June 18, 2015
by Ayaka Murai & Daichi Hatakeyama
The owner of the HACHIHACHI Infinity Café, Koichi Yokota, has a very special feeling about bread. So he decided to open a bakery in Kyoto.
His café looks tasteful on the outside, because it is in a 90-year-old traditional Japanese house. The owner made the interior design with the help of a foreign artist. The motif of the interior is Japanese-style rooms. So the café has a very relaxing atmosphere. Yokota didn’t want his shop to be too bright, so he thought carefully about the lighting design. Japanese’s eyes are generally black, so they get used to bright light. On the other hand, foreign eyes are blue, so it is harder to bask in bright light. So, the shop is fitted with darker-than-usual Japanese lights.
HACHIHACHI’s BREAD
All of the breads at HACHIHACHI’s are made with natural yeast. The bakery provides bread that is healthy. Many customers come here to buy bread that is good for them and that also tastes delicious, so Yokota makes breads to satisfy the needs of his customers as much as possible. HACHIHACHI’s breads are German and about 20 different kinds are made here. Many customers say that some of the breads have a deep aroma and a rich taste, and that they can only appreciate such flavors at HACHIHACHI.
Although HACHIHACHI is located in a downtown area it is surrounded by trees, so the yeast for the bread dough grows very well—it grows as if the bakery was in a forest. Yokota uses organic ingredients (organic rye, for example) to make his products as healthy as possible. So he makes his own truly original bread. He writes down the recipe mixture on some price tags. Occasionally, he answers special requests from his customers. Yokota takes good care of his clientele.
ACCESS
Going to HACHIHACHI can be difficult for first-time visitors. It is convenient if you use the Kyoto city bus (6, 46, 201 or 206). The bus stop is Senbondemizu. It is a five-minute walk from the bus stop to HACHIHACHI. You walk in a residential area. Look for a spot covered with green. Go straight down the street surrounded by green trees, and you will find HACHIHACHI’s sign easily.
If you look at it closely, then you can find that the sign shows the numeral 8 in Chinese characters. It features an interesting design indigenous to Japan.
We are glad to see how a bakery like HACHIHACHI combines both German and Japanese cultures. Would you make a visit to HACHIHACHI? You should try HACHIHACHI’s bread at least once.
home page: http://hachihachi.org