In July 2022, I visited a bakery that opened last August in the remote area of Mitsuse in Shin-Hidaka Town. The bakery is only open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, so I finally had the chance to visit on a Saturday after work in Samani Town. The bakery is located along a road parallel to the national highway, and I often pass by this road as there are no traffic lights, making it a comfortable drive at the legal speed limit. I was surprised to see many customers buying bread one after another in such a location. Inside the store, I was amazed by the variety of bread available. In addition to the items in the photos, I also purchased chikuwa bread, sandwich bread, and croissants for my family. The bread can be described as "simple," and the curry bread had a familiar taste of retort curry. Among the unique items, I tried the mango cream bread, which was still warm when I bought it and tasted refreshing with a balance of acidity and sweetness the next morning. Although the store is not very spacious, the cheerful female staff creates a lively atmosphere, and the bakery seems to be highly valued by local bread lovers as there are no other bakeries in Mitsuse. If I have the chance next time, I will try their soft serve ice cream.

I rely on navigation to find the shop. On the way to the shop, the patchwork-like repaired road is bumpy and difficult to drive on, but on both sides, horses are grazing, creating a peaceful landscape. When I arrive around 12 o'clock, there is a sign at the entrance saying "Currently sold out and preparing! Working hard to bake!" There is one group of customers ahead of me, waiting in their car. I enter the shop to ask how long it will take for the bread to be ready, but there are no bread in the showcase and two customers are already inside. We are told to wait for about 20 minutes for the "raisin bread" to be baked, so we decide to wait in the car to avoid the crowded shop. After a while, more cars start entering the parking lot, and people gather in front of the shop. Soon, a staff member comes out and stops the customers from entering the shop, telling the customers waiting in their cars to enter first. However, they seem to completely ignore us and enter the shop without any concern. We quickly enter the shop, but the staff here seem to be confused. There is only one tray with raisin bread on the counter. The customers who were waiting in their cars buy 5 pieces, and the customers inside buy 5 and 3 pieces. When it's our turn, there are only 2 pieces of raisin bread left on the tray. Looking back, there are more than 10 customers waiting behind us. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but we drove 150km to come to this bakery, so we order 2 pieces of "raisin bread (160 yen)" and it sells out. The staff explains to the customers waiting that "Fukushin bread (it contains fukushin-zuke)" will be baked in 15 minutes, and they will continue baking until evening. However, we cannot wait that long, so we decide to leave. We had planned to enjoy the bread at home after the 150km drive, but since it was just baked, we decide to eat it just 3 minutes away from the shop. It is about 15cm long, slightly warm and soft. When I tear it in half, there are many raisins inside. Hmm, this is the feeling I get from freshly baked bread. I couldn't even see, let alone eat, other breads, so I don't know what attracts so many people to this bakery. When we entered the shop, the customers behind us were saying, "We don't know who is waiting first and what the order is like," and I couldn't agree more. If they are going to make customers wait outside, they should at least have a waiting list to avoid potential conflicts between customers outside. The customers in front of us who bought 5 and 3 pieces of "raisin bread" tell the staff, "We will also buy 5 of the next batch of bread," and decide to wait inside. Since I don't think they will bake that many (there are 15 pieces of raisin bread), most of the customers waiting behind us will probably not be able to buy any. In cases where many customers are waiting like in other bakeries, it might be better for the shop to consider how to handle customers a little more thoughtfully. Since we couldn't buy any bread as planned, we'll make a detour and head home.

There were various types of bread available, such as melon pan and seaweed anpan, which were slightly smaller in size. I purchased white bread and melon pan, and they were delicious. The prices are reasonable, so I recommend it.