＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・高槻市で本当に美味しいケーキ屋さんとパン屋さんをご紹介します！
<Added 2023/5/24> “Doel” cake’s “Panda” cake also gains popularity among female shogi fans!
On May 13th, the first day of the third game of the Meijin match, Fujii, the six-time titleholder, ate a “Panda” cake from “Doel,” a French confectionery shop in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture. According to the shop staff, “Since Mr. Fujii ate it, we’ve been inundated with inquiries. When we told them we couldn’t ship online, some customers said they would take the Shinkansen (bullet train) to buy it. That’s the Fujii effect!”
According to a spokesperson for ABEMA, which broadcasts shogi matches online, viewership has more than tripled since the shogi channel was launched in February 2017. This is attributed to the popularity of Fujii Sota and the increase in shogi fans.
The term “spectator shogi” refers to those who enjoy watching shogi rather than playing it. According to shogi writer Hirofumi Matsumoto, the number of “spectator shogi” has increased due to the spread of the internet and the popularity of Souta Fujii.
There are many female fans in particular, who pay attention to details such as what the players eat, making snacks and other items popular and often selling out.
(From “Oshita Yoko Wide! Scramble,” broadcast on May 24, 2023)
<Added on 2023/5/13> In the third game of the Meijin title match held in Takatsuki City, Ryuo Sota Fujii’s afternoon sweet treat was Doel’s “Panda”.
The third game of the 81st Meijin title match, a best-of-seven series between Shogi player Sota Fujii (Ryuo, Osho, Eio, Kiou, Osho, and Kisei, 20) and Akira Watanabe (Meijin, 39), began on May 13th at the Takatsuki Castle Park Arts and Culture Theater in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture. At 3 PM, snacks were provided for both players.
Fujii ordered a “White Chocolate Mousse Cake (Panda)” and a “Lemonade Soda” (pictured above) from Doel. The “Panda” cake is a cute panda-shaped cake. The inside is bitter chocolate, and the outside is white chocolate mousse.
Fujii’s previous choices of cute sweets, such as “Piyorin Ice Cream,” “Korokoro Shibachan,” and “Kuma Monaka,” have often garnered attention, and I believe the “Panda” cake will also become a topic of conversation.
Incidentally, Doel is a cake shop in Takatsuki City that I highly recommend as truly delicious.
There are many cake shops and bakeries in Takatsuki City, but this time I’d like to introduce my recommended “truly delicious cake shops” and “truly delicious bakeries.”
Whether you live in Takatsuki City or are visiting from outside the city, please be sure to try them when you stop by Takatsuki.
1. Truly Delicious Cake Shops
DOEL is a French confectionery shop with a 52-year history, founded in 1968 in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture. It operates four stores in Ibaraki City and Takatsuki City.
Every morning, freshly made cakes and cookies are delivered from the head office factory in Ibaraki City.
Around 1968, when the company was founded, Japan was in the midst of its period of rapid economic growth, and the custom of eating Western-style sweets was just beginning to take root in ordinary households.
Until I was in high school, I only ate cake around Christmas time, and I hadn’t eaten much strawberry shortcake or Mont Blanc, so they were a novelty for me.
After that, I started eating cakes from various shops. While many cake shops are located in department stores, I still believe that DOEL’s cakes are just as delicious.
2. A truly delicious bakery
DONQ is a long-established bakery with a 115-year history, founded in Kobe in 1905 (Meiji 38).
They bake their bread fresh every morning from scratch in their in-store bakery, ensuring delicious and fresh bread.
They offer a wide variety of breads, from authentic French breads (baguettes, Parisian breads, batards, etc.) to sliced bread, croissants, and sweet buns.
They also have original breads such as bacon epi, corn bread, and fromage coupe.
I personally shop at the DONQ in Matsuzakaya Takatsuki, but DONQ has 119 stores nationwide, so please visit a store near you.
Now that I’m 71, I’m in a somewhat pessimistic, or perhaps luxurious, state of mind: “I don’t know how many more years I’ll be able to eat cake and bread. Therefore, I don’t want to eat anything that isn’t very tasty.”
Recently, there’s been a boom in high-end bread, with many shops like “Nogami” and “Ginza Nishikawa” specializing in premium bread. Several premium bread shops have even opened in Takatsuki City. However, having been misled by advertising and appearances and having many disappointing experiences trying cakes and bread from various shops, I’ve reached the obvious conclusion—or perhaps enlightenment—that “even if I’m tempted by other shops’ offerings, my familiar shops are still the best.”
I hope to continue enjoying the pleasures of Doel’s cakes and Donq’s bread for as long as possible.