WELCOME TO JAPAN! BREAD BAKING CLASS!

Hi there and welcome! I’m Satomi, your bread baking teacher at JaPan! Bread Baking Class in Nakano, Tokyo. I give hands-on bread lessons for travelers from around the world.

In this page, I will share with you how I started making bread, how I teach my classes now, and why bread-making is so special to me. Thank you for reading!

Where the Love for Baking Began

I’ve loved making sweets since I was a child. I don’t remember the exact reason, but I think it started when I was in elementary school and made chocolate treats for Valentine’s Day. In Japan, Valentine’s Day is a little different—girls give chocolate to friends, family, and someone they like. That gave me a strong interest in baking, and in high school, I even worked part-time in a muffin shop, helping with production.

As my love for sweets deepened, I naturally became curious about bread-making. A warm memory I had always carried with me was the gentle, comforting taste of the raisin bread my mom used to bake. That nostalgic flavor quietly guided me toward baking bread. In the beginning, baking bread wasn’t as easy as I expected. My bread didn’t look nice and often became hard after cooling. But I still found so much joy in the process itself that I kept baking whenever I had the time, completely absorbed in it.

Finding Peace Through Bread During the Pandemic

Even though I often failed, I continued baking bread as a hobby for many years. But I started taking it more seriously in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, I was working in a hotel office and also taking care of my child at home. Every day felt like a race, with no time to rest. Then everything changed. Tourists disappeared, and we were asked to take time off from work. I suddenly found myself with unexpected free time at home. At first, I was confused, but I decided to use that time for myself and started to focus deeply on bread-making. This time, it felt different. Instead of following recipes, I watched the dough carefully and worked with it like I was having a quiet conversation. To my surprise, the bread started to taste better. Every small success gave me warm confidence and made me feel stronger inside.

During those uncertain days, baking became healing for me. The quiet time I spent watching the dough felt like a moment to look into myself—something I hadn’t been able to do for a long time. It brought a kind of calm I didn’t know I needed. In the end, bread-making became more than a hobby—it became something deeply therapeutic.

Opening a New Chapter with Bread and Heart

I worked in hotels for 13 years, both in Japan and abroad (Maldives and Thailand), mostly as a front desk staff member. I met many guests and learned about different cultures and ways of thinking. This experience became an important part of my life and something I feel proud of. When I became pregnant, I was transferred to a hotel office role. That work also gave me new experiences—I learned more about how the hotel operated behind the scenes, and I had many chances to talk with guests over the phone. However, over time, I started to feel that something didn’t fully match with what I wanted in my career. I asked myself, “Should I keep working in hotels forever?” And the answer was no. I wanted to do something more meaningful. I wanted to do something only I could do. But I didn’t know what that was. I spent many days just scrolling through social media, feeling like I might find some kind of answer there. But I didn’t.

Then, I remembered something a friend had told me a few years before. “Why don’t you teach bread-making?” At that time, I thought it was impossible, but I couldn’t forget those words. Yes, bread-making was something I truly loved. It always gave me peace and comfort. When life was busy and I ignored my own feelings, baking bread was the one time I felt like myself again. Then I realized—I wanted to share that with others. To be honest, shifting from my job in the hotel industry to becoming a bread baking teacher was a major decision. I was scared to leave the security of a stable position, and I often questioned whether I was truly capable of making such a big change. But deep down, I knew this was what I really wanted and if I didn’t take a step forward, nothing in my life would ever change. So, I made the choice—to follow the path toward the life I had dreamed of.

After that, I read many books about bread-making, baked as much as I could, and worked hard to improve my skills. One year later, I left the hotel job and stepped into a new chapter—one where I could finally do what I truly loved: sharing the joy of bread-making with others.

Inspirations Behind My Bread Lessons

My journey as a bread baking teacher began during a time when people still couldn’t go out freely. So, I started with online lessons. Thankfully, students joined not only from across Japan but also from other countries. Through these lessons, I was able to share the joy of baking with many people.

For those who couldn’t join live lessons—such as people with full-time jobs or parents with young children—I offered video lessons. I also discovered that I really enjoy creating videos, and that was another gift I received through bread-making. Now, I share a variety of Japanese bread recipes on YouTube so more people can enjoy baking at home.

Then, in 2024, as many tourists were already visiting Japan again, I finally began offering hands-on classes for international visitors—a dream I had held for a long time.
Since then, I’ve been deeply moved by the way so many of my international students have embraced not only Japanese bread, but also Japanese culture itself. Seeing people from around the world care so much about my country fills me with joy and gratitude.

This is why I don’t just teach bread-making techniques—I try to share the spirit behind Japanese bread as well. In Japan, we grow up valuing thoughtfulness and care for others. I believe that spirit lives in how we treat our dough, too. For example, there is kindness in the way we place our hands gently on the dough, and quiet patience in the time we take to let it rise. Japanese bread is soft, fluffy, and comforting. Behind Japanese bread is an invisible sense of care—a kind of kindness that you can taste. I see this as part of Japan’s unique beauty, and I hope to share it through every lesson I give.

Thank you so much for reading my story.

From this small kitchen in Tokyo, I dream of sharing Japanese bread and culture with the world.
Even if your time in Japan is short, I would be so happy if you could experience the gentle flavors and traditional techniques of Japanese bread—something that has been loved in Japan for many years.

I truly look forward to baking together with you in my kitchen.