Biyori

Recently, a family from Frankfurt visited me for a private nerikiri workshop during their stay in Düsseldorf. It was a particularly special occasion: their son’s birthday. Instead of choosing a typical birthday activity, they wanted to try something new together and experience a small part of Japanese culture. For the workshop, I had prepared four different designs: a sunflower, a hōzuki, a cherry blossom and a little cat. Using the soft nerikiri dough, each family member shaped their own small wagashi by hand. At first, the texture and techniques can feel unfamiliar. But little by little, simple balls of dough become petals, fine lines and tiny details—and suddenly, everyone is […]

Yesterday, I welcomed a couple who had chosen to celebrate her birthday with a small tea experience. I prepared a bowl of matcha for each of them and served it together with a blue kingyokukan inspired by the place where the sea seems to meet the sky. I had hoped that its transparent blue colour would bring a little feeling of coolness on a summer day. After watching me prepare the tea, they tried whisking matcha themselves. Making matcha can look simple, but it is a very different experience when you hold the chasen in your own hand, feel the movement and watch the fine foam slowly appear. While we […]

Eine japanische Teezeremonie muss nicht im Seiza stattfinden. Erfahre, wie Teezeremonie am Tisch funktioniert und warum auch Gäste mit Knie- oder Rückenbeschwerden, Schwangere und Anfänger die japanische Teekultur entspannt erleben können.

My wagashi workshops are not held every week because each one requires fresh preparation and a seasonal theme. Learn why the workshops remain small and personal, and how to arrange a private session for your group.

Can you put on kimono during a lesson but struggle when practising alone? Discover how online kimono lessons help you learn at home, use your own tools and become more independent.

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Some wagashi are beautiful because they are colorful.Some are beautiful because they are detailed.And then there is mizubotan — beautiful because it looks almost like it might disappear. Mizubotan, written as 水牡丹, means “water peony.” It is a summer wagashi made by wrapping sweet bean paste in a translucent layer of kudzu. The outside is glossy, soft, and cool-looking, while the color of the bean paste gently shows through from the center. At first glance, it looks simple. But this is exactly where its beauty lies. A Peony Seen Through Water The name “mizubotan” gives us a poetic image: a peony flower seen through water. Peonies usually bloom in spring, […]

When people think of Tanabata, they often imagine bamboo branches decorated with colorful paper strips. Children and adults write their wishes on tanzaku, tie them to the bamboo, and hope their words will somehow reach the stars. It is a beautiful image: light, nostalgic, and full of summer feeling. But Tanabata is one of those seasonal customs that becomes much more fascinating when you look beneath the surface. What seems like a simple wish festival is actually connected to older stories of stars, weaving, skill, devotion, poetry, and seasonal offerings. That is what makes Japanese seasonal culture so interesting to me. At first, it may look decorative. A flower is […]