Hello everyone,
The other day, on February 15th, I held a Wagashi Experience class. The theme this time was Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Festival), and the sweets we made were nerikiri-style male and female Hina dolls.
When thinking about the design of the sweets for the lesson, I didn’t want to follow the usual method of wrapping the filling and adding lines. Instead, I wanted to emphasize the kimono feel, so this time I decided to roll out the nerikiri, cut it, and wrap it around the bean paste to create the dolls.
In my original plan, I had thought of making both the male and female Hina dolls together as a set first, and then making another female Hina doll.
However, once the lesson actually began, I realized that it took quite a bit of time just to create the first white layer of the kimono. In the end, we ended up finishing each doll carefully, one by one.
I felt sorry as the work took an hour longer than the scheduled time, but everyone stayed focused and, without losing concentration, finished their creations carefully until the very end.
The students’ works
I couldn’t help but clap in admiration!!
The method was quite challenging for beginners, but when I asked for feedback, they seemed to enjoy it, and I was relieved to hear that.
I was helping the kids with their work and dealing with the trouble of the nerikiri sticking and being hard to separate, so while I was supposed to be making my own work alongside them, I found myself in a situation where I couldn’t even touch my own project! hahaha
I ended up asking my assistant, my wife, to step in and finish my project for me. She had actually wanted to try it herself, so she had fun making it!
I realized that when designing the sweets to make, it’s important to consider the participants’ skill level and think from their perspective. I reflected on how I tended to design based on my own standards, and I need to be more mindful of that going forward.
In every wagashi workshop, I feel like there’s always so much I learn while teaching. Going forward, I want to continue refining the classes and make them enjoyable and meaningful for all the participants.
Thank you again to everyone who joined us this time. Let’s enjoy another fun wagashi-making session together!