People sometimes ask why Biyori does not hold wagashi workshops more frequently.
It would certainly be easier to publish the same workshop every week, repeat the same designs, and prepare everything in larger quantities. But that is not how I want to share wagashi.
For me, wagashi is closely connected to freshness, seasonality and the moment in which it is made. A workshop is not simply an activity that can be repeated in exactly the same way throughout the year.
Everything must be prepared fresh
Before a wagashi workshop begins, a large amount of preparation has already taken place.
The ingredients need to be prepared, portioned and coloured. Each participant needs the correct amount for every design, including the outer layer, filling and smaller decorative parts.
Because the wagashi is made to be eaten, I do not want to prepare everything too far in advance. The texture, moisture and overall quality are best when the materials are fresh.
This also means that the preparation cannot simply be stored for weeks and used whenever someone books a place. Each workshop requires its own production schedule.
The time spent together may be two hours, but the actual work behind the workshop begins much earlier.
The designs change with the season
Traditional wagashi often expresses the season through colour, form and small details.
A flower does not feel the same in March as it does in August. A pale pink may suggest spring, while deeper colours may belong more naturally to autumn. Even when a similar technique is used, the meaning of the design can change depending on the time of year.
I therefore do not want to offer the same motifs continuously just because they are popular or easy to reproduce.
I prefer to think about what is happening in the season, which colours feel appropriate and what kind of atmosphere I would like participants to experience.
Sometimes the theme comes from a Japanese celebration. Sometimes it comes from a flower, a landscape or a seasonal memory. The workshop should feel connected to its time, rather than being a standard product available all year.
I do not want wagashi to become only another craft activity
Wagashi is enjoyable to make, but it is more than shaping sweet bean paste into a decorative form.
It teaches us to observe small changes.
Which flowers are appearing now? Which colours belong to this month? What kind of sweet would suit the tea, the weather or the occasion?
When workshops become too frequent, it becomes easy to focus only on filling seats and producing the same result again and again.
I do not want the designs to be selected only because they look attractive in photographs. I want there to be a reason behind them.
This does not mean every workshop needs to be formal or serious. It should still be enjoyable and accessible. But I would like participants to leave with more than a box of sweets. I hope they also notice something about the season and the culture behind what they have made.
Small workshops allow more attention
Biyori workshops are intentionally kept small.
Wagashi shaping often involves subtle hand movements that are difficult to understand from explanation alone. The angle of a tool, the amount of pressure and the way the material is held can change the final result.
In a smaller group, I can see what each participant is doing and help when something becomes difficult. There is also more time to explain the motif, demonstrate the technique and answer questions.
The aim is not for everyone to produce identical wagashi. Each person’s hands create something slightly different, and that is part of the experience.
Keeping the workshops small also allows the atmosphere to remain personal rather than feeling like a production line.
Why private workshops work differently
Although public workshops are not offered every week, private wagashi workshops can be arranged for small groups.
A private booking gives me the opportunity to prepare specifically for your date, your group and your occasion.
It may be a birthday, a gathering with friends, a cultural activity, a team event or simply a day you would like to spend doing something together.
Instead of waiting for the next public workshop, we can discuss a suitable date and create a seasonal theme around it. Depending on the time of year, the motifs and colours can be chosen to suit the season and the experience you would like to have.
The preparation is still done fresh, and the workshop remains small and personal.
A workshop should belong to its moment
I may not hold wagashi workshops as frequently as other creative classes.
But when I do, I want each one to feel considered.
The ingredients should be fresh. The designs should belong to the season. The group should have enough time and space to learn. And the wagashi should feel connected to the day on which it was made.
For me, this is more important than offering the same workshop every weekend.
If you would like to arrange a wagashi workshop for your own group, you are welcome to send an enquiry with your preferred date, number of participants and occasion.
Together, we can create a workshop that belongs to that particular season and moment.
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