Interview with Yukari Tozawa of pain porte
How she came to open a shop in Mabi and the origin of its name
I understand that Mr. Tozawa is from Kojima, Kurashiki City, and Yukari is from Tamashima. Could you tell us how you came to open a shop in Mabi?
Tozawa
Actually, it just happened by chance.
When we came to this location to look around, it was close to the station and the Kurashiki City Mabi Branch Office, so we thought it was the busy town center.
On the opening day, July 19, 2013, people from the neighborhood came. But after that, it was hard to attract more customers…
Did the number of customers gradually increase after that?
Tozawa
We wanted to avoid getting busier than necessary, so we didn't place large advertisements or promote ourselves.
But people in the neighborhood told us, “It’s delicious, so I told my friends about it.”
Word of mouth spread more and more, and sales steadily grew.
We weren't using social media at all, but customers told us, “You should!” so we started using Twitter and Instagram.
We started using social media around 2016 or 2017, about three years after the shop opened, so we were late in the end (laughs).
Could you tell us where the shop's name comes from?
Tozawa
“Porte” means “door.”
We wanted to create a shop where, when people open the door and see all the bread lined up, they think, “Wow!” and feel delighted.
It also plays on the “to” in our surname, Tozawa.
We want you to enjoy our bread. What makes pain porte special
Could you tell us about pain porte's recommended breads and what makes them special?
Tozawa
We don't have any particular bread that we recommend.
We make every kind of bread with confidence.
Everyone has different tastes in bread, don't they? We aim to offer breads that everyone can enjoy, from small children to older people.
Bread is the staple food after rice, isn't it? It's something we eat every day, so we want people to enjoy it.
Our shop offers everything from hard to soft breads, so we hope you'll discover the breads you like.
We also make a point of offering more freshly baked bread than before, so even if your favorite bread isn't available, there should be freshly baked bread.
We'd like people to try new breads, too.
Affected by the July 2018 Heavy Rains. Why they decided to resume business
If you don't mind, could you tell us about the July 2018 Heavy Rains?
Tozawa
On the night of July 6, 2018, we were wondering whether to evacuate when the neighborhood association chairman came and told us, “You should get out.”
We headed to evacuate at Mabi General Park, but there was already a huge traffic jam.
We tried to cross Miyata Bridge and head to my parents' home in Tamashima, but Miyata Bridge was already flooding and impassable.
It was already difficult to leave Mabi, so we evacuated to higher ground within Mabi and, with little gas, turned off the engine and went to sleep.
Of course, we hardly slept at all…
When it got light and I looked toward our home, I could see that it was flooded.
When we took a long detour from the east and returned to my parents' home in Tamashima, I was shocked. There was ordinary everyday life there, and it felt like a different world from Mabi.
In the end, the water reached knee height on the second floor, the ceiling had partly collapsed, and bicycles had floated in through the kitchen door on the first floor. It was a terrible state.
After that, many people helped us start cleaning up.
That must have been difficult… Why did you decide to reopen your shop in Mabi?
Tozawa
I thought it would be quicker and easier to sell this place and reopen somewhere else.
We didn't know what our customers thought of us, and we thought they wouldn't mind if the shop disappeared.
But after the July 2018 Heavy Rains, while we were cleaning up the shop, many people sent messages of support to pain porte on social media.
Even though they had been affected by the disaster and had their own homes to clean up, people came to check on the shop and told us, “We want you to reopen.”
My husband and I thought, “We don't know what will happen from here, but we won't know unless we try.” We decided that if there were people waiting for us to reopen, we wanted to resume business in Mabi.
I think it was three days after the July 2018 Heavy Rains.
We borrowed the kitchen of an acquaintance's bakery to make bread, set up a prefabricated building in the parking lot right in front of the damaged shop, and resumed business at the temporary shop on September 19, 2018.
I was mainly in charge of sales at the temporary building, and there were people who cried with joy, saying, “We can buy bread again…”
Because of those people, I was able to keep going.
Before the disaster, we hardly ever had a chance to talk with customers, but it was good that we had more opportunities to meet and talk with them directly and connect.
It made me happy to learn directly how our customers felt and realize that they needed our shop.
Events to deepen connections within Mabi
There were various recovery events in Mabi. “Mabi Fest” was a great event, wasn't it?
Tozawa
I heard that people in Mabi who hadn't been affected by the disaster tended to stay at home because they didn't know what to say to those who had been affected.
The vocal unit imim planned an event where everyone could gather and enjoy themselves, whether or not they had been affected by the disaster.
Many people came to “Mabi Fest,” which was created and held by imim, local residents, and businesses, and we could see them enjoying themselves with smiles. I really thought it was a great event.
Business resumed at the shop in July 2019. How they felt at the time
Then you reopened after renovations in July 2019. How did you feel at the time?
Tozawa
For the year after the July 2018 Heavy Rains, I kept pushing forward with the feeling that “we have to do it” (*).
The reopening date was set, but my feelings and preparations couldn't keep up, and I increasingly found myself unable to stop crying for no reason. Before that, I never cried at all.
I think I was emotionally unstable. I'm a little calmer now, but emotionally, I still have ups and downs.
* “Yaran to iken” is an Okayama dialect expression meaning “I have to do it.”
What we want to share now from the disaster area
As of October 2019, Typhoon No. 19 has caused extensive damage.
Is there anything you would like to share again now from the disaster area?
Tozawa
I would like information to be clearer so that the barrier to evacuating is lowered, even just a little.
I have also heard people say, “It’s hard to evacuate when you have pets or a baby.”
I thought it would help to create something like an evacuation shelter map, showing which shelters accept pets and what kinds of support are available.
I would like to see more news reports saying that it’s okay to evacuate early.
Also, seeing the reports about the damage this time, quite a few people in Mabi who want to help but cannot feel frustrated and distressed.
For now, rather than pushing ourselves and rushing, I hope we can each steadily do what we can.
The future of Pan Porte
Thank you.
Lastly, please tell us about your hopes for the shop going forward.
Tozawa
We have made it this far thanks to the people of Mabi, so, with gratitude and a wish for Mabi’s recovery, we are trying crowdfunding to make new local specialties: madeleines and bamboo shoot cookies.
I hope Pan Porte’s bread will continue to be a part of everyone’s daily lives.
From the Writer
“pain porte (Pan Porte),” a bakery I love.
Before the heavy rains of July 2018, I had never spoken with the Tozawa couple. But when I went to buy bread while they were operating from a temporary shop, they spoke to me, and that was how we began talking.
“As we’ve taken customers’ requests into account, my husband has kept adding more and more kinds of bread, and now I’m struggling because we have fewer shelves than before,” Yukari says with a laugh.
It reminded me once again what a truly lovely couple they are, and how well they get along.
There are still many hardships, both in practical terms and emotionally, and recovery in Mabi in the true sense may still be a long way off.
But in Mabi, there is a bakery run by a kind couple who make delicious bread with all their heart.
Why not visit this bakery, run by a cheerful couple who bring life to Mabi, and find your favorite bread?
pain porte (Pan Porte) details
| Name | pain porte (Pan Porte) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1174-1 Yata, Mabi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086ｰ451ｰ2512 |
| Parking | Available |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Tuesday, Wednesday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Website | Pan Porte Instagram |
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