Interview with Shingo Inoue, manager of “Mizube no Cafe Miyake Shoten Sakazu”
We interviewed manager Inoue about Miyake Shoten’s vision and how it came to start making pizza.
This article presents the interview conducted during our first visit in June 2021.
Miyake Shoten’s first location is in the Bikan Historical Area. Why did you choose Sakazu for your second location?
Inoue (honorific omitted)
Sakazu is where Kurashiki’s water begins, and the town spreads out from here, so we chose this location.
The building was originally a private home, which we renovated.
We removed the corrugated metal around the house and added windows so people could see the garden.
Our president enjoys coming up with ideas, so we consulted an architect.
We installed only minimal heating and air conditioning, and generally keep the windows open.
With the river nearby, we want people to feel the breeze and the changing seasons.
We also use seasonal ingredients, so we hope people can experience the seasons.
Could you tell us how you came to add pizza to the existing menu of curry, sweets, and other items?
Inoue
Miyake Shoten opened in 2010, and we actually wanted to serve pizza from the very beginning.
However, we had to give up because we couldn’t secure both the funding and the staff.
The turning point came when we renovated the former Harada Residence, near Miyake Shoten here.
It’s a renovated traditional house, and we moved Miyake Shoten’s office to the former Harada Residence and added a jam workshop.
Before the move, the building that is now the pizza hut was our office.
That left the office vacant, so we renovated it and finally set up a place to make pizza.
Making pizza with homemade yeast seems like a lot of work. Why are you committed to making it yourself?
Inoue
Miyake Shoten makes jam, and we use the fruit peels left over from that process.
It’s what people often call the SDGs these days. We make use of everything, including things that would otherwise be thrown away.
The fruit we use changes with the seasons, and each type of fruit affects the fermentation speed and the strength of the yeast differently.
The production conditions also change depending on the time of year.
I’m thinking of trying peaches and grapes in the summer.
We also ferment the fruit to make yeast water. It has a slight aroma, but apparently doesn’t affect the taste.
During fermentation, the yeast produces bubbles that appear around the fruit peels.
When the fermentation is strong, opening the container lid makes a “pop” sound.
The process is the same as with commercial yeast, but homemade yeast is less powerful and needs to be adjusted.
Using commercial yeast is easier and takes less effort, but we want to use what we can—in this case, fruit peels.
It is bitter, isn’t it? The sugar is used up during fermentation, leaving the bitterness behind.
That’s why the fruitiness doesn’t seem to come through in the pizza dough.
Are you particular about your ingredients, too?
Inoue
We use flour produced in Okayama Prefecture.
The main ingredients for our pizzas are also from Okayama Prefecture.
Our pizzas will change with the seasons, and we generally use ingredients from the Takahashi River Basin.
We use wild boar caught in Niimi City, sea bream from the Seto Inland Sea, and lotus root from Tsurajima.
For our quattro formaggi, we use our homemade jam instead of honey.
We also paid special attention to the garden and had a gardener create it for us.
We changed the garden when we started making pizza.
Previously, we had built up the soil, but this time we had some of it removed to improve the view.
Is there anything you’d like to work on in the future?
Inoue
We’d like to focus more on pizza going forward.
We have a garden, too, so we’d like people to enjoy pizza with a craft beer in hand and have an adult picnic.
We’re hoping to offer pizza in the garden by reservation in the evenings.
Evenings really are lovely. The sun sets, and you can see the sunset from the garden.
Even in summer, it’s fairly cool in the evening.
We’re also considering delivering to Sakazu Park so people can eat there.
However, we haven’t been able to make these plans happen because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we hope to realize them once it’s over.
Keep an eye on the new Miyake Shoten and what’s next!
The pizza introduced by Miyake Shoten, already popular for its curry and sweets, has a distinctive character unlike any other.
This pizza is made using every bit of the fruit peels left over from making jam.
Choosing the more labor-intensive process of making yeast from scratch instead of using commercial yeast reflects their commitment to making good use of resources and their passion for food.
Miyake Shoten’s desire for customers to enjoy their meals while experiencing the natural surroundings of Sakazu is also unique to the shop.
Why not visit and try a pizza made with homemade yeast dough and generously topped with local ingredients—something only Miyake Shoten can offer?
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
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