CHANCHIKIDO Goes to NOTO

Director: Tsuyoshi Kumeta

Producer: -

Producer Company: -

Agency: JWTFF

Client: JWTFF

Country: Japan

Synopsis

This documentary portrays the connection between the owner of a chiffon cake shop in Tokyo and the people living in the disaster-stricken areas affected by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Tetsu, the owner of Chanchikido, a small chiffon cake shop in Ome, Tokyo, has a unique way of doing business. He loads the cakes baked in his workshop onto a handcart and walks through town selling them. He lets the wind guide his route, and because people encounter him by chance, his cakes have come to be known by some as the “Lucky Chiffon Cakes. When the Noto Peninsula Earthquake struck on January 1, 2024, Tetsu was deeply saddened by the devastation. Wondering what he could do to help, he began researching ways to support the affected communities. Eventually, he came across a chestnut farming family in the Kabuto District of Anamizu Town, Noto. After making contact and visiting the orchard himself, he decided to purchase their chestnuts and use them as ingredients in his chiffon cakes. In this way, he could provide ongoing support through his business. His involvement did not stop there. He regularly participated in the monthly “Reconstruction Café” held in the area and organized exchange events in Ome, inviting people connected to the Kabuto District to visit and meet local residents. Meanwhile, in the Kabuto District, where the population had fallen to less than half its predisaster level, the path toward recovery remained uncertain. Plans were underway to renovate a former Noto Railway station into a café, but no one knew whether the project would succeed. In December 2025, Tetsu returned to the area for the first time in a year. Witnessing the current situation of the Kabuto District, he made a life-changing decision. —