'Please forgive me': Customers show love to taiyaki maker who admitted to putting ‘less filling’ in his products

Ryan General
Updated ·2 min read

Customers started pouring in to a store selling a traditional Japanese pastry known as “taiyaki” after its owner admitted to putting in less filling and had offered a sincere apology online.

Heartfelt message to customers: Junya Hashimoto, the 45-year-old owner of “Taiyaki no Bunfukuya,” took to social media to apologize to buyers after he was forced to reduce the amount of filling in his pastries, reported SoraNews24.



  • The store, situated in the Japanese city of Gyoda in Saitama Prefecture, specializes in the fish-shaped pastry mostly sought after during winter.

  • Sales normally dwindle during the summer but COVID-19 restrictions have resulted in the store reportedly losing as much as 70% in revenue.

  • Hashimoto first tried only raising his product’s price but then decided to add more red bean filling after feeling bad about the price increase.

  • He would later discover that the increased amount of red bean paste filling was causing an even higher loss that could eventually shut his store down.

  • Hashimoto resorted to reducing the amount of red bean paste filling to save his store, but the decision left him feeling guilty.

  • He ended up revealing what he did via a sign posted outside his store, which he then shared on Twitter on Aug. 24.

  • The post, written in Japanese, read, "Honestly speaking, I used to put a lot of 'anko' (red bean paste) inside, but there was no profit from it. I will reduce the amount of ‘anko’ because the store is about to go broke. Please forgive me."


Sincerity wins: Hashimoto's admission and apology warmed people’s hearts online and immediately garnered traction. As of this writing, the store owner’s tweet has since been liked over 64,000 times and generated hundreds of comments expressing support.





  • Customers who have been to his store say Hashimoto's “taiyaki” remains delicious, even with less filling. Other commenters pledged to visit the store to show their support.

  • Hashimoto's store soon made local headlines after his tweet went viral, resulting in more customers lining up.


Featured Image via ANNnewsCH

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