Wagashi is the art of making Japanese traditional sweets. In spring 2012, the Japan Foundation, in cooperation with Embassy of Japan and The Emporium Shopping Complex, will invite three Japanese experts (craftsmen) to Bangkok from the prestigious wagashi confectionaries in Kure, Kanazawa and Ashikaga, to introduce the history and beauty of wagashi through lectures and demonstrations.

Through the demonstrations during Japanese Festival at The Emporium Shopping Complex, the Japanese unique sense of the four seasons and beauty will be displayed in delicate colors and shapes using finely crafted techniques. In the workshop, attendees will get hands-on experience making wagashi, making delicious sweets. The craftsmen will tour Malaysia and Philippines after their trip to Thailand.

Profile of Instructors

Noriyuki Myojin, (Mitsuya-Honpo Co., Ltd./Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture)Mitsuya-Honpo is an experienced confectioner, working in a company that is famous for its "Mitsu Manju," a delicacy of Kure City that previously won the Honorary President's Prize (Technical Category) at the National Confectionery Exhibition. Mitsuya-Honpo is particularly well-regarded for the beauty and deliciousness of its "Jō namagashi," or unbaked sweets. Mr. Myojin, who last year won the Annual Grand Prix Award in a technical contest for "Jō namagashi," continues to develop his skills at Mitsuya-honpo, his family's business.

Keisuke Yoshihashi, (Yoshihashi Kashijo/Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture) Yoshihashi Kashijo is one of the three great confectionery areas of Japan and one of the venerable sweet-making names associated with Kanazawa City. The company is particularly famed for its traditional sweets used in the tea ceremony and its name is known around the country, as a purveyor of beautiful sweets, whose appearance and flavor change to reflect the changes of Japan's four seasons. Mr. Yoshihashi continues to work hard with his father, who is the current owner and also a confectioner, as the third generation of this renowned shop.

Naoya Koizumi, (Koundo Honten/Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture) Koundo Honten is a confectionery house boasting more than a century of history, with its store located in the historic city and region of Ashikaga. The company's most famous offering is the "Koin Monaka," a sandwich of smooth anko bean paste and crispy sweet rice crackers. It was first created in 1945 and has gained a large following of fans, both in the locality and around Japan. Mr. Koizumi is the heir to the family business and continues to work hard creating delicious sweets that maintain the age-old techniques and delicious flavor created by his ancestors.