【Ota-ku, Tokyo】 'Additive-Free Kimchi Class' to Learn Authentic Korean Fermented Kimchi Held on April 25. Lee-san of the YouTube Channel 'Lee-san Channel' with 173,000 Subscribers Will Teach Directly

Lee-san Co., Ltd. (Location: Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture; Representative Director: Kazuo Kageura), which operates a restaurant business and additive-free kimchi classes nationwide, will hold an 'Additive-Free Kimchi Class' at 'Ikegami Kaikan' in Ota-ku, Tokyo, on Saturday, April 25, from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM. While most commercially available kimchi are unfermented 'lightly pickled' ones, in this class, participants will actually make and take home 'authentic fermented kimchi' that does not use chemical seasonings or additives such as preservatives and umami enhancers. The content is suitable even for beginners, making it a practical course for those interested in fermented foods or those who want to adopt a healthy diet.

Is Commercially Available Kimchi a Fermented Food?
Although kimchi is widely enjoyed as a familiar food in Japan, the reality is that the mainstream kimchi sold in Japan is 'lightly pickled kimchi' seasoned with chemical seasonings and additives. It is generally said that about 80 to 90% of the kimchi distributed in Japan is unfermented.
Authentic kimchi is a fermented food where lactic acid bacteria increase over time, deepening its sourness and umami. However, in Japan, due to distribution and preservation reasons, products where fermentation is stopped or taste is adjusted with sweeteners and seasonings have become the mainstream. Therefore, not a few people have never experienced the original 'fermenting kimchi.'
On the other hand, in recent years in Japan, due to growing interest in the intestinal environment and immunity, fermented foods like miso and nukazuke are being re-evaluated, and consumer awareness to 'choose foods that do not rely on additives as much as possible' is also rising. Furthermore, interest in homemade fermented foods is spreading, and more people are participating in cooking classes and fermentation seminars.
Against this background, interest in classes learning how to make additive-free kimchi is growing for reasons such as 'wanting to make authentic fermented kimchi myself' and 'wanting to make additive-free kimchi that I can safely feed my family.'

What is Lee-san's Additive-Free Kimchi Class from 'Lee-san Channel'?
In Lee-san's additive-free kimchi class, participants can carefully learn the basics of making authentic fermented kimchi handed down in Korean households. Unlike commercially available lightly pickled kimchi, this is a course where you can practically experience making kimchi using the umami of ingredients and the power of natural fermentation without relying on additives like preservatives and chemical seasonings.
In the class, we start with 'salting,' the first step in making Napa cabbage kimchi. Salting Napa cabbage is the most important process in making kimchi, and its outcome greatly affects the taste and fermentation state of the kimchi. Many causes of failure in kimchi making lie in this salting process not being done well. In this course, Lee-san directly teaches this most crucial point, allowing participants to learn tips that will prevent failure even at home.
Also, to draw out the umami of the kimchi, participants will learn how to make kimchi with deep umami without using additives by properly using ingredients like chili peppers, fermented seafood seasonings, and vegetables. Making kimchi that utilizes the original power of ingredients is also a traditional home taste of Korea.
In the class, each participant will actually prepare kimchi equivalent to one whole Napa cabbage and take it home as is. By letting it age at home, you can also enjoy the process of the taste changing through fermentation. Furthermore, a lecture is also prepared to learn about the history of kimchi, its value as a fermented food, health benefits from lactic acid bacteria, and the importance of food education at home. Through making kimchi, participants can deepen their understanding of the appeal of fermented foods and food culture.
This class is a lecture of about 5 hours, a long content compared to general cooking classes, but for that reason, you can firmly learn from the basics to the application of kimchi making, making it a practical class aimed at enabling participants to make authentic Korean fermented kimchi at home.

Outline of the 2026.4.25 [Tokyo Additive-Free Kimchi Class]
〇 Event Name: 'Tokyo Additive-Free Kimchi Class'
〇 Date and Time: Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10:30 AM - 3:30 PM
〇 Location: Ikegami Kaikan Cooking Room (Ota-ku, Tokyo)
〇 Main Content: Each participant will make kimchi equivalent to one whole Napa cabbage.
〇 Contact:
Lee-san Co., Ltd.
In charge: Kazuo Kageura
E-mail: [email protected]
Application Form: https://forms.gle/3Rc49rJZxvJnDn1L7

[To Media Representatives]
Interviews with the instructor and participants are possible.

Why We Are Sharing 'Additive-Free Kimchi' Nationwide
Thirty years ago, when my wife was pregnant with our first child, seeking kimchi that the family could eat safely was our origin. At that time, most of the kimchi sold in supermarkets used chemical seasonings and additives, so my wife chose the path of making additive-free kimchi by hand using the method taught by her Korean mother.
Times have changed, and consumer health consciousness and interest in food safety are higher than ever. However, the current situation in the food section cannot necessarily be said to fully meet those needs. And this kimchi currently accounts for the largest share among pickles sold in Japan. Of course, since it is made to suit the Japanese palate, it is also a fact that it is familiar to many people. However, because most of them do not involve fermentation, one cannot fully obtain the value and efficacy as a fermented food due to the lactic acid bacteria that kimchi originally possesses.
We want the Japanese public to know the original form of 'fermenting kimchi' handed down in Korean households. And we believe that if you become able to make kimchi with your own hands using the power of ingredients and fermentation without relying on additives, your family's dining table will become much richer. With that thought, we hold additive-free kimchi classes all over the country and continue activities to convey the way to make authentic fermented kimchi and its food culture.
In addition, on the YouTube channel 'Lee-san Channel' (173,000 subscribers) operated by our company, we are disseminating the appeal of kimchi and Korean food, as well as conveying the importance of choosing safe and secure ingredients and seasonings for your precious family. Through proposals that enrich the daily dining table, we are delivering the joy of handmade food and the value of fermentation culture to many households.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg5-z1hpD7pg5T85OO9S20Q

Instructor: Lee Young-ok
President, Additive-Free Kimchi Meister Certification Association
Presider, Lee-san's Additive-Free Kimchi Class
Korean Food YouTuber 'Lee-san Channel' (173,000 subscribers)
She came to Japan after getting married and went to a supermarket to buy kimchi, but found only lightly pickled kimchi with many additives, so she started making kimchi while being taught by her Korean mother. Since then, she has been making kimchi for 30 years.
In 2011, she opened a Korean restaurant with her husband. Although they suffered a major blow during the COVID-19 pandemic, they survived by launching a fried chicken franchise business, delivery business, and mail-order business.
Since September 2024, the additive-free kimchi classes, which were previously held only locally in Ehime Prefecture, have been held nationwide starting with Tokyo, and currently, a total of 700 people have participated.

Representative: Kazuo Kageura
Representative Director, Lee-san Co., Ltd.
Additive-Free Kimchi Meister Certification Association
https://leesan.jp/mutenka-kimuchi/
Originally a junior high school physical education teacher. After marrying Lee-san, he immigrated to Korea and returned to Japan two years later. After returning, he founded a kimchi shop with Lee-san, and it was incorporated into Lee-san Co., Ltd. in 2011.
He is involved in managing Korean restaurants, selling kimchi, mail-order business, and video distribution business. Since September 2024, he and Lee-san have started additive-free kimchi classes nationwide, spreading the wonders of additive-free kimchi across the country.

[Company Profile]
Company Name: Lee-san Co., Ltd.
Representative: Kazuo Kageura, Representative Director
Location: 2-8-2 Sanbancho, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, 790-0003
Established: September 2011
Website: https://leesan.jp/

[Contact]
Lee-san Co., Ltd. In charge: Kazuo Kageura
Mail: [email protected]
https://leesan.jp/