Last December, I visited Tasmania, Australia to meet my friend Minako-san. If you haven’t read my previous blog about the visit to Tasmania, please check it here. On our Australia trip, we also visited Melbourne. I would like to write about it today!
It was always blue skies with warm sunshine in Melbourne while we stayed. ๐
(Pic. 1) Flinders Street station
The reason why I wanted to visit Melbourne was that I was hoping to try MinnieSweets‘ san’s Wagashi. Since I learned about her back in 2019, I always dreamed that “If I ever have a chance to go to Australia, I would love to try MinnieSweets-san’s Wagashi.”
Minako-san from MinnieSweets started her business with a pop-up market for the first two years. After the pandemic, she switched to online sales, special orders, and Wagashi workshops. It has been 7 years since she started her business and her Wagashi is loved by many local people in Melbourne.
I still remembered that Minako-san had a live talk with Nihon no Wa no Ka (ๆฅๆฌใฎๅใฎ่) on Instagram. At that time, I was living in Manila, Philippines, around 2022. I set a timer to finish cleaning the kitchen after dinner, and I sat down on the floor excited for what Minako-san would talk about her business in Melbourne. During her live talk with Nihon no Wa no Ka (ๆฅๆฌใฎๅใฎ่๏ผ, Minako-san said, “I have been introducing/explaining about Wagashi to every local who stops by my Wagashi stall. Wagashi is still rare in Australia, so I am putting my best effort into sharing what Wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets, are to people who are interested in them.”
She has been living overseas for a long time in a place where the culture and the language are totally different from where she grew up. When I was listening to her live talk on Instagram at that time, I was so moved and inspired by her journey.
I was over the moon when I finally received Minako-san’s homemade Wagashi. It was my dream come true.
I was so excited to open the box and take out the Wagashi one by one. Each Nerikiri Wagashi is handcrafted by Minako-san. I loved that the designs really reflect the nature of Melbourne. I really wish that I could just see each one of the Wagashi and not eat them. 
My daughters were asking me to start tasting them, not just looking at them for long time.
It was a rare opportunity for me to have a chance to taste MinnieSweet’s san’s homemade Wagashi. I divided each Wagashi into 4 pieces and shared them with my family. We also enjoyed the Wagashi with green tea selected by Minako-san. I felt like it was a very special moment for us.
By the way, do you know MPavilion 10 in Melbourne? MPavilion 10 is located in the Queen Victoria Gardens. The MPavilion project features temporary shelters designed and built by leading international architects invited by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. This MPavilion 10 was designed by Tadao Ando, one of the best-known architects in Japan.
In 2023, the 10th MPavilion, which was designed and completed by Architect Tadao Ando. It was Ando-san’s first project in Australia. At the memorable pavilion, Minako-san gave her Wagashi-making demonstration and introduced her original Wagashi that were inspired by Ando-san’s MPavilion. The following are two pictures that I received from Minako-san.โจ
I can feel the people’s excitement seeing Minako-san’s beautiful creations.
“There is a way to convey Japanese traditions overseas that can only be found overseas, and I have been working hard to share Japanese taste in Melbourne without compromising on the taste as well as the appearance.”
I think this message will continue to support my Wagashi learning.
The MPavilion 10 was open to the public from November 2024 until March 2025. We were so lucky to visit this place last December.
The picture above is the Wagashi set that Minako-san drew inspiration from the architecture, MPavilion, and served during the event last year! What beautiful designs of Wagashi… When I visited, there was a small kiosk, so I ordered a ice latte and enjoyed the atmosphere thinking about Minako-san.
It was such a short visit in Melbourne, but I was so happy to meet and talk with Minako-san in person. And it was the best memory in Melbourne to taste her homemade Wagashi. When I talked with her, I had the strong feeling that I will keep moving forward with my plans. My journey of Wagashi is still ongoing, but I want to think about the kind of Wagashi that only I can create.
Thank you so much, Minako-san for spending some of your precious time during the holidays to meet me.
These are lotus flowers that I saw during Aboriginal nature walk tour in Melborune.
Thank you to everyone for reading my blog post!
sachiwagashi.com 