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The Japanese take their Christmas cakes seriously. So when some “Strawberry Frill Shortcakes” ordered online from Takashimaya Co. started showing up at customers’ doorsteps in crumbled heaps, the incident was destined to become headline news, complete with deep-bowed apologies broadcast on national television.
“We deeply apologise for disappointing many of our customers due to the frozen cakes that we sold,” Kazuhisa Yokoyama, senior managing executive officer at the department store group, said at a news conference on Wednesday before bowing deeply for about five seconds.
Takashimaya confirmed that as of Tuesday evening, 807 of the around 2,900 strawberry frill shortcakes it sold online were delivered to customers with damage.
Grim Christmas in Japan as rising inflation hits travel and party plans
Grim Christmas in Japan as rising inflation hits travel and party plans
Strawberry shortcakes are popular in Japan, and especially so at Christmastime (along with fried chicken, which have become a social media meme, in addition to the crumbled cakes this week). Takashimaya’s pastries were developed by Les Sens, a French restaurant in a suburb of Tokyo.
As to the reason why the cakes collapsed, that remains a mystery. Investigations by the bakery that made them and by the parcel company revealed no lapses, according to Yokoyama.
“It’s extremely regretful, but we found it impossible to determine the cause,” he told reporters. “We will strengthen our relationships with counterparties and work together to prevent this from ever happening again.”
Numerous customers took to social media to share photos of their cakes that arrived completely collapsed or with strawberries sliding off half-melted whipped cream.
Additional reporting by Kyodo
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