledge of tea and how to brew it. You will learn about tea leaves and the utensils used. The hosts also explain the difference between Japanese tea and other teas. They will demonstrate several techniques to brew the perfect cup of tea and offer an introduction to Japanese tea arrangement.

Check out part 1 here.

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Read all about Japanese immersion learning and studying abroad. Check out our eZasshi archives for more articles!