Reviews
Some of reviews from TripAdvisor and Facebook🙂
Fun for the whole family!!by Poughkeepsie
I always seek out cultural/ unique experiences that are family friendly and this experience was superb. I had set up our experience via email (on her website). Wakana was prompt in replying to questions and signed us up. Then a few days prior to our visit she sent reminder emails. Wakana is sweet, charming and a very professional. We were lucky that noone else signed up for the class the same day and ended up with a private class.
She was kind and patient with our boys, and let us practice as much as we needed prior to our final calligraphy piece. The udon noodles were fun to make and absolutely delicious. We had some great meals in Japan, but the simple homemade dish was just as amazing.
She shared her recent wedding pictures with us and then we were on our way. We were never rushed, just felt like visiting family.
I would highly recommend her class and when we return would love to try her other classes/tours.
“Highlight of our trip!” by unyong68
Wakana led us through A wonderful experience of making udon and origami …. our 8 yr old’s two favorites. She was pleasant, patient, and highly informative. You can tell that her standards are high and that she does her utmost best to share authentic Japanese culture. She’s quite well-traveled and therefore her English is excellent. When we asked our daughter what were her top experiences and meals of our vacation, she mentioned Wakana and the udon. It was a perfect break from theme parks and shopping; we will definitely be taking another course from Wakana the next time we are in Tokyo.
“Great experience!” by DaniH80
We did Calligraphy class, Udon noodles and Tsunami-zaiku (flowers) at Wakana’s place. Wakana was a great teacher and we had lots of fun. We learned a lot about calligraphy. We did the words “music” and “angel”. Calligraphy is done right-handed. But as we are left-handed, we have to change our writing but Wakana was very patient and nice and showed us everything. At the end we were very happy with the results 🙂 And we loved Udon noodles, they really taste delicious! We also made Tsunami-zaiku which was little tricky at the beginning but with some practice and Wakana’s help we could manage easily. The flowers are a great and colorful souvenir for bringing home. I can recommend Wakalture to everyone who is interested in Japanese culture.
“A taste of Japanese culture with a fantastic and friendly teacher” by Elle J
Wakana is a fantastic teacher. She is patient (calligraphy is a lot harder than it looks!) and supportive in how to improve your technique. She also explains all about the different Japanese languages/alphabets so that you get a grasp on what you are actually writing, rather than just telling you what to write. The class is held in her lovely home and you walk away with your own wall mount – a unique souvenir from your trip! I got lost on the way to the class and so was late and she was most accommodating. As for the udon cooking section of the class, it was really fun! Who knew stomping on dough was so therapeutic? I was lucky enough to sample a secondary cooking class making tamagoyaki omelette which I got to eat along with the noodles at the end. What is even better, the udon recipe is so simple that you can actually make it at home for your friends 🙂 So glad I got to sample two Japanese cultural practises at once, and it was a workshop I won’t forget!
“Looking to connect over food and art? Choose Wakalture!” by Adam S
If there was one experience in Japan that I felt like I gained the most from, it was this one! Wakana is such a sweet person to be around, and my wife and I both felt like we connected with her over the course of the experience. Not only did Wakana teach us how to make homemade Udon Zaru style, she also taught us Japanese Calligraphy. There were a couple things I learned about both of these as a bonus: 1. Zaru Udon is just as good if not better tasting than Zaru Soba (which is my favorite style of Japanese cuisine) and 2. I learned a lot about Japanese language and grammar from Wakana in the process of picking which word to paint. My favorite part about it was spending time in a Tokyo home, with someone who knows Tokyo and the culture so well, and just feeling like I was hanging out with a really cool Japanese girl in her home environment. We talked about travel, and food, and the “always improving” mastery culture that is well known in Japan. By the end, this experience made me feel like I was reunited with a really awesome family member in her home. Highly recommend this experience to anyone!
“Educational and delicious!!” by Melinda G
Wow, what a delightful and educational and delicious time with Wakana! I experienced Wakalture for her udon noodle and calligraphy class.
We started with noodle-making instructions and conversation while we kneaded the dough. While the dough rested, we moved to the calligraphy lesson. Wakana has been doing calligraphy for over 20 years and she really has a wonderful method of teaching so that you can make your project with fun and without too much fear about writing the final project (!). I enjoyed learning the writing process but also the kinds of Japanese script, the history of it and the styles of calligraphy. I could have kept practicing but… it was time to make noodles! We rolled, cut and cooked them and then Wakana showed me several ways to eat them—delicious.
Sadly, I had the Wakalture experience on my last day in Tokyo; otherwise, I would have tried to schedule another one of her activities. So, I look forward to another visit to Tokyo and Wakalture.
Add Wakana and Wakalture to your list of Tokyo experiences!
By Stevye
Wakana’s classes aren’t just something to do if you’ve got a bit of free time in Tokyo- if you’re going to Tokyo you should make time to go to her classes! My partner and I attended a private calligraphy lesson with Wakana and we walked away with one of our best experiences of our entire trip. Not only did we leave with our finished calligraphy, but we also left with so much new knowledge about the history of calligraphy and Japanese culture!
Wakana herself is an absolute delight- she’s helpful and funny, and didn’t make fun of my terrible calligraphy once!! 🙂 I enjoyed her lesson so much that I’ve bought my own calligraphy set and am practicing regularly. I also highly recommend her origami earrings- I’ve gotten so many compliments on them since returning home and they are the best souvenir I could imagine!
Long story short- take Wakana’s classes!! We’re already looking forward to returning so we can learn how to make some delicious udon and have a tour of her local area!
Thank you Wakana!!
“Legitimate Japanese experience with excellent English!” by hadleyorr
Oh my goodness, this was by far one of my favorite experiences here in Japan. Wakana is actually certified to teach calligraphy, whereas many people teach it but do not truly know what they are doing and tourists can’t tell the difference. Wakana could speak English extremely well, which is hard to find in Japan. The noodles we made together was my favorite meal in tokyo as well, simple but extremely tasty. Along with the experience, she has very unique things to buy within her home. Overall, she was very welcoming, kind, competent, and fun.
Authentic Udon making and Origami by Carlton W
Wakana is very pleasant, speaks English well, entertaining and overall easy to talk with. I felt like we were talking to old friend, not someone we just met.
Wakalture is in a residential neighborhood, away from the busy city. It is a short walk from the Okachimachi Station. Google maps takes you right there.
During the time that we had to let the udon set she taught us how to make various origami pieces. After she cooked the udon we got to eat our creation! She not only just served us the food but explained the reasoning for placing the zaru (bamboo plate) and hashi (chopsticks) a certain way. You even get the recipe so that you can make it at home. My daughter has made it already and it came out great, not mention fun to do.
After a few hectic days all around Tokyo, it was nice way to relax for 3 hours. Go and visit Wakalture, I’m glad we did.
A must-do to experience in Japanese culture by jodi g
Add Wakalture to the top of your list. I signed up for one two-hour class. I enjoyed it so much that I took another class the next day. I suggest spending a couple hours with Wakana and then walking nearby to some of Tokyo’s popular attractions.
– Learning Shodo art and being introduced to Japanese language.
– Opportunity to experience Japanese culture outside of hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions.
– Her studio is located in a residential area that is less touristy and more traditional. She is located among family-owned shops and restaurants.
– I walked to Ueno Park. It has a huge pond, places to sit, a market, museums, and shrines.
– Wakana is patient, friendly, speaks English well, and treated me like a good friend.
Lots of knowledge and charm by Lillian J
My 14 year old daughter and I had a guided tour of Ueno / Akihabara, teaching in calligraphy and we learned how to make udon noodles. I had very nice email communication with Wakana in advance of the course. She provided complementary instructions about the course and where we were to meet. She also gave me great tips on tea ceremony, kimono and manga drawing courses. Even though we had a rainy day, we had a lovely trip in the Ueno park. We received many useful tips on places to see and shop in Akihabara. We had an oishi dorayaki! It was really fun to make udon noodles. Wakana has been doing calligraphy for over 20 years and is a good teacher with a lot of knowledge. It gives a completely different dimension when you visit Japan and meet, talk to and visit someone living there. I really recommend a Wakalture experience!
A true taste of Japanese culture by Jessica R
My daughters (ages 11 and 9) and I spent time with Wakana in her home last week during our 1-week visit to Japan. We had such a wonderful experience learning to make Udon and do calligraphy. The whole experience took about 2.5 hours, and we really enjoyed the relaxed pace.
Wakana is warm and inviting, patient and kind. She is well-traveled and excellent with English. She shared with us that her goal is to give back to the traveler community since she has had such good experiences abroad.
We highly recommend a visit to Wakana to enjoy a taste of true Japanese culture!
I contacted Wakana about doing the walking tour and taking the calligraphy class, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time w/her. We had a really nice chat while walking around and she showed me a couple of temples where we had a few laughs. In regard to the calligraphy class, it was great. She’s very patient, which was good because I wasted a few sheets of her paper practicing. She took the time to explain things carefully and paid close attention to what I was doing to compliment me or point out the correct technique. I hope to make it back to Tokyo one day, and if I do I will definitely look her up.
