Wagashi in Kyoto

What?
Kyoto (京都) was the capital of Japan before losing that title to Tokyo in 1868. While the latter is now the centre of all economic, fashion and pop-culture activity, Kyoto is still the place to be for traditional Japanese culture. Nijo Castle (二条城) served as the residence of the Tokugawa shoguns before briefly being the emperor's palace. Now the domain consists only out of original structures and is open to the public. Yoshihiro Sweets Shop (よし廣製菓) is an independant maker of wagashi (和菓子) - traditional Japanese sweets. They organize workshops where you can make your own traditional confectioneries.
Where?
As Kyoto is the biggest touristic centre of Japan it is easily reached by train. To go to both Nijo Castle and the Yoshihiro Wagashi Factory the easiest way is to get off at JR Nijo Station (JR二条駅). The factory is a 5 minute walk while the castle is a 15 minute walk in the other direction.
URL
Japan Guide Outline Yoshihiro Sweets Shop Sharing Kyoto

There is a lot to see in Kyoto. Impressive temples and shrines dot the city and the suburbs are surrounded by beautiful nature for those who want to take a stroll.
A little bit out of place maybe is the Nijo Castle, the sole castle in Kyoto. Also, for those who expect turrets and a keep, you might be somewhat disappointed: the keep burned down in the 18th century and was never rebuilt.

The remaining grounds – which are huge – are all original buildings though, being maybe the only castle structures within the second wall of defense remaining. In other words, the main thing to see in Nijo Castle is not the last point of defense, but the Ninomaru Palace where the Tokugawa shogun used to reside and receive visitors. It is interesting for its sheer size and its mural paintings, but very honestly, it’s a lot of the same; huge tatami rooms with barely lit fusuma paintings. There are also more interesting gardens to be found in Japan which make Nijo Castle a bit of a letdown.

The entrance to the Ninomaru Palace.

Ominous clouds above the gardens.

Anyway, visiting Nijo Castle was not our main goal; that was the making of wagashi. Wagashi are traditional Japanese confectioneries, most of them consisting out of any sort of bean paste and sticky rice-like wrapping. The question whether wagashi are tasty I leave unanswered. In general though foreigners and a lot Japanese alike don’t really like the bean paste. Beyond doubt though is the difficulty to make the various appearances of these confections. Just like a lot of other things Japanese tend to transform a simple thing into an art: almost all of these confectioneries are made beautiful for the eye.
In Yoshihiro, a local wagashi factory near Nijo Castle, one can try and have a go at making wagashi. The chef explains very clearly how to proceed and shows it as it is a child’s play… but then it’s up to you and you’ll notice how difficult it really is.

We got to make 2 different pieces, and keep these together with the samples, so in total 4 pieces per person. On top of that the session ended with a traditional green tea and an additional, seasonal treat. But really, the best of the workshop is the experience itself. I didn’t expect it but I had a lot of fun and can definitely recommend this to everyone – whether you like wagashi or not.