Gentle ingredients, maximizing the characteristics of "flour and yeast."

Passing by the impressive, 800-meter-long traditional arcade of the Musashi-Koyama shopping street, we crossed the road and soon found the understated 'Nemo Bakery & Café.' Behind the bakery counter, filled with an array of tempting breads, is a cafe with a comfortable, antique-inspired interior, where customers can enjoy freshly baked bread with a drink. To be frank, it's a remarkably stylish bakery for Musashi-Koyama.

Chef Takayuki Nemoto is a veteran with over 20 years of bread-baking experience, having served as head baker at renowned establishments such as Aubarcana in Harajuku and Atelier de Liv in Shirokane. Surprisingly, he admits he "wasn't particularly fond of bread" when he first started working at a bakery at the age of 15. The world of bakers back then had a very strict hierarchy, and there were times he wanted to quit. However, he persevered, inspired by "the challenge of creation" and "the cool demeanor of the senior bakers," eventually leading him to open a shop bearing his own name.

Nemo's philosophy in bread-making is to "make delicious things, deliciously." "No matter how fine the ingredients, if the baker lacks the skill to bring out their potential, delicious bread cannot be made," Chef Nemoto states casually, his words brimming with confidence in his long-cultivated experience and technique. The fine ingredients he chooses are those that are gentle on the body. He uses over ten types of flour, including Tamaisumi, each selected for specific applications and blended uniquely for each menu item. He also bakes bread using natural sourdough starters, cultivated from fruit and flour.



Their top recommendation is the "Croissant." Made with natural yeast starter from flour, the dough is generously kneaded with fermented butter and baked one by one with care. Due to the high butter content, the dough is rested in the refrigerator to stabilize before being baked on the third day after preparation.

While croissants vary in character from bakery to bakery, Nemo's "Croissant" stands out with its exceptionally flaky, crisp exterior and a moist, richly buttery interior, offering a deeply satisfying experience. Another popular item is the baguette made with Tamaisumi, a type of wheat traditionally used for udon noodles. It's characterized by its chewy texture and distinct wheat sweetness.

When asked why he chose Musashi-Koyama, the chef explained that his first job was at a community-focused neighborhood bakery. After more than 20 years baking in various locations, including department store basements, Harajuku, and Shirokane, he concluded, "A neighborhood bakery where you know the customers' faces is perhaps the true ideal for a bakery." He added with clear conviction, "That's why I want the people of this town to look forward to coming here every day."

'Nemo,' a neighborhood bakery exuding a welcoming aroma, where children, the elderly, business people, solo female customers, and those with strollers can easily enter and feel inclined to visit daily. Chef Nemoto's passion project, established two years ago, has now become a genuine Musashi-Koyama institution, boasting a large number of regular patrons.