Sawako’s Tokyo Kitchen
By Amber Wilson
Photography by Joann Pai
On a weekday morning in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, the doors of a studio kitchen open to butter and steam. The kitchen is modest and immaculate: bowls nested neatly, offset spatulas and pastry brushes aligned with quiet deliberation, parchment sheets cut to perfect rectangles.
Quick yet unhurried, instructor Sawako moves through the room with efficiency and grace, focusing on gently folding perfectly whipped egg whites into her cotton cheesecake batter. “When people focus on small details—folding the batter gently, arranging fruit carefully—they naturally slow down and find calmness,” Sawako says. “That moment of mindfulness is very Japanese.”
Here, rhythm is measured by attention: a roll cake coaxed into even spirals, melonpan with its finely scored crust, milk bread so airy that it threads apart at a touch. Sawako’s instructions are exacting but never severe. “Baking should make people happy,” she says. “I believe that good sweets don’t have to be complicated. What matters most is warmth, care, and a sense of beauty that comes from the heart.”
Her baking journey began in her mother’s kitchen. “When I was a child, my mother used to make homemade sweets for me—elegant French pastries, Japanese confections, and even freshly baked bread,” she recalls. “She wasn’t a professional, but her creations were as beautiful as any pâtissier’s work. Watching her in the kitchen filled me with admiration, and she was the very first person who inspired me.”
Years later, after studying in London and Paris, Sawako returned home to Tokyo with a wish that was both simple and profound. “I wanted to create a place in Tokyo where people from different countries could gather, bake together, and experience Japan through sweets,” she says. “That was the beginning of Fait Beau Tokyo.”
She started modestly—“a few friends in my home kitchen,” she remembers—but word spread. “With the rise of the internet and social media, more and more people from different parts of the world discovered my classes. Before long, students from many countries were visiting Tokyo to bake together—something I could have never imagined in the beginning.”
Her classes are Japanese in what it borrows and what it refines: the billowed chiffon of shortcake, the tremor of a cotton cheesecake, the cloud-crumb of Hokkaido- style milk bread. On the counter, a roll cake cools under a sheet of baking paper, pale as silk. “When they take the first bite and say, ‘It’s so soft! I’ve never tasted anything like this!’—that moment makes me truly happy,” Sawako says. “Seeing their joy reminds me why I love to teach these Japanese-style baked goods.”
Her classes are small by design—what she calls human-scaled. “The one-day group lesson offers three different themes, each including two recipes,” she explains. “These are designed so that even those who aren’t deeply into baking—like friends or family members visiting together—can enjoy them.”
She continues, “The private lesson allows you to choose the sweets or breads you want to learn and take a personalized class. Some students join alone, while others come in pairs. This course attracts those who want to learn more seriously, and it’s actually the most popular program at my school.”
Then there is the Master Course, a four-day intensive program that covers 16 recipes, along with an introduction to Japanese flour and Japanese tea culture. “While it’s not a private course, it’s kept to a maximum of two participants,” she says. “Most students who take this course either already have a business or dream of opening their own shop one day.”
Teaching, for Sawako, is about precision and kindness in equal measure. “My recipes are tested many times, and I always try to provide clear, step-by-step instructions and tips, even for beginners,” she says. “At the same time, I love when students bring their own ideas—like using fruits from their home country or adding a personal twist to a decoration. I always tell them, ‘Learn the basics first. Once you understand the foundation, then you can start to play.’”
Her teaching has already begun to ripple outward. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, a beginner named Noelia Tomoshige arrived from Spain, working in fashion, dreaming of pastry. Sawako guided her through the four-day Master Course and then encouraged her to study at Le Cordon Bleu for the fundamentals she considers essential. “Even during the pandemic, she pursued her studies with determination and later opened her own shop,” Sawako says. “Today, she is one of the most well-known pastry chefs in Madrid. Of course, all her success is the result of her own hard work, but I feel deeply honored to have been her first teacher—the one who helped her take her very first step into the world of pastry.”
Sawako’s studio in Shibuya draws students from around the globe. “These days, I have students from all over the world—from Europe, the US, Australia, Asia, and even South America,” she says. “Many of them come to Tokyo just to take the class, which still amazes me.”
Sawako’s philosophy is Japanese not for its ingredients but for its temperament. Precision here is a form of care; hospitality lives in the margins. She asks students to trim parchment neatly, not as performance but because neatness prevents drag in a delicate batter. She pauses over fruit placement with the patience of someone arranging ikebana. “Many of my students are visiting from abroad and may only have one chance to bake the recipe,” she says. “So, consistency and reliability are essential.”
She offers one more thought, simple but necessary. “Through these lessons, I’m not just teaching recipes,” she says. “I’m sharing a piece of Japanese culture—our love for seasonal ingredients, our attention to detail, and the spirit of hospitality that values thoughtfulness and grace.”
By afternoon, cakes from her class are wrapped up and the counter wiped clean. Sawako’s movements are so precise, they feel meditative. “To be able to share that—in a small kitchen in Tokyo, with people from all around the world—is something I never take for granted,” she says. “It reminds me that even in a fast-paced world, small, handmade things still have the power to connect us.”
Go There
Fait Beau Tokyo welcomes students from around the world. Classes are taught in English and Japanese, from beginner roll cakes to the coveted four- day Master Course.
Follow her gentle, detail-driven baking at @tokyobaking on Instagram or visit faitbeau.com.
The post Sawako’s Tokyo Kitchen first appeared on Bake from Scratch.