Hello nowpot,
One thing, mochi, manju and wagashi something that Japanese do not usually make at home. It is just too labor intensive.
There are several wagashi making classes (和菓子教室) available in Kyoto. Here are two that I have experience with. Wagashi making class may still be a rarified experience for foreign visitors to Japan so English may be difficult to obtain. However, you could take a Japanese speaking guide to translate or you can just follow along by watching the teacher’s demonstration. It is not so complicated.
Kanshudo Higashi (East) 甘春堂 東店
Kanshudo is a shinise wagashi store with three locations, two are near Shichi-jo Street and one is in Sagano (Western Hills). The Kanshudo East store’s wagashi making class I have participated in twice. (Sagano store also offers wagashi class) It takes about 30 minutes and you get to make 3 or 4 tea ceremony wagashi and take them home. The total cost was 1,500 yen with hojicha tea and 2,000 yen with maccha tea.
Again, this is tea ceremony wagashi, the highest quality wagashi in Japan. All the ingredients are pre-made and the students do the physical construction and shaping of the wagashi.
English: A useful English explanatory pamphlet is available. The verbal explanation by the teacher of the wagashi making is only in Japanese. It is more about looking than listening, so limited English is not much of a problem.
website: http://www.kanshundo.co.jp (no English)
wagashi class website: http://www.kanshundo.co.jp/museum/make/annai.htm (no English)
tel:075-561-1318
address: Kyoto-shi, Higashiyama-ku, Kawabata Shomen Higashi-iru, Chaya-machi 511-1 (京都市東山区川端正面東入る茶屋町511-1)
nearby sightseeing destinations: Kiyomuzi Temple 清水寺, Sanjusangen-do Temple 三十三間堂, Toyokuni Jinja Shrine 豊国神社, Kyoto National Museum and Mimizaka (nose tomb) 耳塚.
Yatsuhashian 八つ橋庵
Yatsuhashi is a Kyoto’ most famous confection — and Kyoto people do not eat them. They are souvenirs for tourists, usually Japanese junior and high school students visiting Kyoto for their school excursions. Yatsuhashi actually have a very long history and some of them are quite tasty. As the market is huge, there are many yatsuhashi companies and they are engaged in fierce competition developing new and unique yatsuhashi products. The recent trend is yatsuhashi cafes with parfaits, crepes and soft creams. My favorite yatsuhashi maker is Nishio Yatsuhashi.
Yatsuhashian offers a yatsuhashi making course that I have observed once. The staff is not particularly friendly but the lesson is reasonably interesting. In this class, you get to mix the mochi flour with water and cook it. However, this course too is mostly about assembling the yatsuhashi. The cost is 840 yen for 40 minutes.
The location is quite inconvenient I thought. It is way out in the western suburbs, near Arashiyama and we had to take a taxi to get there. It is kind of a tourist trap type place, selling all kinds of cheap Kyoto souvenirs. The second floor is a traditional Kyoto embroidery museum and is quite interesting. Katsura Villa, probably the most beautiful thing in all of Kyoto is about 10 minutes by taxi.
English: none.
website: http://www.yatuhasian.jp (no English)
yatsuhashi class website: http://www.kyatuhasian.jp/s_index.html (no English)
tel:075-313-2151 FreeDial: 0120-77-8284 (toll free in Japan)
address: Kyoto-shi, Ukyo-ku, Nishikyogyoku, Nishikoromode-cho 36(京都市右京区西京極西衣手町36)
nearby sightseeing destinations: Katsura Imperial Villa 桂離宮 and Koke-dera (Moss Temple) 西芳寺
