Yukiko Tamaki, the owner of the small confectionery shop “Peacocks” in Kamishihoro, Hokkaido, was born on March 2, 1944. She founded the shop at the age of 55 and has been making cakes by herself for about 25 years. Despite being 80 years old, she is incredibly energetic and lively, attracting people with her vibrant presence. This time, we asked Ms. Tamaki about the source of her vitality and the reasons she started her confectionery shop.
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Tamaki’s day starts early. She wakes up at around 5 a.m. and has breakfast right away. Since she wakes up with the sunrise, she says her wake-up time is a bit later in winter. Between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m., she arrives at the shop’s kitchen to start baking cakes and opens for business at 10 a.m. She always closes the shop precisely at 5 p.m. and has dinner as soon as she gets home.
After dinner, she returns to the shop to prepare for the next day, working until around 9 p.m. Then, she takes a bath and goes to bed. Looking at her schedule, it seems like she spends most of her day working, which sounds exhausting just to imagine. However, Tamaki smiles and says:
“When there are no customers and I have nothing to make, I can read books or take a nap, so I have some freedom. It’s not that tough of a job. I have more freedom than you might think.”
Usually, Tamaki handles both production and sales by herself, but when she has an unavoidable prior engagement or isn’t feeling well, she makes cakes the night before, stocks the showcase, and asks her husband to watch the shop. Tamaki jokes, “My husband is terrible at packing. He can’t do anything related to cakes. We may look like we’re getting along, but we’re always bickering.” It’s a usual thing for them. Although it sounds like she’s complaining, she seems to enjoy it.
She started the business at the age of 55. Initially, she was helping her husband on the farm, but she disliked the early morning and evening work hours and quit. Naturally, this left her with nothing to do, and she thought, “If I don’t do something, I’ll become senile.”
Her husband told her, “Do whatever you like,” and like a little girl’s dream, she casually said, “I’ll open a cake shop.” That was the beginning.
At first, people around her said, “No one will come to such a remote place,” and Tamaki herself thought, “If it lasts for three years, that’ll be good enough.”
However, contrary to those expectations, the shop has now become so popular that it is featured in local monthly magazines and loved by the local people.
The original goal of preventing senility has been very effective. She speaks clearly and says, “I interact with people, use my hands and head to think and create. Thanks to that, I haven’t become senile yet. Maybe just a tiny bit.”
The cakes offered at the shop are all traditional Western sweets. The must-haves every time are the popular “Grison,” “Cheesecake,” and “Cream Puffs.” As for the other cakes, Tamaki chooses what she feels like eating.
Tamaki learned to make sweets by herself. The story goes back to 1970, when she got married.
At that time, there were no Western confectionery shops nearby, and if you wanted to eat cake, you had to go far to buy it. So, she started making them herself. Reflecting on when she started making sweets, Tamaki laughs, “You always want to eat the sweets you ate as a child.”
She borrowed cake books from the library and repeatedly made test batches. She talks about the value of the books, saying, “If I can master 2 to 3 recipes from a book, that book is 100% worth it.” The current repertoire of cakes, including popular ones like “Grison” and “Cheesecake,” has grown to over 30 types.
Additionally, she says, “Having people who eat and enjoy your sweets is significant.” A few days after getting married, Tamaki made pudding for a snack. Her husband liked it and started requesting, “Next, can you make this? Can you make that?” Eventually, he would always come home at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., eagerly asking, “What’s today’s snack?”
She was happy to receive such joy from him, making it necessary to always have something ready. This “making people happy with delicious sweets” might have been the starting point of her journey in confectionery. It even led to the founding of “Peacocks.”
On the other hand, Tamaki has many hobbies such as pottery, diving, fishing, and woodworking. She especially loves making things and creates whatever she needs with her own hands. From tables to beds, chairs, and even canoes, she makes everything herself.
She made two canoes in 1922, gave one to a friend, and still keeps the other one. While she has had to scale back on some hobbies like diving as she has aged, she currently enjoys pottery the most.
She has been doing pottery since she was 50 and has the skill to win awards for her works exhibited at exhibitions. She won the Best Newcomer Award at her first entry in the Hokkaido Senior Pottery Exhibition. Even now, during the shop’s winter break, she continues to create pottery in her home’s basement and exhibits her works at the Heigensha Exhibition held at the Obihiro Civic Gallery.
Initially, she wanted to test how her skills would be evaluated, but after winning, she became even more enthusiastic and started saying things like, “Next, I want to win the Governor’s Award.” She has continued to exhibit her works many times. The pottery piece that won her first award is displayed at the shop’s entrance and is available for anyone to see.
Running a confectionery shop by herself and having multiple serious hobbies, what is the secret to staying lively and energetic at 80 years old? Tamaki answered:
“Eat what you like, say what you want to say, play as much as you want, and then finally work. If you can do that, it’s paradise, and there’s nothing to complain about. My husband might say, ‘Leave him be, he won’t listen anyway,’ but he lets me do that. Being able to do what I like is the number one secret.”
She says she rarely feels stressed, and even when she does, she quickly forgets about it. Although work is the last priority, she always approaches it with 100 percent dedication and effort.
“If you do a job thinking you don’t like it, you’ll quickly come to hate it, but because I’m satisfied every day, I can do my job properly.”
Being honest with her feelings and doing what she loves, she has no regrets or fear of death. “Even if I get kicked, I won’t die. I thought I might live only until 60, but no one has come to get me yet!” she said with a strong tone and laughed.
Tamaki is humorous and complains and jokes, but she always answers any questions sincerely. Regarding the future, she simply says:
“I’ll be happy if people who buy and eat my cakes say they are delicious.”
“Peacocks,” where you can find a straightforward and energetic grandma who gives you strength. It’s a hidden power spot in Kamishihoro, Hokkaido.
Peacocks
Address: 261 Kamiono Kitaru 3 Line, Kamishihoro Town, Kato District, Hokkaido
Hours: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Closed: Thursdays, January 1 – March 31 (open until December 25 within the year)
Phone: 01564-2-4074 (landline, also for fax)
Report, Photography, and Writing by: yume
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