Five minutes on foot from Palaceside Building, Sakura Bakery on the 1st floor of the Chiyoda Ward Office Building (1-2-1 Kudanminami, Chiyoda Ward) is run by the social welfare corporation Midori no Kaze under ward designation — "a bakery for people with disabilities to work," as I wrote earlier on this blog.
Midori no Kaze's overview page (http://www.chiyoda-midori.jp/sakura-gaiyou.html) says "Operations receive full cooperation from a group of bakeries in Yokohama...
We bake moist, fluffy bread using a lava-rock kiln and far-infrared effects."
That alone may not clarify things — a town factory in Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, makes kilns and also actively supports bakeries. Bakeries today often tie to shops like Sakura Bakery where people with disabilities work, or shops committed to natural ingredients.
The factory is Kushizawa Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd.; president Mitsuhiro Sawahata was featured in The Mainichi Newspapers= photo right. They run a "Bakery Consultation Desk" supporting aspiring and existing bakers on technique and management. Sakura Bakery, opened May 2007, also benefited. President Sawahata also has contract farmers in Hokuto, Yamanashi organically grow wheat for bakeries. The "lava-rock kiln"= photo top, from the Kushizawa website= emits abundant far infrared, heating the core quickly for shorter baking — less moisture loss, moist and delicious bread.
With that in mind, Sakura Bakery bread tastes even better. The signature item
is "Happy Cream Bread"= photo left. Midori no Kaze told us "expressions vary slightly depending on how staff draw them." The product lineup also shifts seasonally — in summer they make more animal breads for children. I recommend the serious apple pie and the hefty bread baked with half an apple wrapped in dough. Open weekdays 8–19, Sat 10–14; closed Sun and holidays.
Finally, President Sawahata's "guiding principle":
"Passing authentic taste to children is our job!"
Cool.