I was born in Kobe, Japan, and began studying the art of tea ceremony in 1987 under Master Murayama.
After graduating, I travelled across Europe and fell in love with Italy. I began learning Italian and dreamt of one day living there.
In January 1995, my hometown Kobe was struck by a devastating earthquake.
It was at that moment I decided to pursue my dream. A year later, I moved to Italy on my own.
Here, I attended the University for Foreigners in Siena and later moved to Florence for work.
In 2000, I began participating in various cultural events to present the Japanese tea ceremony.
In 2001, I relocated to Vicenza to work for a Japanese company, where I eventually became branch manager.
In 2006, a year after the birth of my daughter, I was diagnosed with a large brain tumour. My only options were to risk death or undergo surgery that might have left me disabled.
I chose surgery.
During my illness, I often found myself wondering to whom I would entrust my tea utensils.
But after a successful operation, I resolved to dedicate myself to teaching the Way of Tea. In 2009, I founded the school “Chanoyu Vicenza”.
It was in 2016 that I left my job to devote myself entirely to "The Way of Tea".
With more time at my disposal, I was constantly seeking something new to learn. That was how I discovered the exquisite Japanese confections known as "Wagashi", created by Master Junichi Mitsubori.
That same summer, I asked Master Murayama for the opportunity to train in his renowned Japanese pastry shop, and requested that he become my teacher.
Upon returning to Italy, I began preparing wagashi for every tea ceremony lesson, and my students responded with great enthusiasm.
During the pandemic, I discovered that Master Mitsubori was holding online seminars. I joined them immediately to refine my technique, and in 2021 I enrolled in his school, “The Way of Sweets Ichi-ka”.
In recent years, I have accompanied every cup of tea during my demonstrations with these beautiful seasonal confections.
Numerous requests for courses and presentations have followed, and I have thus decided to open a Wagashi course to promote this unique culinary art in Italy.
With my passion and commitment to Japanese culture, I hope to spread awareness and appreciation of Japanese sweets throughout the world.
