chica

初めてのキッチハイクでどんな場になるのかドキドキしていましたが、気さくに話しかけてくれるChicaさんの人柄と季節の美味しいご飯にもてなされ心もお腹も大満足。一汁三菜のお食事は食材・調味料にこだわっていて季節を楽しめる内容でした。また食事の後に近所を散策しながら地域の文化や歴史を教えていただけたことがとても面白かったです。ありがとうございました。

Chica is a very good person, very friendly and very kindly. We're learned how to cook Japanese food and enjoy delicious lunch. She also guide us to see, to feel and know many Japanese culture. It's a wonderfour day, full of happy and laughing. Thank you Chicason.

I cooked Japanese food with Chikasan!!! That was perfect for me because I could take Japanese soup stock and every dishes were very delicious !!!
And I could study about ichijusansai

Thank you for everything.

it's a rally specially day to be a hike with Chika. She is a very kindly person, beside good test lunch, she is a good guide. what a wonderful experience.

初めてのハイクで緊張して伺いましたが、温かいおもてなしにうれしい気持ちでいっぱいになりました。家の室礼、お食事、食器、おしゃべり、散策等すべてが自然体のまま、最高の雰囲気を出してました。Chikaさんのお人柄と思います。日本人の家庭でのおもてなしそのものと感激しました。ありがとうございました。
Chika-san's smile eased my tension at my first visit as a hike. Her hospitality was very warm and beautiful. She made me remember the basic homelike of Japan. Thank you so much.

Chica is a nice cooker teacher, we love to shared moment with him, his son is very nice too. We come with a baby and Chica was soo friendly, helpful... I have no word to explain how I'm happy to meet Chica and how food is good :), and the view of his appartement is incredible ! We really love to visit his district with him, Japan is a nice country where people love baby !
I highly recommand Chica cooker, thank you so much for this training, hope see you again !
Aurélie and his family

It was really wonderful time!!!
I could learn about WASHOKU so much.Not only how to cook Japanese food, but also about Japanese culture. Her knowledge of Japan is so much. Our lunch
was very yummy!!! Because we cooked with lot of smile.She is really beautiful person. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for giving me such a special fun time. See you again!!!

We had a absolutely fantastic time with Chica in her home. The whole cooking process was amazing and we all learnt a lot about Japanese food through the experience. Chica is a lovely and welcoming person and we felt at ease in her company. All up this was one of our highlights about visiting Japan!

何の計画もなくで行った今度の東京旅行で唯一の予定だったkitchhike。
料理を習うことだけではなく普通の旅行では経験できない本当に楽しい時間でした。
普通の旅行だけではなくてもっと日本が知りたい人には本当におすすめです。（だったらこれ日本語じゃなくて英語のほうがいいと思いますが…；；；）
chicaさん、 hiroさん、 michiさん　またね！！

I had a wonderful time with Chika and her son Hiro! They're so nice person and very kind of me. Chika's Japanese Washoku is all hearty and tasty. The taste of Japanese's Moms cooking. I really would like to recommend this experience with them, Especially tourist from all over the world and of course Japanese who would like to learn Mon's cooking, like me! You can spend a peaceful time then. Thank you so much for welcoming, Chika!

On our first trip ever to Japan we were very lucky to discover KitchHike and to spend an evening in Tokyo with our very nice hostess Chica and her son Hiro.
Chica first introduced us to the area she's living in along the Sumida river, an old fishermen's neighbourhood where she showed us around old shops and shrines.
Then we went to her small but very cosy appartment at the 13th floor of a high building with wonderful views over the river and Tokyo. We did a bit of cooking together and enjoyed the delicious dinner she prepared for us. It was an adventure and a real pleasure to discover all these new tastes. Thank you Chica for the wonderful evening. We will certainly recommend to our friends visiting Japan in the future to come and meet you. Nicole and William from Brussels, Belgium.

This is our third time visiting Japan and we decided to have a more cultural experience and have a bit more interaction with local people.

Kitchhike with Chica is one of the highlights of our trip. Chica started with us walking around her neighbourhood of Tsukushima while telling us the history of places we walked pass. She took us to a candy store at a hundred-year old building. (We would not think to go into such a local shop if we toured by ourselves). After strolling through some traditional small streets and a riverside parkland, we reached to her modern apartments.

Chica then showed us how to cook a traditional Japanese meal. The meal was very tasty and she even showed us the proper way of presenting the dishes on the plate. Her son Hiro also joined us and is a fluent English speaker. They are very hospitable and original. It's an intimate experience of Japan.

I had a good time in Chica's KitchHike, not only dishes but also a view from her home, a river side with much nature and birds, historical town near her home, and so on.

I am Japanese. But I have some friends in foreign countries.
They want to try not only sightseeing, but also experience something special in Japan.
And I will recommend "KitchHick".
But before that, firstly I wanted to experience KitchHike by myself,especially Washoku.

Chica's Washoku was so nostalgic for me, Japanese.
Off course, it tasted so good and looked beautiful.
It contained "Japanese Spirits and Hearts", I supposed.
She explained many things, for example, how to cook, the reason why she started KitchHike, and so on.
I enjoyed eating, cooking and talking very much.
Next time, I will recommend Chica's KitchHike to my foreign friends.

On 20 May 2016 we had the privilege to cook a delicious Japanese meal together with Chica at her home.
Chica kindly picked us up at the metro station and we had a diverting walk to her place.
Together with her husband and her son she lives in a very beautiful apartment with a fantastic view on the river Sumida.

We really enjoyed cooking and eating a classic Japanese dish together with Chica. She explained everything and even provided us with the recipe that we will try to follow, once back in Germany. And it tasted great, of course!

After a tea ceremony, Chica and her nice son Hiro went out for a walk with us to the nearby park along the river and showed us some very interesting spots in their neighborhood.

Cooking with Chica was an exciting experience for us! We had a really good time with her, felt very comfortable and can only recommend kitchhike with Chica – especially when you are interested in traditional Japanese food.

Thank you very much, Chica for this extraordinary experience!
Renate & Richard from Düsseldorf, Germany

Last March my friend Olga and I spend a lovely afternoon with Chica and her son and enjoyed the delicious lunch Chica had prepared for us.
Chica picked us up from the subway station nearby her apartment. It was a short walk to her beautiful home. Chica is a very friendly and warm person and we felt comfortable with her immediately. Her apartment is very elegant decorated and has great views of the Sumida river.
Before we sat down for lunch Chica served us a welcome drink with a real cherry blossom flower in the cup. A very nice gesture since the sakura trees where almost blooming. While drinking the welcome drink Chica told us about the dishes she had prepared for us and the meal as a whole. Then we went to the kitchen and she showed us how to make the soup we where going to eat and learned us how to make a beautiful tofu flower for in the soup.
Her son came home to join us for lunch and the feast begun!! The food was delicious!! Beautiful presented in various individual bowls. She had prepared a piece of very tasteful fish, beef with vegetables, a cucumber, seeweed and tiny fish salade, a soup (with the tofu flower 😀), rice and a small edible surprise which I will not tell. You will have to experience it yourself! The flavours of the food where very nice together. It was a very delicious meal!
While we where eating we talked about Japan and the Netherlands (where we live), about traveling and a lot of other things. It felt like a family meal, very relaxed, eating and talking together.
Chica's son has studied in England and his English is perfect. And both he and Chica are very easy to talk to.
After lunch Chica served the most beautiful plate with wagashi (Japanese sweets) and prepared matcha for each of us with a chasen (special bamboo whisk) in a beautiful big cup. She showed us how to handle the chasen and turning the cup before giving it to somebody and how to take the cup from the person who has prepared the matcha and how to drink it. A private little tea ceremony! Very special. You only are suposed to make matcha for others and not for yourself so Chica let me try to make matcha for her. It is not so easy!! It's all in the wrist and you have to whisk pretty hard. It was fun to do! The wagashi where not only pretty to look at but tasted very nice as well. Sweet.
Then we said goodbye to Chica's son and had a nice stroll around the neighbourhood with Chica. First along the Sumida river and then to a part where in the past fishermen used to live. Chica lives in a lovely neighbourhood. New high buildings and low older houses next to eachother. We went to a nice small neighbourhood shrine and Chica showed us how to wash your hands before entering the shrine and how to pray by bowing and clapping your hands. We passed some interesting shops and Chica told us about the neighbourhood. It was so nice to see that small part of Tokyo. I don't think we would have seen it if Chica hadn't showed it. A most pleasant end of our afternoon together.
Thank you Chica!!
For everyone who is reading this and is planning a trip to Tokyo (or is living in Tokyo and wants to meet someone new), I highly recommend to contact Chica and enjoy a delicious meal with her!!

Groetjes from the Netherlands,
Helen.

Sorry for the late review. I am still digesting what happened in Tokyo. Everything was amazing.
Chica san was there to pick me up from the station.
Chica san is a very friendly lady and she speaks English well.
We had a great chat in a mix of Japanese and English.
I tried some Japanese traditional food for the very first time.
With the guidance of Chica san, I even got a chance to be in the kitchen to prepare food.
It was a wonderful afternoon.
I wish I could return and visit again.
Maybe learn some more cooking skills from Chica san.
Thank you!

WHAT A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!!

I give this experience a 10/10

Chika was very welcoming even before I left Australia. She asked me if i was in Tokyo yet and she organised our meeting point at her local station.
She took us to her place and we met her son Hiro who was very friendly.
Chika knew we were from Australia and both her and Hiro wore their Sydney Ts which were given to them as souvenirs! Chika went through extensive efforts to ensure we were treated as her VIPs.
The experience started off with some cherry blossom tea, a chat followed by the preparation and cooking of the lunch menu (many of the ingredients were prepared by Chika already), a tea ceremony and a stroll in her neighbourhood of Tsukishima where we were taken to an old shop that sells Japanese meat, a lovely walk along the bank and visited the local temple.
This was truly a wonderful experience and to get to know Japan on a deeper level.

The experience is truly rewarding. I strongly recommend Chika to all visitors to Japan. I can assure you will enjoy the experience as much as I did.

Chikayo is a really nice and polite person! We had a lot of fun together in her kitchen, the meal was delicious and she was really organized. You can see more pics in my foodblog: http://www.kulinarische-momentaufnahmen.de/kulinarische-reisepost-aus-japan-3-kitchhike-in-tokyo
Arigato, Chikayo!

If you are looking for a very different experience when traveling to Tokyo, having a meal with Chica is really worth doing!.
Chica received us ( me and my 14 years old son) for lunch with 2 of her friends, and putting all our english skills together we managed to have a very good communication. They came to pick us up at the subway station and we walked together to her appartement which has a very good view over the Sumida river and the skyscrappers.
There we cooked together ( Chica is very well organized for this) and it was very cool....I could take note of the recipies and I will sure try them back at home(if I find the ingredients!!). Chica is very knowledgable about the different ingredients and where they come from, so it is also a lesson of geography and culture.
The food was delicious, we ended up with traditional japanese desert made of red bean paste and Chica prepared tea following the tea ceremony steps and explaining at the same time.
All in all it was a very nice experience. I was really touched by the warmth and attentiveness that Chica demonstrated to us , she is a great ambassador for japanese culture....so THANK YOU CHICA!

Chica-san is a wonderful host and very good cook. She is happy to share her knowledge of cooking and Japanese culture. She had prepared a main dish (fish) and several delicious side dishes ahead of time and let me help prepare the soup. What an honor to be invited into her home and share a lovely meal. I highly recommended Chica-san.
Thank you very much, Chica-san. I very much enjoyed our lunch together and the tour of your neighborhood. Thank you for sharing the pictures of your travels.

Chica さん is such a good cooker and a nice person! Me and my friend were immediately become good friends with her even though we can't talk fluently owing to the obstacle of language. Her smile and onomatopoeia really let us go deep in her world! Not to mention the delicious cuisines she prepared for us!
Meeting with chica is definitely the most memorable thing during our trip in Tokyo! And this memory will undoubtedly last forever in my mind!

After having the lunch , Chika shared with me her hiking albums! Really appreciate Her systematic album system and then she brought me the river side park to enjoy the nice view around 月島where she lived at ! I enjoyed the relaxing walk with the super bright sunset and also the bridge coz I love bridge very much ! She also introduced me the tree and plants with nice smell ! So fall into the autumn mood wooohooo! So fantastic ! They also brought me to nearby signature food shop and street so that I could visit those aged shop so happy ! After the walk , we went back home and started cooking again ! She taught me to cut the flower tofu and cook the traditional Japanese dinner ! After that I was so blessed to appreciate the Japanese tea ceremony demonstrated by Chika sensei ! It was totally the super gifts of the day woooohooo!!!

Thanks so much for brining me a great memory and magical moment in this happy and warm family ! It is really a fruitful and blessed day to meet Chika and Her family and know more about the Japanese cooking technique and tea ceremony ! Super happy indeed woooohooooo thanks again for everything Chika sensei wooohoooo

Thanks Chica sensei and Hiro kun for picking me at the station and introduce the food shop and super markets around her home, she introduced every ingredients in details while we were in super market buying the stuff , so happy to know the Japanese food name of them one by one ! After arriving her home, We made the tempura, we cooked the udon with two types for comparison ! So happy to see purple Learn so much during the cooking time and I marked down the procedure and the food name in Japanese step by step , one by one ! We enjoyed the Cooking time so much ! We shared our cooking life and Chika also shared with me her hiking pics and travelling pics albums !! So great indeed ! Her home got a very nice view so happy and warm home !also I was very impressed by her pics and tailored made album! Want to learn her for organising my traveling , hiking and cooking and photography pics woooohoooo! We shared a lots and then she and her son brought me to nearby park ! I like the scene and the relaxing mood there and the sunset and the bridge ! They also brought me to nearby old food shop And village to share with me their food history and culture and also introduced the plants with me sooooo fruitful afternoon

I had the most wonderful evening at the home of Chica and her son Hiro. The entire evening was very special and was certainly the most enjoyable part of my trip to Tokyo. Which is impressive given that Tokyo is so amazing.

I was met by Chica and Hiro at the subway exit near their home. On the way to their home I was given a tour of the area. Arriving to the apartment I was amazed by the view of the river and of downtown Tokyo. It was the best view of the city I had seen. It was lovely watching the light dim and seeing the lights of this magical city turn on.

My hosts were very warm and inviting and I I existent felt at home. We sat down and chatted for a while and cooled down from the heat outside. I then helped Chica prepare the meal. The details and preparation which went into this meal were immense compared to western dishes, it was fantastic having someone with insight into Japanese cuisine take me through each dish. I was really pleased at getting to cool dishes I had never heard of before. And got to try the raw ingredients before they were used to get a sense of each one. The meal was hands down the best food I have tasted in Asia. It was made from the heart. It was washed down with a nice local beer also.

I was then privileged as I was allowed to try on a Yakuta. This is an experience that most tourists do not get to experience easily and so I believe it was very special.

We finished off the night with some great tea ice cream and desert. And then I was given a bowl of Matcha green tea.

Chica and Hiro walked me back to the subway afterwards and I felt very sad about the night having to end.

If you come to Tokyo a KitchHike experience is a must do. I could not recommend Chica more!

Chika is one of the many people who prepares 和食 (washoku) or Japanese food here on Kitch Hike. Living in an area known as 月島 (Tsukishima) Chika lives in an apartment complex along with her husband and son. Her husband is a typical Japanese salaryman. However, her husband is a little on the shy side, so when visiting Chika’s home, you may not get the opportunity to meet him. Visiting her house, you will very likely get the opportunity to meet her son. Her son (a college graduate), is now in the process of trying to get into Graduate school in England. Therefore can speak English, so you’ll have no worries about not being able to communicate.
Chika has had the opportunity to study cooking, and doesn’t just make delicious food, but is also very knowledgable in the ingredients that she uses. When I had the opportunity to visit her home, I was very surprised in about how much she knew, and how much she taught me. I learn lots about washoku, and found myself learning very useful tips that I can use myself when cooking.
Chika loves to cook, and loves sharing her knowledge with other people. You don’t need to worry about not being able to eat at her house, she’s available whenever you are. Let her know what day works best for you!

We had great time! Chica and her son, Tomo kun were so nice. They are so kind, warm and considerate peoples! Chica guided us around Tsukishima area before dinner. There are many kinds of places to see to learn Edo era history. Many locals were preparing the festival when we visit. We were so lucky!!! hehe!
Her home made meals were quite delicious! Not only delicious but also sooooo beautiful! This is Japanese home made meal. She cut Tofu as like a flower. It's a kind of art. She is special! Highly recommended!!!!!

It was a great dinner session with Ms Chikayo and her son, Hiro. Her home-cooked dinner is really delicious, she has even took pictures and carefully explained the ingredients for every dishes that she made for me. It was a nice cosy dinner with a great view to see the Tokyo Sky Tree, Tokyo Station and the Sumida river from the balcony.

We had a lot of interactions and jokes, in exchanging thoughts and cultures. I glad to try the matcha tea and learn about the tea culture that Ms Chikayo prepared for me using her beloved matcha bowl which was given by her mum.

I feel very honored for being the first even KitchHike guest to Ms Chikayo's House. And I hope there will be more opportunities for Ms Chikayo to host dinner for other guests soon.

Thank you, Hikayo and Hiro! :)