Arrive at a casual sushi restaurant in Otaru, a port city in Hokkaido long associated with fresh seafood and traditional fish handling. As you step inside and settle in, the setting makes clear this is a working restaurant — not a tourist facility — which grounds the session in an authentic local context from the start.

Watch as your sushi expert demonstrates nigiri technique directly in front of you, and follow along, shaping rice and placing fish by hand. Your guide is present throughout to explain the techniques and answer your questions, so the session moves at a pace that lets you absorb each step before moving to the next. Work through the process hands-on rather than observing from a distance.

By the end of the session, shape your own nigiri pieces and eat what you have made. Ask your guide questions about technique, ingredients, or Hokkaido seafood that come up during the session — knowledge tied directly to what you prepared with your own hands.