Hi everyone! Today I would like to write about my trip to Shanghai that I did by myself in early May. Traveling alone was actually a bit nervous. Especially since I don’t speak the language – surviving in China with a translation app -and since I usually travel with my family, when I feel comfortable and safe. In case I lost my cellphone, I prepared a little note with my husband’s and friend’s phone numbers and put it in my bag, hehe.

The reason why I went to Shanghai was to take a 6-day long Nerikiri Wagashi Learning Course for beginners by the Wagashi Master, Junichi Mitsubori.

The master is a third-generation owner of Izumiya, a traditional Japanese confectionary store in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture established in 1954. In 2016, he established Kado Ichika Style. This is his approach to showcasing the beauty of Kado, “the New Art of Wagashi.”

Nerikiri Wagashi is one of the types of traditional Japanese sweets and is usually served at Japanese tea ceremonies with a bowl of matcha. The sweet dough called “Nerikiri An” is made from sweet bean paste and kneaded with some soft mochi called “gyuhi”. Nerikiri Wagashi was developed during the Edo period (1603-1868). You can make different colors of the dough by adding some food coloring, matcha powders, ground sesame, etc. I think the most unique thing about Nerikiri Wagashi is that the sweets’ traditional designs can express an appreciation of the beauty of nature.

I first got interested in Wagashi about 8 years ago. I saw on my phone a picture of beautiful traditional Japanese sweets in the shape of a Chrysanthemum. At that time, my daughter was about 10 months old and I had been living for a few years in the US since moving from Japan. I think at that time I was very homesick. I was so moved by this beautifully handcrafted traditional sweet and all the memories I have from my life in Japan.

The picture below shows the design of Nerikiri Wagashi that I saw 8 years ago. This picture is from the master’s book “Kado – New Art of Wagashi” by Junichi Mitsubori, (pp.38). I was very curious about the ingredients used and how it was made when I first saw this Nerikiri Wagashi.

The Nerikiri Wagashi Learning Course for beginners that I joined was from 9:30 am to 6 pm. There were students from China, Singapore, and Taiwan as well.

The master taught us how to make Shiroan, white sweet bean paste, from scratch, which is a very important ingredient for making Wagashi.

All the students stayed long after the class ended. They continued working on the day’s assignment of making Nerikiri Wagashi, and also worked on some techniques that they wanted to improve. I still don’t understand Chinese, so I tried communicating with them via a translation app during lunchtime. I liked that everyone naturally got to know each other after a few days together as classmates! I was excited to hear about their future dreams, and I really felt there are many Nerikiri Wagashi fans all over the world. When my cellphone ran out of space and couldn’t take pictures and videos during the lesson, one of my classmates helped sending me some of pictures later that she took in class. She was so kind…

The master generously taught us the skills and knowledge that he gained over 40 years of experience.

When we asked him one question, he answered us many times over with his knowledge. We were getting tons of knowledge during the whole course. Thank you so much to the master for teaching and sharing your knowledge so generously. I will continue to learn and practice making about Wagshi.

These are the Nerikiri Wagashi designs that I learned from the master and practiced making during the course.

This is the shape of Camilia that I made after the master showed us how to make them.

I will practice again how to sprinkle gracefully the edible powder called “Kanbaiko,” which is powdery starch made from glutinous rice.

This is a picture of when I was trying to make the shape of Camilia with traditional techniques using silk cotton. It was difficult to twist the part of the sweet dough and release it to make the shape of Camilia.

Drawing lines on the sweet dought continuously using a triangular wooden tool, called Sankaku bela. I really need to work on it.

This was supposed to be in the shape of Sakura. At this point, I was thinking about where I should add the little slits to make the round shape into a flower shape…

It represents Sakura petals, but I wasn’t sure if I made the right shape…

I was practicing a design of Wakatake, young bamboo using a traditional wooden tool.

I was honored to meet him in person and take his class in Shangai. I think this is just the beginning of stepping into the Wagashi world, but surely this experience will help me keep going and learning about traditional Japanese sweets, Wagashi.”

The Nerikiri Wagashi in the pictures below are all the master’s creations. The master let all the students hold one and take pictures with it.

This is also one of the master’s Nerikiri Wagashi, called “Benirangiku, intricate chrysanthemum”

I was so lucky that I was able to purchase his book “Kado – The New Art of Wagashi,” because I thought they were already sold out. I bought one for each for my daughters and I want them to have it wherever they go for their life.

I asked my girls which Wagashi from the book they liked. My oldest picked this one.

My youngest picked this Wagashi.

This trip couldn’t have happened without my husband’s big support. When I asked him about this Shanghai trip, he said “You should definitely go and meet the master! I will be ok taking care of the girls and I can manage my work, too!” Thank you so much, honey and I really appreciate you from the bottom of my heart.

When I returned home from Shangai, I asked my daughters if they miss me so much. They said, “We had so much fun with daddy! ” I could really tell they had a good time with him because I personally think he is the best dad in the world.

By the way, we have about one year left here in Shenyang, China. Our next assignment has been decided – it will be Tokyo, Japan. The assignment will be 3, or 4 years. I will be returning to Japan 12 years after moving to DC. My dream is to visit Wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets shops with my family. After Japan, we will probably be back in the U.S. for a few years. We know our time will be limited so I want to fully enjoy our time in Japan, learn about Wagashi, and of course taste them too!

We look forward to meeting you all in Japan in 2025.

Thank you for reading my blog!