Dialogue - Rhythm -

Based in Saga Prefecture, Yuyun makes plant-based sweets, as well as traditional Korean sweets and, driven by her love of wild plants, is active in promoting Japanese leaf mochi.

"I love making sweets so much"

Where does the motivation to say this come from?

My encounter with macrobiotics

The name "Yoyun" was chosen to create a memorable sweet. We want people to think about the scenery in which the ingredients were grown. It contains the meaning of "yin" and "yang" - living in balance.
It all started when she joined a baking class as she wanted to find some fun in between raising her children.

Looking back, Yu Yun says that until then she had no strong interest in making sweets.

The reason I became seriously interested in baking was because I was exposed to the macrobiotic way of life.

"Before I discovered macrobiotics, I didn't think much about how I selected my ingredients and just picked the cheapest ones possible.

"Living in accordance with the flow and order of nature. Eating foods from the land where you live, in their natural state as much as possible, in accordance with the season, the environment, and your physical condition. The macrobiotic philosophy resonated with me, and I decided to put it into practice."

Get rid of the mental constraints of "it has to be this way"

He says that the biggest change that came from discovering macrobiotics and adjusting his diet was that he began to notice subtle changes in his body.

"Even when I get sick, I can now understand that it's because of my diet. Macrobiotics may seem stoic at first glance, but there are no absolute no's or no musts. Because there's no repression or coercion, I think it's important to acquire the ability to make the right decisions for yourself about your diet and lifestyle."

"The most important thing about your diet is whether it's delicious or not," said Yu Yun with a laugh. The important thing is to believe in what you feel, without being bound by ideas or information.

I want to share traditional Korean sweets, which are still not well known.

Yu Yun's current interest is traditional Korean sweets.

In Korea, there is a saying that "food is medicine," which refers to the idea of ​​preventing illness by eating healthy foods on a regular basis, rather than waiting until you get sick and then rushing to take medicine to cure it.

She came across Korean sweets when she was exploring possibilities other than baked goods. Compared to Western sweets, the way they are made is still relatively unfamiliar in Japan, but Yu Yun was eager to tell us about the similar ideas behind them, such as macrobiotics, which resonated with her.

"I want to convey the excitement of 'There are such wonderful things in this world.' I'm excited to be able to spread the word about Korean sweets in addition to baked goods in the future."

The 3rd Learning Space was held in October 2021, with Yu Yun as the teacher. You can read about her thoughts at the time on Rakugaku .