A Bakery Run by a 9-Year-Old Girl? A Heartwarming Story of Family and Purpose

A Bakery Run by a 9-Year-Old Girl? A Heartwarming Story of Family and Purpose

Welcome to Boulangerie cocoro! This bakery is super yummy! You can get bread from all over the world here! I always help my daddy at the shop! I hope lots of people come today too! My jobs are the register, cleaning,
and even running errands! Daddy starts baking before I even wake up. And his bread is the best ever! When I grow up, I want to run the bakery with Daddy! A warm, open-kitchen bakery
that everyone in the neighborhood loves. The bakery’s star is Miyu, a fourth-grade girl. She handles everything from cleaning to the register. This video follows her daily life at the bakery. A heartwarming story of delicious bread and family bonds—
please watch till the end! Boulangerie cocoro, located in Hirakata City, Osaka. This is Mr. Okamoto, the owner. He starts baking early in the morning. It’s Saturday—his daughter Miyu is helping today. Miyu is in the fourth grade. She helps out at the shop on her days off. Miyu started helping at the bakery a few years ago. She mainly works the register inside the store. “Would you like a bag?” “It’s 615 yen.” “You can pay here, and please use the white table
in the back to bag your items.” She even answers the phone! “Thank you for calling.
This is Boulangerie cocoro.” She’s not just “helping out”—
she takes on real responsibilities with customers. “Thank you.” “She started helping out when she was in second grade.” “Before that, she’d just be at the shop sometimes.” “Like, “Be a good girl while you’re here,” you know?” “Like when she had plans to play in the afternoon.” “She’d just hang out here in the morning,
eating lunch or killing time.” “I started thinking, “That time could be used better.”” “I mean, she was already at the shop, after all.” “There was another girl
who had already started helping out.” “One day, their shifts happened to overlap.” “So I said, “Why don’t you tag along and learn from her?”
Like a playdate that turned into training.” “They even went out to hand out flyers together.” “As she kept doing it,
I was like ‘Hey, she can actually do this.'” “And that’s how we got to where we are now.” “It wasn’t like I had to make her help or anything.” “It just kind of happened naturally.” Mr. Okamoto was in charge of the bakery department
at The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto. He also worked in the viennoiserie section under
Pierre Hermé Paris, which partners with hotel bakeries. At age 30, he opened Boulangerie cocoro. Be sure to pay attention to
Mr. Okamoto’s incredible craftsmanship. Wasabi greens and bacon epi. Fresh out of the oven! Looks delicious! This is a fig and cream cheese hard bread. Instead of using liqueur for aroma, they use grape juice. And this croissant dough— is made without using butter. “We don’t use alcohol, or honey, and things like that.” “Even butter—we leave that out too.” “I didn’t think much about it back then, but…” “These days, a lot more people have allergies.” “Our croissants don’t use butter either.” “The loaf bread looks yellow, but there’s no egg in it.” “For people with dietary restrictions,” “I think they’ll find plenty of options here.” Cacao Fruité Cacao Fruité is Miyu’s personal favorite. It’s packed with dark chocolate and lemon—
absolutely delicious. Croissant Curried Cabbage Mentaiko Lavash The super long sausage bread is another one of
Miyu’s favorites. There’s such a wide variety of breads, it’s hard to choose! Miyu carefully counts each item one by one. “Would you like a bag?” “I brought my own, thank you.” “That’ll be 1,214 yen.” “You can pay here, and please use the white table
in the back for your bag.” “Thank you.” When she has a free moment,
she finds something to do on her own. She’s remarkably proactive
and always thinking one step ahead. “I didn’t really plan to have her do much,
so I didn’t teach her anything.” “The only things I actually showed her were
sweeping and wiping.” “She just picked things up by being at the shop.” “Like how to answer the phone, or saying
‘Would you like a bag?’ and all that.” “I never really taught her—
she just watched and copied.” “It’s not just that she can use the register—
she even asks stuff like, ‘How do I print a receipt?'” “She’s started asking those things on her own.” “Honestly, I don’t give her instructions anymore.” “If I teach her,
it turns into a job she has to do, you know?” “I think it’s better for her to learn naturally,
on her own.” “When she comes in to work, I give her about 1,000 yen.” “If she works hard, I’ll say,
‘Today was busy, so here’s 1,500 yen.'” “She saves that up,
and it becomes her allowance for the next month.” JKT) “So the customer puts the bread here?” JKT) “And then you press this button, right?” JKT) “You’ve gotta remember all the bread names too, huh?” “Yes.” JKT) “Perfect?” “Yes.” “She used to be super shy, actually.” “She used to be bad at talking
and not comfortable being in front of people.” “But when she started helping out, people would say,
‘You’re amazing!’ or ‘You’re doing great!'” “That kind of thing builds confidence, you know?” “At first, I thought maybe that
only mattered in the shop…” “But her friendships, her school life—
it all started getting better too.” “She became more cheerful, and even her grades improved.” “If she’s just gonna sit around watching Netflix at home…” “I think it’s way better for her to be here getting
compliments and building confidence.” “It just feels healthier, you know?” Miyu, who used to be a shy and quiet girl— Working at the bakery has now become her pride. Miyu also eats her lunch here at the shop. Looking at her like this, she’s really just a regular schoolgirl. JKT) “Do you always take your break here?” “Yes.” JKT) “So Miyu…” JKT) “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “I want to take over my dad’s bakery.” JKT) “You want to be a baker?” JKT) “You want to run it together with your dad?” “Yeah.” JKT) “What do you like most about baking bread?” “Kneading the dough.” JKT) “You like kneading?” JKT) “It feels really nice.” JKT) “Yeah, it’s all soft and squishy, huh?” One of the charms of Boulangerie cocoro is
its wide variety of breads from around the world. Watching Mr. Okamoto bake right in front of you is
another highlight. He’s making curry bread now. Baked curry bread. Now making mentaiko Camembert bread. Of course, the mentaiko is from Fukuoka. Camembert cheese/ Custard cream bun/ Trois Fromages (Three-Cheese Bread). Chestnut Danish. Teriyaki Chicken Gratin. Mango Danish. Blue cheese, honey, and walnuts. Walnuts. Pirozhki (Russian-style meat bun). Miyu also helps out with these from time to time. French Toast. This one has a fun and unusual shape. It’s called “Bacon and Cheese Kurukuru-pa~.” Bacon and Cheese Kurukuru-pa~. Five-Grain Fromage. Salt & Olive Oyaki-style Bread. Salsa Dog. Yakisoba Bun (Stir-fried noodle sandwich). Ham and Tuna Calzone. Why is Boulangerie cocoro so beloved in the community? It’s because it’s deeply connected to people’s daily lives. How much would you guess this giant baguette costs? Just 200 yen (plus tax)—a surprising and incredible deal. Can you believe that, especially these days? This country-style bread is also just 200 yen (plus tax)! “Offering everyday food at a price people can actually afford.” Mr. Okamoto believes that doing this through his work is
his way of contributing to society. “Like when everyone’s having a hard time—
when the economy’s bad and all.” “When everyone’s struggling,
choosing to struggle with them—” “That is my way of contributing to the community.” “If times are good and everyone’s doing well, then sure,
I think it’s fine to earn a bit more yourself.” “But when things are bad, and you just protect your own profit and say, ‘What happens next door isn’t my concern’—” “To me, that feels like
you’re not really connected to the people around you.” “Business, at its core, shouldn’t be like that.” “That’s the good part of traditional, local,
family-run businesses, don’t you think?” “Sure, I know fewer people think like this nowadays…” “No matter how beautiful your bread looks,” “Or if you won first prize in some contest…” “Even if a bakery won first place in something yesterday,” “If they can’t make what the customer wants today,
that award means nothing to that person.” “That’s why I believe you need to look at
each customer’s face and really see them.” “Being able to say, ‘This is what you were looking for,’—that’s what true skill is.” “So I always try to make sure we have exactly
what people want when they come.” “When I work with that goal— being able to offer what someone wants,
right when they want it—” “There’s no need to be too humble.” “I want to be proud of the things I’ve accomplished,
even if they’re small things.” “Even if it doesn’t show up in sales numbers,” “Even if it doesn’t bring in much profit,” “If I know I’ve done right by someone, I hold my head high.” “Sure, that may not turn into
money or recognition right away.” “But when you keep doing that in all kinds of situations,” “It all comes back around. It connects in the end.” That same mindset guides how he raises Miyu, too. “I really don’t want to say stuff like that.” “Like when I ask her to go to the store and buy milk—” “I never want to say,
‘Grab the freshest one from the back.'” “I’d rather tell her,
‘Just buy what we need, what’s good enough.'” “Because if we take the best
and leave the older stuff for others—” “All that burden, all that leftover mess— we just keep passing it on to the next person,
the next generation.” “We make them deal with it, make them figure it out—
and the cycle repeats.” “Then we end up struggling, or the people after us do.” “That’s why I don’t want to pass that kind of thing down.” What is your true calling? What does it really mean to work? If you’ve been given a talent—
who should it be used for? I thought about many things during the filming. Like, let’s say you’re working at a top hotel, holding a great position, saying “Look at how awesome I am.” Can you really be proud of that?
That’s what I started to wonder. “It’s not like I’m amazing or anything—” “I just feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of
those who came before me.” “If I’m going to do something,
I want it to be something that makes others happy.” “And whatever I get in return—that’s the value of it.” “No need to act like some saint—
just be normal, be yourself.” “If something I truly want to sell
at this price actually sells…” “…then I feel like that means it works. It’s valid.” “So I just try it—openly and honestly—
and see if it works or not.” “I know what I’m saying sounds idealistic.” “It’s not like you can make all of it happen.” “Because yeah, I can’t make a living on just ideals either.” “Yeah, maybe it’s idealistic.” “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.” “If we actually made those ideals come true—” “Wouldn’t the world become a better place?” “That’s what I want my child to see in me.” “Not ‘Dad made a ton of money so he’s great,’ or…” “…’He got this big title so he’s important.'” “What really matters is how much better
we leave the world for the next generation.” “So even if we can’t fix everything,” “If there’s hope that things will get better someday…” “I believe those kids will be there to carry it on.” “What matters most is showing them that kind of example.” “That’s the kind of life I try to live.” After lunch, Miyu returns to work. She checks to make sure the bread is neatly arranged. She handles the register with ease. She collects the tongs and trays used by customers. She’s constantly on the move. She doesn’t cling to her dad or seek attention. She quietly focuses on the work in front of her. It’s not because someone told her to act that way. She’s simply trying to fulfill
her own sense of purpose here. JKT: “Can you tell us which bread you recommend?” “Cacao Fruit” JKT: “Cacao Fruit! Is that your recommendation, Miyu?” “Mentaiko Camembert” JKT: “Oh, this one looks delicious!” I also grabbed a croissant. Itadakimasu! (Let’s eat!) While I take a little break, Miyu shifts to study time. Once her homework is done, she’s back to work. There’s a small kids’ corner inside the shop. Everything there was collected by Miyu when she was little. She brought them in for the kids who visit the bakery. She wants others to enjoy the things
that are precious to her. You can feel Mr. Okamoto’s values reflected
in even the smallest things. More and more customers begin to arrive. Just then, one of Miyu’s friends comes into the store. They are classmate from Miyu’s dance school. Miyu seemed a bit nervous today,
but we got to see her usual smile, too. It’s just past 2 PM. Watching Miyu work today taught us so much. “I always tell her, ‘Be confident in yourself.'” “If she grows up to be someone proud of who she is,
I don’t care what job she chooses.” “Even if she’s not good at something,
I just hope she won’t let it break her spirit.” “If she has that strength,
then whoever she marries or whatever she does—” “I don’t think I’ll have anything to worry about.” “I don’t have any specific expectations for
what she should be able to do.” What began as a small helping hand… …is slowly becoming
one of life’s most meaningful experiences. “It’s becoming part of her identity now.” “Like when she introduces herself,” “She’ll say, ‘I help out at my family’s bakery
and do this and that.'” “‘During summer break,
I went to these events with my dad,’ and stuff like that.” “That’s how she talks about herself now.” “I think it’s really nice
that this has become a part of who she is.” “Eventually, as she grows older…” “…I know she’ll start drifting away from it.” “But if what she’s doing now helps her wherever she goes,
that’s enough for me.” “I just hope it all stays connected somehow.” Today, we shared a heartwarming story of a father and daughter working together at a beautiful little bakery. A father who taught that what matters most is
how much we can do for others— —and that lesson is clearly being carried into the future. Dear Dad, Thank you for always making dinner for me. Even when you’re so busy in the morning,
thank you for waking me up. I love working at the bakery. I hope we can keep working together forever. Please keep looking after me, okay? Thank you so much for your cooperation during filming!
Wishing you many more days filled with smiles!

🌟 A 9-Year-Old Girl Running a Bakery? Here’s Her Heartwarming Story.
Meet Miyu, a 4th grader who works alongside her father at their cozy neighborhood bakery in Japan.

Every weekend, Miyu helps arrange bread, greet customers, and even clean up—all with a quiet sense of purpose.
She’s not acting. This is her real life. And she truly loves it.

In this documentary, we follow a young girl growing up in the warmth of her father’s care and philosophy.
Through bread, work, and everyday moments, she learns the meaning of contribution, pride, and love.

🎥 A touching story of family, responsibility, and the small moments that shape a life.

[Boulangerie Kokoro Official Instagram]
https://www.instagram.com/boulangerie_cocoro/

[Boulangerie Kokoro Google Maps]
https://maps.app.goo.gl/hvaJfU6cWrAdzZoh6

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