Brookline’s Japonaise Bakery and Cafe Shares Long-Awaited Reopening Update | Eater Boston

"A popular Brookline bakery that’s been temporarily closed for over a year has finally shared a long-awaited update: Japonaise Bakery and Cafe, a favorite for Japanese-meets-French treats for over three decades, closed in May 2021 for extensive renovations. Owner Takeo Sakan launched a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $40,000, explaining the shop hasn’t been renovated since his mother opened it in 1985 and that much of the equipment dating from then is breaking at increasingly frequent intervals. After a year without news, Sakan said on social media there’s one permitting hurdle left—hopefully this coming week—and that finishing the remaining work should take about three months. He apologized to fans—"I know it has been forever since anyone has stuffed an azuki cream in their mouth, and I am truly sorry for how long it has taken,"—and promised, "I WILL be back butter and tastier than before." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal