What comes to mind when you hear of a workshop that makes baked goods and jam?
People probably have different images of a workshop, from the building’s construction—reinforced concrete or wood—to its size.
But few people would picture a workshop in a renovated nagaya-mon gatehouse.
A rare workshop in a renovated nagaya-mon gatehouse is located in Sakazu, Kurashiki City.
It is the workshop where Miyake Shoten makes the jams, baked goods, and other products sold at its three locations in Kurashiki City.
The unusual feature is not just the nagaya-mon gatehouse. We visited Miyake Shoten Cafe Workshop, which values its ties with local farmers and the community.
The information presented here is current as of the article’s publication in September 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Miyake Shoten
Miyake Shoten is a cafe with three locations in Kurashiki City.
Its first location was Machiya Cafe Miyake Shoten, which opened in 2004 in the Bikan Historical Area.
In 2010, its second location, Mizube no Cafe Miyake Shoten Sakazu, opened.
Two years later, in 2012, Hayashi Genjuro Shoten opened in the Bikan Historical Area.
All of them occupy old houses or other long-standing buildings, with renovations kept to a minimum.
As a result, you can feel the history of the buildings throughout.
Another thing they have in common is that they all sell jam and baked goods and operate cafes.
Today, all the jam, baked goods, and other products sold at Miyake Shoten locations are made at Miyake Shoten Cafe Workshop (the “Cafe Workshop”), established in Sakazu in 2016.
Now, let’s take a look at the Cafe Workshop, which is no exaggeration to call the heart of Miyake Shoten.
The roles of Miyake Shoten Cafe Workshop and the former Harada residence
The Cafe Workshop is located almost next to Sakazu Park, a popular place for Kurashiki residents to relax.
On the spacious grounds, large enough for two apartment buildings, stands the main house, the former Harada residence.
In front of the main house, a stately nagaya-mon gatehouse stands facing the street.
The Cafe Workshop was created by renovating this gatehouse.
I mentioned a “workshop in a renovated nagaya-mon gatehouse,” but the workshop occupies only half of the gatehouse.
In the photo above, the entrance is in the middle of the gatehouse, and the workshop is behind it, on the right side of the entrance.
It seems compact for a workshop that makes all of Miyake Shoten’s products.
But through the interview, I felt that what matters more than the size of the workshop is the care given to its ingredients and products.
Planning and making jam, baked goods, and more
The inside of the workshop is divided into jam-making and baked-goods sections.
It seems that jam, baked goods, and other products are made with seasonal ingredients as the starting point.
They also sometimes come up with ideas for products to coincide with exhibitions and events.
Everything is prepared and processed at the workshop, from peeling fruit to making the jam, baked goods, and other products.
Selling jam, baked goods, and more
Jam and baked goods made at the Cafe Workshop are sold in-store and through the online shop.
They are sold not only at affiliated locations, but also at the former Harada residence, the main house of the Cafe Workshop.
The former Harada residence offers stamp cards.
Once you collect enough stamps, you can use them not only when buying products, but also when dining at Mizube no Cafe Miyake Shoten Sakazu.
Shipping online shop orders
The online shop was established before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Orders are shipped from the office in the main house, the former Harada residence.
You can also buy products directly at the former Harada residence and have them shipped.
Everything from production to shipping is handled at the Cafe Workshop and the former Harada residence, sending their prized products from Sakazu to customers across Japan.
It’s convenient for customers, who can buy from anywhere with the click of a button.
Preparing some menu items for affiliated locations
In addition to products for sale, they also prepare ingredients used in the cafes, such as shaved-ice syrups and sauces, and process dried fruit.
They also make shaved-ice syrup for sale, which you can buy at Miyake Shoten locations and through the online shop.
▼A new-tea parfait once served at Machiya Cafe Miyake Shoten. The orange dried fruit was prepared at the Cafe Workshop.
Turning the community’s treasure, the former Harada residence, into a workshop
The Cafe Workshop is in Sakazu, Kurashiki City.
Before moving here in 2016, the workshop was located inside Hayashi Genjuro Shoten in the Bikan Historical Area.
Why did they move the workshop to Sakazu?
The former Harada residence played a major part in the decision.
The former Harada residence is the birthplace of Takeichi Harada, Okayama Prefecture’s first Olympic athlete.
Harada competed around the world from the Taisho era through the Showa era and took part in the 1924 Paris Olympics.
The former Harada residence is said to have been built around 1888. At the time, it served as a place for families to meet before a marriage, among other uses, and was an important part of the community.
Although the former Harada residence was an important part of the community and the birthplace of a notable Kurashiki City figure, it had stood empty for several years before 2016.
Then a major real estate company proposed demolishing the historically valuable building and constructing apartments.
After learning of the planned demolition, Nobuyuki Tsuji, president of Kumano Co., Ltd., which operates Miyake Shoten, thought, “We have to preserve this community treasure,” and decided to buy the former Harada residence.
After purchasing it, they moved Miyake Shoten’s office and workshop operations into the former Harada residence.
The building was given a new lease on life as a place that supports Miyake Shoten, while also preserving a community treasure.
Now that it has become a new treasure for the community, perhaps the building itself is happy, too.
We spoke with Kayoko Domoto and Emi Hashihara, who work at the Cafe Workshop.
Miyake Shoten Cafe Workshop details
| Name | Miyake Shoten Cafe Workshop |
|---|---|
| Address | 2226 Sakazu, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture — Former Harada Residence |
| Contact | 086-435-0280 |
| Parking | Available About 5 spaces Employees also park here. |
| Hours | 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays |
| Payment methods |
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| Website | Miyake Shoten Cafe Workshop |
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