Experience Japanese Culture Firsthand: – “Wagashi Making Experience”

In our third edition of the Wagashi Making Experience held in June, participants had the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the delicate art of Japanese sweets, known as Wagashi!

The wagashi-making experience was highly popular, attracting many participants, including five foreigners, with some from Australia 👏😊

This experience is highly recommended not only for Japanese participants but also for those from abroad!

A Gateway to Understanding Japanese Culture
Through the beautiful shapes and delicate flavors of Wagashi, you can learn about the essence of Japanese culture. By creating these sweets, which often reflect the beauty of the changing seasons, you gain insight into Japanese aesthetics and the sensitivity to seasonal changes.

A Unique and Memorable Cultural Experience
Participating in the traditional art of Wagashi making and tasting your creations will enrich your travel memories, offering a unique and authentic experience of Japanese culture.

This time, we tackled three types of wagashi: “Hydrangea (Ajisai) ,” and nerikiri “Green Maple Leaf and Rose.”

Let’s try to make them as beautifully as possible!

Instructions and Ingredients

Our skilled instructor provided handwritten instructions, and we used a variety of traditional ingredients. In 2022, we made nerikiri and “steamed sakuramochi.” This time, we took a different approach with “Hydrangea.”

Ingredients used in this workshop

Let’s Create “Hydrangea”!

We were all eager to see how our “Hydrangea” would turn out!

First, we rolled the red bean paste into a ball and gently flattened it with our palms, being careful not to make it too thin. Next, we wrapped a square piece of gyuhi (a type of mochi) with the bean paste. The final touch was covering the entire surface with diced kanten (agar jelly), carefully pouring a dissolved kanten solution over the top to give it a slight shine.

It was a tricky step, but our teacher guided us through it. The results were surprisingly good, and we were thrilled! 😊

Hydrangea Wagashi

Nerikiri Making: “Green Maple Leaf” and “Rose”

We then moved on to creating Nerikiri sweets, specifically “Green Maple Leaves” and “Roses.”

Our goal was to replicate the beauty of these natural elements using traditional Japanese confectionery techniques. We used tools like “triangle sticks” and “spoons” to shape our creations.

Meet Our Teacher – Mr. Masahiro Koie –

Let’s take a moment to introduce our amazing teacher, Mr. Koie, from Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture. He obtained his first-class skill certification for Wagashi making in 1985 and from 1998 to 2008, he participated in the National Wagashi Exhibitions in Iwate, Kumamoto, and Hyogo.

He has also conducted workshops internationally, sharing the art of Wagashi in places like Prague and Ho Chi Minh City.

Back to Nerikiri Making

Here’s how we made the “Green Maple” and “Rose“.

Green Maple: We combined white and green bean pastes, shaping them into a lip-like form. By carefully blending the colors and making precise cuts with a triangle stick, we tried to mimic the appearance of a maple leaf.

Despite some challenges, the process was rewarding, even if our leaves didn’t turn out perfect.

Rose: For the rose, we used white and red bean pastes to create a beautiful pink hue.

By using a spoon, we crafted petal-like cuts to form the rose shape. The result was a lovely pink rose that we were proud of!

Finally, three types of Wagashi are completed!

Everyone’s work

Impression after participating

For a first attempt, I think I did pretty well!

I personally enjoy Japanese sweets and eat them often, but I didn’t realize how difficult they are to make.　From now on, I will savor them slowly, appreciating their flavors and shapes while imagining how they were crafted!

It was also impressive to see everyone, both Japanese and foreigners, interacting and connecting through the experience of making Wagashi.

It would be fun to connect with Japanese people in a cozy setting while traveling.

There were participants who said, ‘It was difficult, but fun!’

The more trial and error they experienced, the more delicious the Wagashi tasted, making the memories even more special.

Thank you all for your hard work!

We have held two Wagashi-making experiences in the past. For more about those, please check the “Wagashi Making Experience.”