YAMADA-YA MOMIJI MANJU BAKING EXPERIENCE ー A Hands-On Japanese Sweet Making Experience

Experience the tradition of making Miyajima’s iconic momiji manju, a maple-leaf-shaped cake enjoyed since the Meiji period. Yamada-ya, which has been making momiji manju since 1932, offers a 30 minute cooking class in both Japanese and English. The class is located on the second floor of their main shop at the northernmost end of Omotesando Shopping Street in the heart of the commercial district. Inside you’ll find a shining, stainless steel kitchen and the framed signatures of over a dozen Japanese celebrities who took the class. Everything is prepared for you: including the iconic, maple-leaf-shaped, cast iron mold; the batter, a meringue mixed with flour, rice sugar, and a little water; and the fillings.

A trained instructor will guide you every step of the way, from how to operate the iron to removing the cooked manju. Guests can cook two manju, each with a different filling. Yamadaya makes 18 kinds of fillings, but the lesson typically involves chocolate and anko paste fillings. If you reserve on a Japanese holiday, other fillings are offered. They change, but in previous holidays guest cooks filled their manju with oshogatsu strawberry, matcha, and edamame paste.

Reservations need to be made 24 hours in advance on their website, by phone or at their shop. And a payment of 770 yen per person must be made in cash at the reception desk on the day of the event. Demonstrations are held four times a day on weekdays and five times a day on weekends and holidays.