Sweet Replica Experience & Dazaifu Shrine

OVERVIEW

Learn to make super-realistic plastic food samples like the ones displayed in restaurant windows and visit a shrine dedicated to the god of learning. A master artisan will teach you the basics of making plastic foods, which serve as visual menus of sorts in restaurants throughout Japan. You will likely make a parfait with your choice of plastic ice cream and textured toppings, all incredibly lifelike. Following this entertaining experience, you will explore Dazaifu Tenmangu, a venerated Shinto shrine where worshippers often come to pray for academic success, especially during exams. The shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, a legendary 9th-century scholar who has been deified and buried there. On the approach to the shrine, you will find an abundance of shops selling umegae mochi, a tasty grilled rice cake filled with sweet red bean paste. They also offer ice cream, perhaps ones that look as realistic as your plastic parfait.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Follow a master artisan’s direction and learn to make realistic plastic foods.
• Browse a revered Shinto shrine dedicated to Tenjin, the god of learning.
• Stop at a sweet shop near the shrine for a treat, if you wish.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.