Making autumn themed wagashi

This month I participated in a trial course for making wagashi. In this course I learned how to make autumn themed wagashi.  Wagashi usually have a seasonal aspect to their design and incorporate seasonal fruits and flowers.

The three wagashi I made represent a chestnut in its case, a kaki fruit and the harvest moon.

For the course the materials, including the different types of anko and the tools you need, are all prepared for you. You only have to bring a towel, an apron and a bag to carry home the wagashi you made. You even get some small plastic boxes to put the finished wagashi in.

At first, the teacher gives you the recipe and explains it. Then you go through the process step by step.  First you prepare the neriki (white anko mixed with a special flour), which is used for the outer layer of the wagashi. Then you color it with food coloring.

As a final step you put in the anko filling and form the wagashi in the required shape.

The teacher explained everything in an easy to understand way. It was quite easy to follow them. All three wagashi use different methods so the process never gets boring.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures during the process so I can only show you a picture of the finished wagashi.

When I tried them at home they didn’t taste much different than store-bought wagashi, but I guess the taste is mostly depended on the ingredients you use.

The trial course is only 500 per person and the courses are held in several prefectures. On their website you can check which days a course is available near you and make a reservation. The wagashi course takes 90 minutes, out of which about 60-70 minutes are the actual course and the remaining time you have to listen to the sales talk of the teacher.

The aim of the trial course is obviously to make you sign up for follow-up courses, but I didn’t feel pressured to make a decision on the spot. You do get discounts if you decide to sign up on the same day though.

Considering that similar courses aimed at tourists usually cost around 2,000 to 3,000 yen you can save some money if you don’t mind listening to a little sales talk at the end. Technically you would probably even pay more than 500 yen for 3 wagashi if you bought them at a store.

If you want to try out making wagashi this autumn, I think this trial course is a nice idea. It is only available in Japanese though, so your Japanese should be good enough to understand what the teacher says.

However, this offer is for first-time customers only so if you have taken part in a trial course by homemade cooking in the past you can't participate again.

The autumn wagashi course is available until November 13. After that I assume they might offer a winter or Christmas themed trial course.