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$100 per guest
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Our mission is to improve mental wellbeing through our workshops and experiences. We curate our teachers and hosts carefully to ensure that they are of high quality.
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You'll be in good hands. This teacher is rated 4.9 out of 5, from 84 reviews
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ClassBento money-back guarantee
Our mission is to improve mental wellbeing through our workshops and experiences. We curate our teachers and hosts carefully to ensure that they are of high quality.
That's why we provide a money-back guarantee*: If you're unsatisfied with this experience, just leave it at least 20 minutes before it ends, and tell us (the ClassBento team) the reason for your dissatisfaction within 4 hours of that time, and we'll provide you with a refund.
* We may choose to limit our refund per customer at $1000. In some rare cases, we may also require you to show us your photo ID before we process the refund.
How can we help?
Q: What's the cancellation policy?
A: Free to cancel or reschedule up until 7 days before the class
Q: How long does the class run for, and what's the price?
A: 1.5 hours, $100 per guest
Shoso Shimbo usually responds
by the next business day
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Need a thoughtful gift idea?
card_giftcard Gift an experienceIkebana Floristry Class for Beginners
Enjoy an Ikebana worksop for your special occasion
ClassBento donates
with every booking to
1.5 hours
Comes to you
10 to 90 guests
$100
What you'll do
Learn the essence of basic Ikebana flower arranging in this hands-on class for beginners!You will enjoy the relaxing and contemplative process of Ikebana flower arranging as you create your own arrangements. You may also find yourself re-energised through the magic of touching the beautiful gifts of nature.The session starts with a brief discussion on the historical and sociocultural aspects of Ikebana. Then, you will make a basic arrangement to learn the traditional design principles, and a freestyle arrangement to learn how to express yourself through Ikebana.At the end of the class, you will have an opportunity to have an individual consultation with Shoso and share the philosophy behind your unique arrangements with other participants.You will arrive with nothing and leave with a flower work of art and the inspiration to make many more!This workshop is ideal for special events such as hen's parties, team building activities or a cultural event.Please note: This is a tailored training program. If you have a group of people interested in Ikebana, we can arrange a workshop for you. You can choose a date or venue. Please select the 'Request' option.
What you'll get
Your very own Ikebana arrangement.
Read more details
Knowledge required
Beginner-friendly.
What to bring
No requirements, just bring yourself.
Suitable for
This class is great for a birthday or hens party.
Verified
reviews
Recent reviews of Ikebana Floristry Class for Beginners
- 5/5 from Narelle Keleher, attended Aug 2023: We did our session with Shoan and she was a great teacher - very knowledgeable and engaging. We learnt all about the history of Ikebana and she did some beautiful displays for demonstration. We loved having a go ourselves and was great to take away a lovely display for our own homes.
- 5/5 from Fleur Gascoyne, attended Jan 2021: Great class and lovely teacher, our group of 10 really enjoyed the workshop and learning about Ikebana. The introduction to Ikebana with the history of this japanese art form was informative and it was great to learn the theory behind Ikebana - definitately not as easy as it looks but Shoso was very helpful! The workshop was also good value for money. I highly recommend this workshop and Shoso as a teacher. Thanks again Shoso!
- 5/5 from Xiaowen Chin, attended Mar 2020: Shoso was very friendly and explained the ikebana art of floristry very well. The materials provided were great and all of us thoroughly enjoyed class. Would recommend!
- 5/5 from Hayley Ng, attended Aug 2019: Due to unpredictable weather, we decided to do something indoor at the very last minute for a hens party. This is when I found out about ClassBento online. While it was a very last minute thing to take up a class, John, the co-founder of the website has been very attentive to our needs and easy to reach out, making the process of organising the class so easy! Moving on to the Ikebana class, there’s only positive things to say! Shoso was amazing! He is very knowledgeable and patience to answer all questions! His class was not just fun but also educative. If you are interested with Japanese culture like we do, a class with Shoso should definitely be on your to do list! Check out our Ikebana photo! As a group of people who knows nothing about flower nor Ikebana, we are very proud with our own work!
- 5/5 from Eugene Healey, attended Jul 2019: This class was a brilliant first introduction to Ikebana. Shoso started off with an interesting lesson on its history, then moved on to a workshop where we prepared our own arrangement. He provided a good variety of flowers that meant each one of our arrangements (there were 8 of us) were each unique. It was a great activity for our office and I'd recommend it for any group below around 15 people.
- 5/5 from Johanna Wyatt, attended Jun 2019: This workshop was wonderful! We had a small group of 4 and Shoso was a wonderful facilitator and teacher. Shoso was engaging, knowledgeable and highly skilled. We all thoroughly enjoyed our workshop! The Ikebana floristry class for beginners was great fun and very relaxing.
Your teacher
Shoso Shimbo, PhDIkebana Artist | Sculptor | Garden Designer | Shinto Priestwww.shoso.com.auDr. Shoso Shimbo is a certified Sogetsu Ikebana teacher with over 30 years of experience. He began his Ikebana journey in the 1980s in Hiroshi Teshigahara's Men's Only Class at the Sogetsu Headquarters in Tokyo, where he studied the distinctive principles and philosophy of the Sogetsu School. Since then, he has been dedicated to teaching and sharing the art and philosophy of Ikebana.He is also an award-winning sculptor, garden designer, and Shinto priest active in both the contemporary art and floral design worlds. His numerous accolades include a Gold Award at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.Dr Shimbo frequently collaborates with local and international musicians, including Paul Grabowsky and the Gregorian Brothers, presenting live installation performances at the Melbourne Recital Centre and internationally in Vietnam. On 29 August 2026, he presented an ikebana performance with Jessica Aszodi at Melbourne Recital Centre.In 2023, he was invited to participate in the National Gallery of Victoria’s (NGV) Bloom event. His floral art is regularly featured in International Floral Art by Stichting Kunstboek (Belgium).As a leading figure in the community, Dr Shimbo is the CEO of the biennial Melbourne Ikebana Festival. He also founded Ikebana Dojo, an online learning platform, and the Ikebana Gallery Award, the world's first online international ikebana competition.His sculptural work has been exhibited in major national contemporary art events, and in 2017, he was awarded the Arnold Bloch Leibler Prize at the Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition. He was commissioned to create a public art installation for the Archibald Prize Exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, and after the bushfires in 2016, he created the Wye River Project as part of Lorne Sculpture.Dr Shimbo has published extensively with internationally recognised organisations and publishers, including Springer and UNESCO, and has dedicated many years to sharing the philosophy and practice of ikebana and Japanese culture with international audiences.His recent academic work includes: the chapter “Environmental Art: Ikebana Meets Contemporary Art, ” published in Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects (Springer, 2026), and “Relative Positions of Freestyle Ikebana Movement in the Field of Ikebana Before and After WWII, ” Traditional Culture (Kyoto University of Arts Publishing).He currently serves as:Vice President, International Society of Ikebana Research (ISIR), CEO, Wa: Melbourne Ikebana Festival.Additional Qualifications:Certified Shinto Priest (Chokkai officially approved by Jinja Honcho – Kyoto Kokugakuin)
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