Heritage and Mastery, the Spirit of Japan’s WAZA: Connecting Food Culture and People Across Generations

This sake-pairing experience is designed to be enjoyable even for beginners, and features renowned sake from three Fushimi breweries (Kitagawa Honke, Matsumoto Shuzo, and Yamamoto Honke), paired with three beautifully-presented Kyoryori (Kyoto cuisine) seasonal platters. Through commentary provided by the Fushimi Sake Brewers Association, participants are invited to experience firsthand the techniques and deep appeal of traditional sake-making.

This hands-on workshop invites participants to explore the WAZA of artisans through the themes of history, seasonality, and artistry that live within kyogashi (Kyoto-style sweets). Through live demonstrations and explanations, participants will be able to experience up close the delicate forms and seasonal expressions created through these WAZA. The session concludes with a tasting of namagashi (unbaked sweets). We invite you to discover the beauty and flavor of kyogashi, and the depth of the WAZA that has been passed down over the generations.

This free, hands-on workshop focuses on the plating WAZA that creates the visual beauty in Kyoryori (Kyoto cuisine).
Participants will learn the fundamentals and essence of washoku (traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese) and Kyoryori through lectures by artisans from top-class ryotei (traditional high-end Japanese restaurant), followed by a practical session centered on creating visually striking presentations in bento. Through these, we invite you to discover the depth of the WAZA that supports Japan’s food culture.

This hands-on workshop invites participants to explore the depth of Japanese tea culture through tea samplings, accompanied by explanations of tea production and brewing methods. While sampling different teas, participants will feel for themselves how variations in tea leaves and production techniques shape aroma, flavor, and finish, discovering the appeal of tea as brought forth through the WAZA. By sampling a range of Japanese teas, including temomi seicha (hand-rolled tea), this session offers a deeper appreciation of the techniques and expressions that live within Japan’s tea culture.

This hands-on workshop focuses on dashi, the foundation on which the WAZA of washoku (traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese) and Kyoryori (Kyoto cuisine) come to life. Participants will sample a range of exceptional broths, including ichiban-dashi (first-draw dashi made using a combination of dried kelp and dried bonito flakes), suppon-dashi (softshell turtle dashi), and shojin-dashi (vegetarian dashi). Through the perspective of an artisan from a top-class ryotei (traditional high-end Japanese restaurant), we invite you to discover the depth of the WAZA that supports Japan’s food culture.

This hands-on workshop features live demonstrations in which an artisan finishes namagashi (unbaked sweets) right before your eyes, followed by tastings that pair the freshly-made namagashi with tea. We invite you to discover the depth and broadness of Japan’s food culture through the interplay of the namagashi and the tea—their aroma, flavor, and lingering aftertastes.

This hands-on workshop invites participants to experience the culture behind Japan’s food and daily life, by shining a light on the place and shitsurae (setting) that has long supported Japan’s food culture. Under the guidance of a skilled artisan, participants will create a mini tatami mat while learning the WAZA behind the making of tatami—an essential element of Japanese dining spaces. We invite you to discover the depth of the Japanese culture that supports the country’s food and daily life.

Experience the art of making Higashi in this hands-on workshop. You will learn about the traditional ingredients and techniques used in Japanese sweets while discovering the rich cultural heritage behind them.

In this live demonstration booth, a Kyogashi (Kyoto-style sweets) artisan takes the stage to showcase the Kyogashi production process, from the delicate handwork to tool use, right before your eyes. The demonstration features the creation of four types of Kyogashi inspired by the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Participants can watch these seasonal aesthetics take form and experience the expressiveness unique to Kyogashi and the depth of the artisans’ techniques. A tasting of the finished Kyogashi will also be offered.

In this live demonstration booth, Washoku and Kyo-ryori artisans showcase the "WAZA" (master techniques) that define Kyoto’s culinary traditions. Witness the preparation of the iconic Saba-Sugata Sushi—a symbol of Japanese food culture—performed right before your eyes. From the delicate handling of ingredients to the final plating, you can observe the refined movements and time-honored expertise up close. Experience the captivating moment where the WAZA of a master artisan takes form through every step of the process.

How has the “green” of Japanese tea been created and passed down through the generations? This video traces the history of tea, from its origins in places of prayer to the birth of sencha, the techniques of hand-rolling, and the ongoing inheritance of these WAZA into the present day. Matcha, sencha, bottled tea—these forms of “green” are now a familiar part of our everyday lives. Behind them, however, lies a thousand years of refined WAZA and the wisdom of the Japanese people.

A limited number of bento prepared by Kyoto’s leading ryotei (traditional high-end Japanese restaurants) and renowned restaurants will be available for purchase. Each bento box showcases the WAZA that brings out the natural flavor of the ingredients, seasonal presentation, and the spirit of the artisans who created it—offering a rare opportunity to experience the essence of Kyoto cuisine in an accessible manner. We invite you to take a moment to savor Japan’s food culture.

Food trucks will be on-site, offering an easy way to enjoy a variety of food.