Yuzuki / Nara, Japan
Yuzuki creates experiences and products that invite you to discover Nara's botanicals through aroma, flavor, texture, history, and craft.
About
Yuzuki invites people to rediscover the beauty of plants that have long been part of human life and history. Rather than simply offering herbs, we shape Nara's local ingredients into experiences that engage aroma, flavor, texture, and history.
According to the Nihon Shoki, Japan's earliest recorded imperial herb-gathering event took place in Uda, Nara, in 611 under Empress Suiko. Uda is also home to Morino Kyuyakuen, Japan's oldest medicinal herb garden. Here, Yuzuki connects herbal culture and local growers with life today.
Drawing on experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Yuzuki has built relationships with Nara's makers and growers, including medicinal herb gardens, a traditional herbal medicine wholesaler established in the Edo period, sansho pepper farmers, and a Yoshino cedar workshop.
Signature Experience
Yuzuki's signature workshop uses ingredients and tools entirely from Nara, inviting participants to discover the region's natural character through aroma and flavor.
Experience
Crush fully ripened sansho pepper in a Yoshino cedar mortar with a Kuromoji pestle to release its aroma. Then add roasted Yamato Toki leaves, Yamato Tachibana, Kihada leaves, Japanese cinnamon, chili pepper, and other ingredients little by little to create your preferred balance of fragrance and heat. Your finished shichimi is yours to take home.
Five Senses
The sound of sansho being crushed, rising citrus aromas, the feel of Yoshino cedar, and the colors and flavors of each ingredient bring the process to life. Along the way, participants encounter not only the botanicals themselves, but also the history of Uda and southern Nara and the work of local growers and craftspeople.
Feature
We share ingredients nurtured in Nara without separating them from their origins. Through experiences and products, we create a tangible connection to the land, its people, and its culture.
We work with a range of locally grown ingredients, including botanicals cultivated without agricultural chemicals or chemical fertilizers. These include Yamato Toki, Yamato Tachibana, Kihada, Japanese mint, Yabu Nikkei, Yamamomo, and Kuromoji from growers in Nara, particularly around Uda.
See, smell, touch, listen, and taste. Our experiences go beyond learning about botanicals: participants use their own hands and enjoy discovering the distinct qualities of each ingredient.
Uda is known as one of Japan's oldest centers of medicinal culture. We also share the traditions of southern Nara, the craft of Yoshino cedar workshops, and the work of local growers behind every product and experience.
Achievements
The Yamato Aroma Shichimi-Making Kit, combining Nara ingredients with Yoshino cedar, has received recognition in Japan and overseas. The experience has also been featured in the media, while Yuzuki's activities continue to reach regional, educational, and culinary settings.
Award-winning entry: Yamato Aroma Shichimi-Making Kit
Materials
The shichimi experience uses Nara-grown ingredients such as fully ripened sansho, Yamato Toki leaves, Kihada leaves, Yamato Tachibana, Yoshino cinnamon, and chili pepper. The tools also feature Yoshino cedar and Kuromoji.
Workshops
Experiences that invite you to touch Nara's ingredients and explore their aroma, flavor, and texture. Programs can be discussed according to the venue and purpose.
Workshop
A workshop for all five senses, using a Yoshino cedar mortar and Nara-grown botanicals and spices to create your own balance of aroma and heat.
View Experience
Workshop
An activity offered at Chefesta and KITO FOREST MARKET SHIMOICHI, where participants made aromatic sachets and botanical bath items.
View Activities
Workshop
Combine Nara botanicals with genmai pon, a traditional Japanese puffed brown rice, and explore their aromas and flavors as you create a cup to your taste. It is a mindful experience designed to engage all five senses.
View ActivitiesLecture
Programs combine ingredient introductions and hands-on experiences with topics such as Nara's herbal culture, the connection between people, food, and the places where they live, and the use of regional resources.
Discuss a ProgramProducts & Culture
Products born from Nara's ingredients and the craftsmanship rooted in this land.
Yamato Shichimi
A blend of Yamato Toki leaves, Kihada leaves, Yamato Tachibana leaves and dried peel, Nikkei, fully ripened sansho, and chili pepper, created to express the aromas of Nara as well as heat.
Discover the Experience
Yunoka
A quasi-drug bath product made with 100% natural traditional herbal ingredients by Fukuda Shoten, a wholesaler in Sakurai, Nara, whose history dates to the Edo period.
Discover Yunoka
Tososan
A traditional blend of herbal ingredients and spices from a long-established wholesaler. Beyond New Year's otoso, it carries the culture into daily life through Japanese-style chai, herbal spice tea, and other ideas.
Discover TososanEvents & Activities
Places to meet Yuzuki and opportunities to experience Nara's ingredients. Here are upcoming dates and activities held in 2026.
A Yamato Shichimi blending experience using more than ten Nara-grown botanicals and a Yoshino cedar mortar. Participants can take their finished shichimi home.
Yuzuki plans to offer botanical bath items at an event bringing together products, culture, and experiences from Nara.
2026 Activities
These are documented activities from the official events page and are not presented as products currently on sale or programs available at all times.
Botanicals and genmai pon experience
Yamato Shichimi, aromatic sachet, and botanical bath item experiences
Yamato Shichimi, aromatic sachet, and botanical bath item experiences
Yamato Shichimi blending experience
Yamato Shichimi blending experience
For Business
We welcome inquiries about experiences, workshops, and talks featuring Nara's botanicals and regional ingredients. Fees and program details vary by project; please contact us to discuss your needs.
We discuss experience planning and event delivery with hotels, travel companies, tourism facilities, businesses, and organizations. Programs can be considered according to your purpose, venue, and participants.
Discuss a ProgramOnline Shop
Products are available through the Yuzuki online shop.
Contact
For workshops, programs for businesses and organizations, or product inquiries, please contact us through the official inquiry form or by email.