"Journeys in Japan"

Look at these.

These are "wagashi," Japanese confectioneries.

Just look at the skill it probably takes to design these.

This time, we're going to visit Shimane Prefecture, Matsue City.

So much to explore in the wagashi.

Let's go check them out.

The city of Matsue is known throughout Japan for producing wagashi.

On this edition of "Journeys in Japan,"

Brandon Chin discovers the world of wagashi in Matsue,

meeting people who are carrying on the tradition.

Matsue: The World of Wagashi

Matsue lies about 600 kilometers west of Tokyo.

It's the capital city of Shimane Prefecture,

with a population of about 200,000.

The historical vibes are strong along this street.

Matsue was not damaged in the war

so its landscape built around the 17th century still remains intact.

Look at this castle. So majestic.

Matsue Castle, which is in front of you,

is one of only five castles in Japan

that are designated as National Treasures.

Look at this.

You can see the whole city from here.

This is beautiful.

But we're not here for the view.

We're here for wagashi, Japanese confectionery.

Now, Matsue's Japanese confectioneries

could not exist without Matsudaira Harusato.

Matsudaira Harusato was the feudal lord of Matsue in the late 18th century.

To boost the economy of his domain,

Matsudaira promoted the cultivation of sumac trees for their wax,

and ginseng for its medicinal properties.

Look at this.

Green...

You've got grays, browns, all the different colors of nature.

So, this is the tearoom that Fumaiko made.

In 1806, Matsudaira Harusato retired and took the name Fumai.

He then focused on developing his own approach to the tea ceremony,

which became known as the "Fumairyu" school.

In this style, there is very little ceremony,

and the tea is served in a more relaxed atmosphere.

These wagashi are known as "Fumaiko Gonomi" ("Lord Fumai's favorites").

This one, "Natanenosato,"

represents early-spring mustard flowers with butterflies.

This one is called "Wakakusa." It expresses green fields in May.

And "Yamakawa" conjures up autumn foliage.

These are all Fumai-style wagashi.

Very soft.

That Wakakusa was just the right amount of chewiness.

It has rice cake inside, so it has that nice bounce to it.

A nice bit of volume.

In Matsue, we have wagashi as a snack with tea,

around 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day.

For us, wagashi culture is part of our daily life.

Please drink your tea any way you like, as this is Fumai School style.

The bitterness of the matcha tea softens the sweetness of the wagashi.

Exactly.

The bitterness of the matcha balances out

the sweetness of the confectioneries.

It's a perfect balance.

So many varieties.

This is it. We just had this.

Is this one of "Lord Fumai's Favorites"?

Yes. It's called Wakakusa.

It is made with "gyuhi" (glutinous rice).

For a time, Wakakusa fell out of favor and the recipe was no longer used.

The founder of our company revived this wagashi

after studying techniques passed down by word of mouth.

Since then, we've been producing Wakakusa for the past century.

This is where we make the Wakakusa.

We use locally grown glutinous rice. It's ground in a stone mill.

The rice flour is mixed with water here.

Gyuhi is made from the same glutinous rice as mochi rice cakes

but it has a much softer texture.

It is used in a variety of wagashi.

How long does it take?

It takes about 30 minutes to form the rice cake.

To make gyuhi, we add sugar and keep stirring.

In all, it takes about two hours.

If the heat is too high, the gyuhi gets too hard.

If the heat gets too low,

the gyuhi loses its chewiness and becomes too soft.

Our artisans have to watch closely.

This is the most important part of the process for making Wakakusa.

- It looks delicious.
- It's soft but fluffy.

- Like this?
- Yes.

And then we let it rest for about four days.

We pour the hot gyuhi into wooden molds and let it cool gradually.

This produces gyuhi with a lovely chewiness.

This is a freshly made Wakakusa. Would you like to try one?

Fresh Wakakusa is only available here.

Thank you very much.

Heaven.

I'm in heaven!

This is delicious.

I've enjoyed Fumaiko-style and some wagashi.

But there's one more vital piece to the puzzle that is Fumaiko.

Let's go check it out.

Look at these colors.

Blues, greens, browns, wow.

Hello.

- Hello, I'm Brandon.
- My name is Tsuchiya.

Which of these pieces are "Fumai's Favorites"?

This cup designed by Lord Fumai shows six daikon radishes,

four on the outside and two more inside.

The six radishes represent a Buddhist teaching: "Purify your six senses."

It's lighter than I expected.

Fumai was well versed in the tea ceremony.

The cup is thin, so your hands feel the warmth of the tea.

- Here you are.
- Thank you.

The lip of the cup is very thin

which makes it easier to drink the matcha.

Have these cups been made here a long time?

This pottery dates back about 250 years. I'm the tenth generation.

We've always followed the "Fumai's Favorites" style,

but over the years we've sometimes changed sizes.

Have a look at these confections.

The green hue of this dish I made recently

brings out the beauty of the wagashi.

I use this color for tea cups, soup bowls, rice bowls, and other items.

They're popular with younger people.

As you may know, younger people aren't so interested in traditional pottery.

We hope this contemporary style will encourage them

to appreciate more traditional items as well.

We've hit so many places on our journey so far.

I could eat a little bit of something.

I think it's time to get some wagashi.

Let's go!

Look how beautiful these are.

I can't believe these are all mine.

It's a season for love.

Valentine's.

It just melts in your mouth.

Look at this.

I'm in heaven right now.

Colors, layers... Oh, "Fujisan."

Fujisan, come to me.

Love is in the air. Love is in the air!

Such rich flavors here.

That hits the spot.

I wonder which way it is. Let's go.

Oh wow, I wonder what's inside here.

- Hello!
- Hello!

What are you doing?

I'm packing our tea.

Hello!

My daughter is helping us today.

This is bancha tea.

When was this tea harvested?

We harvested it in the autumn.

These are freshly roasted tea leaves. They smell lovely.

They really do.

Fresh!

I can see a lot of smoke.

Yes, it's coming from this machine.

The tea will come out here.

Wow, look at this.

Roasted smell. I love it.

What an amazing smell of roasting!

It smells wonderful.

- This is our tea field.
- This part?

It's one of our family tea fields.

This tea is a varietal called "Saemidori."

We use it for making "sencha" (green tea),

bancha (roasted tea) and black tea.

This area is known as Asakumi.

Lord Fumai's favorite tea was cultivated here.

In those days, this area was famous for producing excellent tea.

Brandon, look over there.

You can see Mt. Daisen.

People in the old days must have enjoyed this view.

It's a fantastic view.

This is the bancha tea I showed you earlier. Please try it.

Roasted smell. It's here inside.

This tea goes well with wagashi in this season.

- I'll take this one!
- And I'll have the yuzu one!

Taste good!

It's the perfect balance,

roasted "hojicha" and wagashi.

Do you like it?

What kind of wagashi do you like?

I like the ones with lots of red bean paste.

The girls love sweets, especially red bean paste.

Especially when the wagashi look cute.

They often have to do rock-paper-scissors

to decide which one they will each take.

- Did you enjoy wagashi like this with your family?
- Yes.

When I was a child, we would always enjoy our teatime like this.

We would drink the tea we produced,

together with our local Matsue wagashi.

I want my children to have the same experience.

I love this tea and I want to preserve its flavor.

That's why I do this work day in, day out.

That is a beautiful sunset.

This is so relaxing.

I spent a full day eating wagashi,

but we're not done yet.

We still have some more places to visit tomorrow.

Hang in there.

Look at this.

This is "jonamagashi,"

Japanese confectionery you should eat while fresh.

Just look at the technique it would take to make this.

Before my journey here in Matsue ends,

across this lake is a Japanese confectionery craftsman

and his apprentice.

Let's go see them.

It looks like they're making wagashi over there.

Arishima Yoshihisa began apprenticing at this wagashi maker two years ago.

What kind of wagashi are you making?

It's a type known as "kinton."

This is soft bean paste.

I came here so I could learn the jonamagashi style of confections.

I used to do a different job,

but I love wagashi and wanted to learn to make them myself.

Arishima's master, Tsuchie Toru, is a third generation wagashi craftsman.

Tsuchie has won awards at many wagashi contests.

He posts photos of his confections on social media,

as a way to spread the word about traditional wagashi.

Besides Arishima, Tsuchie also has two other apprentices.

One of them, Noda Masaharu, won a contest last year.

This year, Arishima will be entering his first contest.

These are my wagashi designs.

I plan to make them for a contest in Tokyo.

My idea is to make a set of five wagashi.

Each will have a different shape and color.

They are judged on the beauty and overall harmony of the five wagashi.

What is this?

This is a "yokan" jelly in the shape of a paper lantern.

And this?

This is a "kingyokukan" jelly shaped like a folding fan.

Kingyoku is usually a summer motif,

so perhaps you should avoid it in the spring.

You also need to consider whether you can really make your design into wagashi.

Arishima-san is going to make a sakura petal for the contest.

Let's see how he does his practice run.

To make this sakura wagashi,

a technique known as "fukinshibori" is used.

The white bean paste is placed inside a cloth

and then squeezed into the desired shape.

The way it is squeezed in the cloth is critical,

and it is important not to squeeze it too hard.

What do you think?

You're getting close...

But the creases need to be sharper.

This design is a bit different,

but if you want to use the fukinshibori technique, do it like this.

Don't press with your fingers.

Pull the cloth here.

That's the way to make a lovely sakura petal.

Maybe you can use this to make creases.

If you want to use a cloth, you have to make the creases sharper.

- You need to practice some more.
- Yes, I will.

- The creases are that important?
- Yes.

This is a technique called fukinshibori.

You are judged on how well you make the creases.

I want him to master this technique so the judge will be satisfied.

What are your thoughts on wagashi?

My grandfather apprenticed at a wagashi maker

in Matsue before he opened his own shop.

Craftsmen in Matsue have worked hard to produce

tea and sweets in the "Fumai's Favorites" style.

Our shop follows the same tradition.

Our aim is to pass down these

wagashi confections for future generations.

Those are my thoughts on wagashi.

Wagashi is the door to Matsue.

Fumaiko's spirit lives inside of these confectioneries.

For example, Wakakusa honors tradition and future.

Artisans like Tsuchiya-san are creating art in his footsteps.

People like Tsuchie are keeping his legacy alive by nurturing youth.

Locals, gathered around wagashi would probably make Fumaiko smile.

Wagashi goes beyond confectioneries.

It's a tool to connect people

and bring them together to relax with friends.

The door's open, wagashi awaits.

To reach Matsue from Tokyo, flights to Izumo Airport take an hour and a half.

The airport bus to Matsue city center takes another half hour.

You can just feel the history along this road.

Mihonoseki Town, a short drive from the center of Matsue,

is known for its atmospheric streets.

Along this street, there are several places run by local ladies,

where you can drop in for a cup of tea.

Thank you very much.

Anyone can drop in for a chat with some tea and confections.

It's so good to talk face to face.

Everyone is welcome!