A herbarium is made by placing dried flowers in a bottle and filling it with a special oil.

These interior decorations have become popular on social media in recent years due to their ease of care—allowing you to enjoy fresh, vibrant flowers without any maintenance—and their adorable appearance.

This time, I went to "yaeee," a workshop where you can make your own herbarium!

Fill a bottle with star sand, fragments of Ryukyu glass, and plants, and you're sure to relive your memories of your trip to Okinawa.

A one-of-a-kind piece of art created just for you makes a perfect souvenir or gift.

<Contents>
1. What kind of place is "yaeee"?
2. I tried making the most popular type of herbarium!
3. Conclusion

1. What kind of place is "yaeee"?

"yaeee" offers hands-on crafting experiences, starting with the plant specimen herbarium mentioned at the beginning, as well as flower candles and other items.

The classroom is located in an apartment building, about a 10-minute walk from Omoromachi Station on the Yui Rail line.

The instructor is Yuiko, who holds diplomas in herbariums and flower candles.
Because the classes are small and the instructors are kind and thorough, even beginners can feel at ease.

There are 11 different experience menus available, including a bougainvillea flower candle making lesson for 3,500 yen and a herbarium ballpoint pen making lesson (2 pens for 3,500 yen), among others.

All menu items require advance reservations by 12:00 PM the day before. For details, please see below.Official website

In addition, Yuiko's handmade herbarium candles and other items are sold in the classroom.

If you find something that catches your eye, it might be a good idea to take it home with you.

In the next section, I will discuss my own experience making herbariums.

2. I tried making the most popular type of herbarium!

Out of the 11 menu options, I chose the herbarium making experience (3,300 yen including tax).

The bottles, floral materials, and tools used during the experience are all provided in the classroom, so you can participate empty-handed.

While it varies from person to person, the experience takes approximately two hours. Tea and snacks are included with every menu item.

First, let's choose the base bottle.
This is an important step that determines the overall atmosphere of the herbarium, and the impression changes dramatically depending on the bottle you choose.

There are various shapes such as rectangular prisms, cylinders, and heart-shaped prisms, but I chose a cylinder because I wanted to create a soft, gentle image.

Incidentally, a square shape looks stylish, while a heart shape is apparently for advanced users.

Once you've decided on the foundation, the next step is the contents.
"I want to create something that reflects Okinawa, using my favorite blue as the base," I conveyed this vague request while mentally developing the design.

Since I like blue, Yuiko brought this out for me. It's Ryukyu cullet (fragments of Ryukyu glass) and star sand.

I always thought herbariums were only for flowers and plants, so this is a surprise! I'll use a spoon to lay them at the bottom of the bottle.

Apparently, by doing so, it also serves as a kind of kenzan (a type of flower frog) to support the next plant that is placed on top.

Now that we've done all that, it's finally time for the main plant.
The work table and its side are lined with a variety of colorful flowers, and just looking at them is soothing.

I chose blue baby's breath and hydrangeas as the main colors, and pepperberries as an accent color.

The key is to avoid leaving any gaps, so carefully insert them with tweezers.

Although I didn't include them this time, I was impressed by the presence of Okinawan fruits and vegetables such as star fruit and bitter melon.

Since the herbarium is being made in Okinawa, I thought it would be wonderful to add a personal touch in that way.

We'll continue filling the bottles at this rate.

Since I made the Ryukyu cullet colorful, I also made the pepperberries (pictured left) colorful to add an accent.

The bottle is now filled with blue plants and is gradually starting to look like a real plant.

Once the bottle is filled, slowly pour in the special oil, and if desired, wrap a ribbon or string around the bottle.

Finally, attach a label with the classroom name "yaeee" written on it, and it's complete!

I used star sand and Ryukyu cullet to represent Okinawa, added my favorite blue color and some accent plants, and the result is a colorful herbarium.

I'm very pleased with how the finished product turned out; I'm truly satisfied with it.

Yuiko will wrap it up for you afterwards, so please try to keep it upright on your way home.
(※Even when carrying it on board, it's better to keep it as hand luggage.)

3. Conclusion

This was my first time making a herbarium, and I found it to be more complex than I expected. I enjoyed the process of trial and error while creating it.

If you participate with friends or your partner, you can create the artwork while reminiscing about your trip, and best of all, it's wonderful to see plants and other things that are typical of Okinawa.

If you display it as interior decor at home, every time you look at it, memories of your trip to Okinawa will come flooding back.

It's also great that it's easily accessible by the Yui Rail, regardless of the weather.

If you're visiting Okinawa, why not try a workshop at "yaeee" to create your own one-of-a-kind herbarium?

【store information】 flower life yaeee Address: FLEX Omoromachi 201, 4-6-19 Omoromachi, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture 900-0006 Telephone: 090-1943-3750 Closed on: Please inquire Opening hours: 10:00 - Parking: Please use nearby parking lots (charges apply). Official HP:https://yaeeeflowerlife.amebaownd.com

Please make your hotel reservation here.

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