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G2020
GINZA CONNECTIVE
GINZA CONNECTIVE VOL.66
Hikoyuki Yamaguchi×Chisako Takashima
2017.05.01
An interview series featuring Ginza people in conversation with violinist Chisako Takashima. With a special fondness for Ginza, which holds many memories both from her professional and private lives, Takashima explores Ginza from various dimensions with her guests.In this volume, she welcomes Mr. Hikoyuki Yamaguchi, fifth-generation owner of Kuya, the long-established Japanese wagashi (Japanese confectionaries) store famous for Kuya-monaka.
Introducing the charm of anko through Sorairo, a new brand.
- Takashima
- After you assumed the post of fifth-generation owner, you launched “Sorairo.” What motivated you to start a new business?
- Yamaguchi
- In 2011, when I launched Sorairo, I sensed stagnation in the wagashi industry as a whole. Against this backdrop, I felt a strong desire to have people rediscover wagashi, traditional Japanese food culture and to engage in the branding of anko. However, I felt no need to change Kuya, so I ended up spontaneously launching a new business.
- Takashima
- So it was spontaneous (laughs). What is your lineup?
- Yamaguchi
- When I launched Sorairo, I wanted to include the dorayaki in our product lineup since we do not carry it at Kuya. The dorayaki is widely known even among foreigners as Doraemon’s favorite snack. Therefore, I thought it would be an effective way to introduce anko to the world. That is how our dorayaki, Taiyo (sun) was born.
Our other products are also named after objects in the sky, in line with the store name Sorairo (meaning “color of the sky” in Japanese) – for example, Tsuki (moon), which is a sandwich cookie with anko filling, and Hoshi, anko in jam bottles. - Takashima
- How creative and novel! What are your plans for the future?
- Yamaguchi
- We don’t really have long-term plans, since we have rather been following inspiration. However, I do feel that there remains a dominant image that “wagashi should be enjoyed with Japanese tea” or that “wagashi is super high-end because it is supposed to served at traditional tea ceremonies.” I would like to go beyond conventional thinking to produce more modern products that can be enjoyed by a wider audience. I hope to continue to be involved in communicating to the world that Japanese confectionaries, are a part of our gastronomic culture, which we take great pride in.
Sorairo, TOKYO Me+ store
Taiyo
Tsuki
Always a part of Ginza’s landscape, a mixture of tradition and innovation
- Takashima
- You are currently a member of Ginminkai, an association of young business owners in Ginza, right?
- Yamaguchi
- Yes, I am currently a member of the Public Relations Division of Ginmikai. We serve as guides at large community-wide events such as the Ginza Yanagi Matsuri and the Tokyo Marathon because many people cannot find their way through the maze of temporarily closed streets. It is a great pleasure to be able to contribute to Ginza through activities other than business activities.
- Takashima
- Before we close, please tell me about your passion towards Ginza.
- Yamaguchi
- Although I do not live in Ginza, I have had a very close relationship with Ginza since I was very young During the thirty or more years that I have known it, the townscape has evolved and many stores have changed, but long-established stores have also stayed in business over the years. I believe that it will always be a mixture of tradition and innovation. I hope that Kuya will always remain a part of Ginza’s townscape.
