February 2024 – Wada Wagashi

February Kids Workshop

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As the days get warmer, we can feel the arrival of spring. On Saturday, February 17th, we held another parent-child wagashi class. This time, our theme was Hina-Matsuri (Doll Festival), also known as the Peach Festival. We rented a cafe, different from our usual venue, and hosted more than 20 participants. We made Sakura Mochi (Domyoji – or Kansai style) and peach-shaped nerikiri. We made the Sakura Mochi from scratch, and the kids helped throughout the process. Everyone was intrigued by the gradual transformation of the Domyoji flour into mochi-like consistency. For the peach wagashi, we collectively attempted the “haribokashi” technique to blend pink and white nerikiri to create a […]

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The 24 Solar Terms and 72 Microseasons

In ancient Japan, people were highly attuned to even subtle changes in nature. Key moments were the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, when day and night are the same length, and the summer and winter solstices, the longest day and night, respectively. The old calendar, based on the sun’s position and anchored around these four days, was divided into 24 solar terms and included events such as Major Heat, Grain Buds, and Cold Dew. Each solar term was then further divided into three microseasons, breaking the calendar down into a total of 72 Microseasons. Each microseason spanned about four to six day and expressed the delicate transitions of the seasons with