Tokyo is home to numerous bakeries and patisseries, but none quite like Yoru-no-pan-yasan, a special community bread stall aiming to solve social issues such as food waste and unemployment. As its name suggests, Yoru-no-pan-yasan is an evening shop (yoru means night in Japanese), plus it's only open three days a week from 7pm, or until bread sells out.
Yoru-no-pan-yasan was started by culinary researcher Edamoto Nahomi, whose aim was to create a place that helped people in need while tackling food waste. The bread stall opened for business in October 2020 with a series of stalls outside Kamome Books in Kagurazaka. Only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Yoru-no-pan-yasan sells leftover but still edible bread from popular bakeries around Tokyo that would otherwise be discarded.
Approximately 14 shops currently work with Yoru-no-pan-yasan, and more are being added to the list regularly. The roster includes some of the city’s best bakeries like Beaver Bread, L'atelier Cocco, Universal Bakes and Café, Pan au Sourire, Pistrina Dio and more. Shopping at Yoru-no-pan-yasan is a great way to try out all sorts of goodies from bakeries you might otherwise not have a chance to visit.
Unemployment has been an especially prominent issue during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the bread stall employs both homeless people and people living on welfare – a portion of the bread sales goes to their income. So aside from getting delicious treats, buying from Yoru-no-pan-yasan also helps people get back on their feet.
For more information and updates on Yoru-no-pan-yasan, you can follow them on Instagram or Twitter.
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