Japanese New Year Workshop: Mochibana + Masu Arrangements

Join us for a workshop celebrating both traditional and modern Japanese New Year’s decorations!

Join us to create traditional and modern Japanese New Year decorations using mochibana (rice cake flowers) and masu box arrangements. Learn to shape colorful mochi flowers, attach them to branches, and arrange them beautifully for a meaningful start to the New Year. (*Due to pre-reservations, only a few spots are available.)

Mochibana (餅花)

Mochibana means “rice cake flower.” It is a traditional New Year’s decoration made by attaching small, colorful pieces of mochi (sweet glutinous rice) to branches—often willow.

This practice began in the snowy regions of Japan (Yukiguni), where real flowers were scarce in winter. These delicate mochi blossoms were created to evoke the feeling of early spring, symbolizing renewal, hope, and a good harvest in the coming year.

Masu (升) Flower Arrangement

A masu is a traditional square wooden box originally used for measuring rice or sake. Today, it’s often used in celebrations and special occasions—and also as a container for floral arrangements.

The word masu also shares a meaning with “increase/grow” (増す), making it a symbol of prosperity, abundance, and growing happiness for the New Year.

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to:

• Shape and color the small mochi “flowers”
• Attach them beautifully to branches to create your own mochibana
• Arrange the branches—and other auspicious New Year elements such as pine, bamboo, or nandina berries—inside a wooden masu box

About the artist

*EunYoung Sebazco earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Tokyo Agriculture University, Japan. She managed and developed public, private, and commercial gardens. Her principal interest: “public space creation” brought her to New York City. Obtaining a horticulture degree from the New York Botanical Garden School of Professional Horticulture allowed her to combine a deep knowledge of native plant ecology, horticulture, conservation, and ecological landscape design. She worked at one of New York City Parks and enjoyed serving and beautifying public gardens for 16 years. EunYoung is honored to present a Patio Garden Design category at the Philadelphia Flower Show 2022 which is the country's oldest, largest, and most prestigious celebration of flowers. She has taught Kokedama in private & corporate venues for the last ten years. She is co-founder of Kinka.

*Tickets for this event are non-refundable and cannot be rescheduled.

* Due to pre-reservations, only a few spots are available this session.

*If you have any question, you can send us an email to hello@kinka.nyc and we'll get back to you.