Express Your Inner Self Through Wagashi with Confectionary Artist Saki Ogawa 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.

This workshop will be led by Saki Ogawa, a popular wagashi artist with a unique philosophy that sweets reflect a person’s inner world and emotions. Blending traditional Japanese wagashi techniques with modern sensibilities and artistic elements, Ms. Ogawa crafts sweets characterized by delicate color palettes and intricate designs. Each of her confections tells a story, embodies a theme, or captures the changing seasons and the small joys of everyday life. Under her guidance, you'll create confections that express your own sensibilities, free from the constraints of standardized, classical forms or tradition.

Since she typically doesn't operate a permanent store and focuses primarily on creating works for exhibitions and events, this is a truly rare opportunity to receive in-person instructions directly from a master artisan. This special experience is available exclusively through Wabunka.

Creating Shapes Inspired by Your Inner Landscape

The workshop begins by moving away from familiar representations in wagashi such as flowers or seasonal flora. Instead, participants create two abstract nerikiri: hand-sculpted sweets made from sweet white bean paste and a soft, mochi-like rice paste. Participants shape a flowing, curved form inspired by movement and a rounded form representing the self. The designs are beautiful and mesmerizing but they are also an opportunity for introspection.

According to Ms. Ogawa, her work focuses on expressing invisible, subjective experiences. Guests are encouraged to reflect on their emotions, dreams, memories, and life experiences, then translate them into color and form. Through personal conversations, abstract feelings become edible artworks shaped by each participant’s own, unique perspective.

Creating a Confection That Exists Only Once

Drawing on traditional wagashi techniques, participants discover how a centuries-old craft can become a vehicle for contemporary creativity. Beginning with pure white nerikiri, they develop their own colors through careful blending, creating forms that reflect their present state of mind rather than stock designs.

Once your creations are complete, you’ll have an opportunity to share the stories behind the colors and shapes you chose before enjoying the sweets alongside a seasonal tea personally selected by Ms. Ogawa every month. The exact emotions that inspire your creations will be impossible to replicate exactly so no two wagashi made at this workshop can ever truly be the same.

An Encounter with Japanese Aesthetics and Self-Reflection

Guests may add a handcrafted dorayaki option to their experience. Made entirely by hand, from the pancake layers to the filling, Ms. Ogawa’s dorayaki reflect the same care and craftsmanship found throughout her artistic output.

Unlike conventional wagashi classes centered on reproducing established, traditional forms, this experience places individual expression at its core. Every participant develops a unique nerikiri shaped by their emotions and personality, making each outcome entirely their own.

According to Ms. Ogawa, there is no single correct approach to this process. Through journeying inward and giving shape to one’s inner landscape, guests leave with two one-of-a-kind handcrafted sweets and a renewed appreciation for the beauty that often passes unnoticed in our everyday lives.