After hearing about this workshop from TikTok, I signed my mom and I up for it before our trip to Japan. This was absolutely the highlight of our time in Kyoto, and we have vowed to do it again any time we visit the city in the future!! Mayuka is so fun and passionate about her art. She is encouraging and supportive throughout the entire class. She even carefully packages up your creations for a safe journey home. I highly recommend this class to anyone visiting Kyoto, you will not regret it!!

What a wonderful way to spend a cold morning. If you are templed out - feel the need to take home something that you have made which will remind you of staring at the windows of Japanese cafes wondering what to eat and will be something quite quirky - then you really need to go to this class. I made something that was listed as hard - but it wasn't difficult at all with Mayuka's expert tuition. She made it easy. A bit tricky to find as it is tucked away at the back of the Shikiami Concon building - but if you put the address in googlemaps - you will find it.

Absolutely a fun time, loved every moment of it . Mayuka was amazing and patient, i had no experience and my hands are terribly shaky but Mayuka stayed with me every step of the way. I highly recommend coming here, youll have a great time and also get to keep such a cute souvenir.

I highly recommend this activity. Mayuka is a wonderful and kind teacher! We went as a family of four - 13 & 16 yr old sons. My husband and 16 yr old son wasn’t convinced beforehand but ended up having an excellent experience. Their miniature’s looked awesome, despite no previous (or interest in) crafting experience. This was a highlight of our visit to Kyoto and we will do again next time we visit. Thank you for so much fun, Mayuka! We will tell everyone to visit you!

Mayuka was such an amazing person to learn from. She was patient and kind and led me through how to make replica ramen. She interspersed the lesson with history facts about replica food. Would 100% recommend. She even gave us chocolate biscuits and tea! Such a fun experience, she modelled what to do and even had examples prepared so that you could compare your work and alter as needed.

Amazing experience! Mayuka Was a kind and patient person who gave great words of encouragement. This is a must do experience and I will always remember this!

Mayuka is a great host and provided some really interesting and useful insights on food in Japan and locally here in Kyoto. The miniature food making was loads of fun, and quite meditative, too. The results make for a special self-made souvenir you can take back home so you’ll never forget this fascinating part of the world. Thanks Mayuka!

Me and my boyfriend went to Mayukas workshop and we had a great time! It was a perfect mixture of cool stories, a look into an authentic area and fun, active work. Mayuka has a special knowledge about the area - she showed us places that we could never have found by ourselves. Mayuka has a special ability to have attention to all her guests and make sure that everyone has a good time. I can recommend this experience to all kinds of travellers (not only miniature-fans)! You will learn so much and there is no pressure on how high your ambitions need to be in the workshop.

We had such a lovely, peaceful afternoon with Mayuka making our cute bowls of noodles! She was so kind, patient and generous with us and we appreaciated her warmth so much. Very cool activity to do while travelling. Would recommend to all!

Mayuka was absolutely wonderful. Great communication, very patient and kind. My daughter (5 years old) was able to make her own creation as well. It was an amazing experience I truly cannot say enough good things. Make sure to follow her on Instagram!

On my very first day in Japan, I went to Bonchi Kyoto with my mom. It was such a fun way to spend my first day! The owner, Mayuka-san is so kind. She patiently helped my mom and I make mini udon models out of clay and resin, gave us tea while we worked, did a cute photo shoot of our finished models afterward, and even gave us recommendations of other activities to do in Kyoto. The activity itself was a lot of fun! We made the udon noodles and all of the toppings out of clay. There were some components of the dish that I thought would be impossible for me to make myself, but Mayuka-san walked me through each step. I was amazed by the final result. It looks like real miniature food! I loved this experience, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is visiting Kyoto. I hope to go again some time!!

Mayuka's mini food classes were such a highlight of our visit to Kyoto. My daughter did a workshop with Mayuka and loved it so much we scheduled a second lesson! The first time she made a mini ramen, the second time, she made a small fruit tart. Each part of the mini food is made from scratch- they mix the colors of the dough, poke the tiny holes for the strawberry seeds, cut the tops of the mini blueberries. The way they made the tiny green onions for the Ramen was fascinating (and very satisfying!). Mayuka is patient, kind and takes great care to make sure everyone has a positive experience. Thank you, Mayuka!

Mayuka is a wonderful, fun, warm, hugely knowledgeable woman who guides an incredible experience. She shares lots of interesting personal details and fascinating Kyoto facts, takes you to visit great spots around the city that aren't mentioned online or in Lonely Planet. And then the afternoon making minatures in her workshop is an experience I'll never forget. So much fun. She makes you feel comfortable and confident even though you don't know what you're doing. The product was amazing and a fantastic souvenir. You leave feeling you've made a new friend. I could not rate the experience or Mayuka more highly - 10 stars out of 5!!!

A wonderful wonderful time with Mayuka! The whole family loves the experience, from the moment we met, the tour through Miyagawacho Geisha district (as luck would have it, spotted a few maikos around the Maiko school), where she shared about the history and culture of the famous Street, the visit to the beautiful Kenninji temple, lunch at a traditional shop run by a 3rd generation family, the spot where we got our inspiration for the coming hardwork, the crafting of our own mini bowls and till we parted our ways, hearts filled, and happy with the wholesome experience. Mayuka is a very joyful, pleasant, and patient guide and teacher. We were so into the flow of things so much so that we exceeded the tour duration. But Mayuka was very accomodating about it. Thank you so much Mayuka, for making this experience the highlight of our Kyoto stay! Do please contact us when you visit our hometown. It will be our pleasure to be your guide and host.

Best experience in Kyoto! Unique and immersive. You get to learn about Japanese food and culture on a personal and engaging level. In addition to her beautiful miniature food, Mayuka makes Zines! They are hilarious stories and illustrations about how to survive Japan along with witty observations about Japanese culture. I definitely want to come back!

The afternoon in Kyoto with Mayuka was a highlight of my trip! She is extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and was able to offer insights into the city that would be hard to come by otherwise. Everything from Mayuka’s warm and authentic personality to the creative afternoon making the mini food makes the perfect experience for travelers looking for a refreshing, playful, insightful and memorable day in Kyoto. This review is for the Airbnb experience, and I’d definitely return to Bonchi the next time in Kyoto for a mini food workshop and to reconnect with Mayuka.

We spent the day with Mayuka and had an amazing time! Mayuka knew so much about the city and was able to give us great recommendations for things to do - we loved her magazine about how to speak to Japanese people! It was very funny. Mayuka's miniature food workshop was so much fun and is a great souvenir from our time in Kyoto. 5 stars!

Our miniature food workshop was amazing! Highly recommend this, especially if you are visiting Kiyomizu as it's really close by. It's really fun to make, and having your own handmade model of your favourite Japanese food to take home is the best souvenir! Mayuka is a great host, super patient and talented (so don't worry if you've never done something like this or not confident), and she kept us fed and watered with delicious tea and kit-kats while we worked on our models. Mayuka took some action shots while we were working and they're already some of our favourite photos from the trip. Mayuka is also full of great recommendations for food and drink (as you'd expect from someone who makes tiny food for a living!) so you will leave with lots of inspiration for where to go for real noodles too!

This was one of the best experiences I’ve had in Kyoto. The class was so much fun, Mayuka was the nicest and most patient person helping everyone and encouraging us. 100% will be back the next time we are in Kyoto to make more cute model food. Thank you for having us!