Melodies as Gentle as a Breeze Flowing Through a Meadow

South America, Brazil, is buzzing with excitement for the Olympics to be held in four years. The state of Minas Gerais, the third largest city after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, is not well-known to us Japanese. However, for lovers of Brazilian music, the music of Minas is indispensable.

Food and Music: Shared Moments of Emotion

Toshio Matsuura (hereinafter Matsuura):We have with us Wakana Nakamoto and DJ PANCAKEMIX, the two founders of "SUNDAY JAM," a popular pancake shop in Zushi that is only open on Sundays. Good evening.

Wakana Nakamoto & DJ PANCAKEMIX:Good evening.

Matsuura:This is the first time I've had female guests in the two and a half years I've been hosting this show, which is quite surprising when you think about it (laughs).

Wakana Nakamoto & DJ PANCAKEMIX:It's an honor.

Matsuura:Anyway, when I went to Hayama for a DJ gig this summer, I happened to stop by this shop (SUNDAY JAM), and the pancakes were incredibly delicious. I remember thinking, "These are so good."—Forgive me, but I'll share my thoughts first. A few days after returning to Tokyo, the desire to "eat them again" welled up, and I found myself thinking, "When can I go back?" However, since they are only open on Sundays, it took a while to find a suitable time. Then, the other day, I decided, "This is the only day I can go," so I visited for the second time and tried a different kind of pancake. That's when I thought, "I absolutely have to introduce this on the show!"

It's already a hot topic among pancake lovers, but I think it's amazing how captivating it is. While I haven't eaten every pancake out there, there are many fluffy pancakes, aren't there? But (SUNDAY JAM's pancakes) are fluffy on the outside and moist on the inside. Furthermore, the fruit is inside, making them very juicy pancakes. I had truly never tasted anything like it before, so I really wanted to introduce them to everyone on the program, which is why I invited the two of you from Hayama.

What was the initial reason for deciding to open only on Sundays for pancakes?



Wakana Nakamoto (hereinafter Nakamoto):Originally, the location where SUNDAY JAM is now was where I had been running a "pancake cafe" for the past five years. It opened about 10 years ago as a bakery with an eat-in space.

When I first opened the "pancake cafe" five years ago, my children were young, so we were always closed on Sundays. I wanted to start opening then. While I enjoyed doing various things with bread, I was also contemplating how to develop a shop in a slightly different direction that would truly excite me. During that time, I was discussing these thoughts with DJ PANCAKEMIX here. Then, she mentioned that she had always wanted to do pancakes, and I remembered, "Oh, that's right!"

Both of us have memories of pancakes from our childhood, and we thought, "We have to do this project on Sundays, when the 'pancake cafe' is closed, as a 'happy Sunday project'!" That's how SUNDAY JAM began.

Matsuura:DJ PANCAKEMIX, you've primarily been active as a DJ, right? While you still continue DJing, you've also ventured into pancakes. Was this driven by a passion for pancakes that you had prior?



For example, my mother would use the popular hotcake mix from a certain well-known company to make them. And we'd all eat hotcakes in the morning. I was talking with her about those happy memories.—I think pancakes themselves are a symbol of happiness. And then, eating them on a Sunday morning with loved ones – family, friends, or partners – is wonderful. We thought, "We want to recreate that kind of happy time," and decided to try doing it on Sundays. That's how we came to start SUNDAY JAM.

Matsuura:I understand that you're opening a second location in Harajuku next Monday, September 10th. This one will be open daily, correct? What led to this decision?

PANCAKEMIX:Honestly, opening a second location, especially in Harajuku, which is now considered a "pancake battleground," was not something we had initially planned. Transit General Office Inc., which operates places like "bills," a popular casual dining restaurant from Sydney known for "the world's best breakfast," is handling the operations. Mr. Nakamura, the president, visited SUNDAY JAM quite early on, after it opened last summer. He praised our pancakes and visited multiple times.

In February of this year, we held a one-day event at "Sign" in Daikanyama, a cafe operated by Transit. We brought SUNDAY JAM there for the day, offering the entire SUNDAY JAM menu, with the announcement that "you can eat SUNDAY JAM pancakes." It was a one-day-only event.

Matsuura:As you were talking, I was trying to recall, and I think I saw the announcement for that event... I deeply regret missing it at the time.

PANCAKEMIX:We used our gas griddles from our shop, brought them over, and Wakana and I stood side-by-side, cooking from morning till night. Quite a lot of customers came. I believe the success of that event left a strong impression on Mr. Nakamura, and around springtime this year, he proposed the idea of opening in Harajuku.



Nakamoto:That's right. Even with the opening of the Harajuku location, Zushi is our "place of origin," and we want to cherish the style of being by the sea with the ocean breeze. While the sea breeze won't reach Harajuku (laughs), we hope to bring the atmosphere of our original shop there as much as possible, so that people can experience that feeling.

Matsuura:The Harajuku location will be open in the evenings as well. Are there plans to add menu items that can be enjoyed at night?

Nakamoto:Yes. We recently went to Hawaii and developed various menu ideas. For the evenings, we've created a special tapas menu.

Matsuura:I heard that you didn't originally live in Zushi but moved there to open the shop. I think Zushi is a very attractive place. In a word, what is the appeal of Zushi and Hayama for the two of you?

PANCAKEMIX:It's being surrounded by nature, and also, it's not completely rural, so you can get to Tokyo in about an hour. It's not the most convenient, but it's a place where you can enjoy nature immensely within about an hour's distance. I think that's its biggest appeal.

Nakamoto:For me, it's definitely the sea. Although I don't go to the sea every day, I grew up in a place without the sea. As an adult, I've moved to places with a view of the sea or where I can easily go to the sea, and I've come to feel that even if I don't go every day, living in a "town with the sea" is very comfortable and relaxing. There's a certain ease to it, in a good way. Once you live there, it's hard to imagine life without it.

Matsuura:Harajuku doesn't have the sea, but I'm sure it will offer a different kind of enjoyment. And I personally expect that the original Zushi location will become even more enjoyable now that there are two stores. I plan to continue visiting, so please keep up the great work.

Nakamoto & PANCAKEMIX:Thank you.

Matsuura:Tonight, we were joined by the two founders of SUNDAY JAM, Wakana Nakamoto and DJ PANCAKEMIX.