Wagashi Audio Guide
In a small wagashi that fits in your palm lie the four seasons of Japan and a thousand years of history. From the nuts and fruit that were the earliest "sweets," to the meeting with sweet bean paste, the sugar brought by…
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Welcome to the World of Wagashi
Welcome to the world of wagashi. In a quiet tea room, or at the counter of a long-established shop, a small sweet shaped like a seasonal flower or scene is gently set before you. Cherry blossom, green maple, snow — into each one, small enough to rest in your palm, an entire Japanese season is folded. This is wagashi. Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets, born from ingredients like sweet bean paste, rice flour, and agar. Unlike Western cakes, they rarely use rich butter or cream. In their restrained sweetness, their delicate appearance, and their season-evoking names live the sense of beauty the Japanese have cherished and a tender love for the turning of the seasons. For Japanese people, it is a moment that settles the heart, savored together with tea. For travelers, it is a small art form that lets you taste Japan's four seasons with all five senses — seeing it, learning its name, tasting it. Over the next little while, let's trace the path this sweet art has traveled. Let's begin with how wagashi came to be — the beginning of a thousand-year story.
What you'll hear on site
- A Thousand Years of Wagashi ¥200 · 7 days
- The Many Kinds of Wagashi ¥200 · 7 days
- A Tour of the Wagashi Regions ¥200 · 7 days
- When Do the Japanese Eat Wagashi? ¥200 · 7 days
- How to Receive a Sweet ¥200 · 7 days
- Enjoying Wagashi on Your Travels ¥200 · 7 days
Unlock all stops for 7 days — ¥200 / 7 days
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