Ohisama-Dō

令和6年度　伴走型小規模事業者支援推進事業　別府商工会議所

The shop is filled with sunshine, the sweet aroma of baked goods, and fragrant coffee. People say this place embodies the essence of bright, warm sunny days.

The name of this café, Ohisama-Dō, is inspired by the owner, Mrs. Masayo’s two children: Himawari-chan (Sunflower) and Tao-kun (Dō, which is another pronunciation of Tao and means “street” in Japanese). Sunflowers always turn toward the sun, and Mrs. Masayo chose these names with the hope that her children would grow in similar bright and optimistic ways.

Mrs. Masayo describes herself as a regular housewife who opened this café because baking was her passion! Before starting her business, she baked so many sweets daily that she often had more than she could share with friends and family. This summer, she even opened a second Ohisama-Dō inside a bookshop at a temple called Youn-ji in Tokyo, managed by friends from her time in the city.

When she first began her business in Beppu, she had only a few customers, despite preparing many delicious baked goods. To attract more customers, she tried serving coffee and tea and even offered lunch meals for a while. Although her shop eventually gained popularity, she discontinued lunch service because the preparation took up all her time and kept her late into the night. She wanted more time to focus on baking her beloved sweets.

Her third shop in Hamawaki was initially meant for frying doughnuts. However, the space was so large that she transformed it into a shop selling freshly fried doughnuts.

Inside the display case, beautiful doughnuts are lined up: plain, Kinako (soybean powder), cream cheese, cinnamon, sweet potato, and red bean paste! How can anyone resist trying them all? They are so delicious and sell out quickly. Sometimes you don’t get the flavours you want, which keeps us coming back for more!

As I enjoyed my coffee and doughnuts in the store instead of taking them home, I observed customers getting their coffee beans ground, ordering takeaways, and buying baked goods as gifts. They all seemed to be regulars, happily chatting with Mrs. Masayo.

She was busy preparing special baked items for Christmas, yet she wore a big smile. Mrs. Masayo truly loves baking. She says her energy comes from working at her shop, and she is there even on her days off! She is as powerful as the sun, and her delicious doughnuts convey her vibrant energy to her customers!

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