Capture Fleeting Scenes of Nature Through Artistic Uiro-Mochi Wagashi Design in Tokyo

Where Creative Dialogue Meets Contemporary Japanese Culture

EnCounter in Nihonbashi offers creators and guests a place to meet face-to-face, learn, have conversations, and work with their hands. Its name reflects the space’s goals of facilitating interactions across a counter and helping people form meaningful connections.

The counter-style layout is particularly well suited to culinary workshops because it allows for easy interactions between artists and participants. The physical proximity encourages dialogue, making it easier to exchange ideas, explore individual perspectives, and engage deeply with the creative process.

Learn Authentic Wagashi Techniques Through Uiro-Making

Uiro, also known as uiro-mochi, is a traditional Japanese confection made from rice flour and sugar, valued for its gentle sweetness and smooth, bouncy texture. While it has a long history in Japan, opportunities to learn how to make uiro-mochi-based wagashi remain limited. For JUAN, it was a memorable encounter with a uiro confection served at a tea gathering that first inspired her fascination with wagashi as an artistic medium.

Following a demonstration focused on the characteristics of wagashi and uiro in particular, participants create two seasonal sweets themselves. The experience concludes with matcha preparation guided by JUAN, who holds a tea ceremony teaching certificate. Participants whisk their own tea before enjoying it alongside their handmade wagashi, adding another layer of cultural engagement to the experience.

Exploring Transparency, Light, and Seasonal Expression

Hariiro Uiro® is a distinctive style of wagashi developed by JUAN and registered as a trademark in 2024. The name “hariiro” comes from “hari,” meaning “crystal.” It hints at the delicate, frosted glass-like translucency, subtle gradients of pale colors, and intricate patterns that emerge during the final stages of Hariiro Uiro® preparation, which bring out the quiet beauty of each finished sweet. Getting to see how the confection takes shape and how light interacts with the translucent surface of this mesmerizing wagashi is one of the highlights of the workshop.

JUAN’s work seeks to leave room for interpretation rather than relying on familiar seasonal symbols. The workshop teaches participants how to draw inspiration from natural scenery and subtle seasonal transitions to translate fleeting scenes into small edible forms using negative space, watercolor-like gradations, and minimal design.

Beyond Wagashi-Making and into the Art of Expression

This experience goes beyond simply following a recipe. Participants gain insight into the creative thinking behind Hariiro Uiro®, exploring how our perception of the world can be distilled into a confection. They also discover how transient scenes from nature can be expressed through the distinctive texture of uiro-mochi. The result is an insight into wagashi as both an artistic medium and a Japanese culinary tradition.

Hosted within the intimate setting of EnCounter by Otonami, the workshop encourages observation and direct interactions with the instructor. The goal is for guests to experience Japanese seasons through sight, taste, and touch.