The most authentic taste of Okinawa: A handmade bakery open only on Saturdays

Photos and text / Excerpted from "Traveling in Okinawa, A Peaceful Life," provided by Maison Publishing

This is Yonaguni Village in northern Okinawa Prefecture, where "Gallivant Bakery" is located in this agriculture-rich small village. "Gallivant" means "a journey for pleasure." The owner, Miss Kawamoto Miki, moved to Okinawa last June. Prior to that, she honed her skills working at cafes and bakeries in Kanagawa and Tokyo for six years. She came here to participate in the launch of a coffee roastery and is responsible for the bread department.

 

Once, she heard someone say, “There’s a farmer who grows really delicious vegetables.” So she came to Yonaguni Village, and was completely captivated by the flavor of the tomatoes. She started visiting the fields frequently. Around that time, a house in the village became vacant. Although she had never thought about opening her own shop, she had always wanted a place to bake bread, so she decided to rent the house.

With the help of friends, she began preparing to open the bakery. “Because the area produces delicious vegetables, I want to use them for sandwiches in the bread I make.” Not rushing the fermentation process and letting the bread take its own time is her principle, which is why the bakery is open only one day a week—Saturdays. Kawamoto’s bread-making method is unique: she uses naturally cultivated rye and raisin starter cultures depending on the type of bread, with only a small amount of commercial yeast as a supplement.



Using imported Canadian wheat flour as the base, after kneading the dough, she skips the second rise and leaves it as is overnight until it goes into the oven the next morning. During the dividing and shaping process, she also applies minimal force, just doing light trimming to finish. She says she makes rather “unrefined” bread—simple toast with jam allows you to enjoy its most original flavor. “Considering how to pair ingredients, observing the color of the bread, and interacting with customers all bring me joy.”

She makes homemade jam on Mondays and Tuesdays, holds irregular bread-making classes on Wednesdays, does shopping and deliveries on Thursdays, starts preparation at the shop on Fridays, and Saturday is the operating day for Gallivant Bakery. A week flies by quickly. To stay focused while making bread, she maintains her own pace. Maybe this doesn’t earn much money, but she really enjoys this lifestyle where weekends are the busiest. For the long-term, stress-free operation of the shop, this rhythm is perfect. Of course, being open every day would be more convenient for customers, but then there’d be no anticipation. Enjoying it once a week is nice too.



Gallivant bakery
Address: 35 Matsuda, Yonaguni Village
Phone: +81-80-2695-0276
Hours: 9:00–15:00
Open: Saturdays