Shikoan (Wagashi-Making Workshop)

Shikoan is a neighborhood confectionery standing just west of Wakayama City Hall, a five-minute walk from Wakayama Castle. Its shelves carry the shop's signature Kishu Taiko—a soft bun filled with smooth red bean paste—alongside warabi mochi, seasonal fruit daifuku, and a playful lineup of Western-style and hybrid sweets. What sets Shikoan apart, though, is its wagashi-making workshop, which more than 40,000 people have taken part in. Guided hands-on by the shop's master confectioner—a craftsman also invited to teach across the city—participants shape four seasonal nerikiri sweets of their own, learning how bean paste is tinted, wrapped, and pressed into flowers and seasonal motifs. The session is genuinely craft-focused yet friendly enough for first-timers and children, and everything you make goes home with you: a souvenir and a memory in one. Sitting midway between Wakayama Station and Wakayamashi Station, it pairs naturally with a visit to the castle for an easy half-day of history and hands-on culture.