Japanese Incense Workshop: "Listening" to It and Making It - Sunday, November 23, 2025

On Sunday, November 23, 2025, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., a new format for an exceptional workshop in a small group to discover the way of Japanese incense and make your own custom-made one.

Laurence, the founder of Atelier Ikiwa, opens the doors of a beautiful Parisian apartment (located at the Solférino metro station, Paris 7th arrondissement) for an afternoon dedicated to Japanese incense, a truly immersive experience and a wonderful moment of sharing.

The experience will begin with monkō, listening to incense, with the discovery of its gestures, its tools, its principles. A soothing moment around new sensations during which you will understand why it is a question of "listening" to incense. Laurence will also talk about Kōdō, one of the three traditional arts of Japan (along with the tea ceremony and ikebana), through a cultural, historical, playful, and very elegant approach. She will share her precious addresses in Japan related to incense.

In the second part of the workshop, pressed incense (inkō) will be made. Laurence brought back from Kyoto, in collaboration with a very famous Japanese incense house created in the 18th century, some kits containing the ingredients traditionally used in the manufacture of this type of delicate and beautiful incense. Each participant in the workshop will receive their own kit which contains 9 sachets of powder of different natural ingredients from fragrant woods, spices, resins and plants... An incense paste will be made by measuring the ingredients, a binder and oils according to their tastes and incense pieces will then be made using molds (everyone can use the shape(s) of their choice). Around twenty pieces of pressed incense will be produced, which once dried (after 2 days) can either be lit using a flame or left in a bowl where they will release their delicate scent. The kit and any ingredients that have not been used will be kept by the participants.

These moments of sharing in small groups (5 participants + Laurence) will also be an opportunity to taste Japanese teas accompanied by seasonal sweets.

Price of this workshop: €93, including the welcome for about 3 hours, the manufacturing kit, the incense listening session and presentation of the kōdō, the tea tasting and the sweets.